IDORA PARK
Idora Park was one of several playgrounds of northeastern Ohio. When a devastating fire ripped through the Wildcat and River ride, things came to an end. The park closed and until 2001 the reminants of the coasters were all you could see, in addition to a couple food stands and fountain. Now the grounds are bare, with nothing but a beautiful isolated pathway through the forest that divides the two halves of the grounds.
Updates - Jan 2002
Here's a rare look at the park.
This is all that remains of the Jack Rabbit. Footers still line the lift hill, but the wood is gone.
The beautiful stone walkway that leads to........nothing. The Jack Rabbit station sat directly ahead, with the ballroom to the right.
Ironically I found a Paramount's Kings Islnad bear laying next to the Wildcat's remains. Kings Island is known for toning down their wooden coasters, and with the amount of rides they have removed over the years it almost seems as if they had something to do with Idora!
A checkerboard floor from one of the sheds under Wildcat. To this day Idora has some of the most beautiful trees of any park......too bad that's all that's left.....
Though there were numerous efforts to reconstruct Idora, the church that owns the park property bulldozed the Jack Rabbit and Wildcat coasters in July of 2001 without any warning. Though they were beyond restoration, they were a fantastic sight to see. I was lucky in getting my first (and only) personal look at the park and coasters two weeks before they came down. It's ironic that as soon as I begin my photo visits they are torn down!
01. The Jack Rabbit as viewed from a parking lot.
02. The Jack Rabbit's station.
03. Another view of the "rabbit."
04. Inside the Wildcat station.
05. Former site of a huge pavilion that sat overlooking most of the park.
LINKS!
Idora Park on the Roller Coaster Database
Photos - June 2001
All images copyright Brad Sherman unless noted otherwise.
