Whalom Park was an amusement park located on Lake Whalom in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, that operated from 1893 to 2000. The site was redeveloped into a 240-unit apartment complex.

History

Whalom Park was established in 1893 by the Fitchburg & Leominster Street Railway as a traditional, English-style park of gardens and walking paths. At the time of its last day of operations in 2000, Whalom was known as the 13th oldest amusement park in the United States, as well as the second-oldest trolley park in the world. The park had been in continuous seasonal operation for 107 years. The "Flyer Comet" wooden roller coaster was one of the park's best-known rides. Most remaining structures at the park, including the Flyer Comet, were demolished in October 2006 to make way for development.

Rides and Attractions

Gallery

Appearances in pop culture

The music video for the song "Touch and Go" by The Cars was shot at Whalom Park in 1982.

TV advertisement jingle

There were two versions of the jingle: First Version Second Version

Land Redevelopment

In 2006, Whalom Park was fully demolished and in 2010 was redeveloped into a 240-unit apartment complex. In a nod to the former amusement park, the street within the complex was named Carousel Lane. The development, which was initially called Emerald Place was sold in 2022 for $76M and rebranded as Arrive Lunenburg.

The Whalom Park Experience

In 2023, the New Whalom Cooperative, a consumer co-op dedicated to the preservation of the Whalom amusement park past, present, and future, hosted a "Whalom Park Experience" pop-up event at Doyle Field in Leominster, Massachusetts. In partnership with Manuel Amusements, the three-day July 2023 event featured rides such as a scrambler, swings, carousel, slide, and four kiddie rides with games including skeeball and balloon chance games.