Remember Adventurer's Inn? That surreal, almost dreamlike amusement park (now long gone) that still resides in the subconscious minds of many who have been there? Well, the OOBs do - and here are some remembrances culled from the Out Of Bodies archives - set in motion by Donald's dentist when he innocently commented...
"what a well done website!
a tribute to a better(?) time. does anyone remember golf city and adventurer's inn?
- toothman68
 |
| The Batman slide. |
Lloyd remembers:
Adventurer's Inn was one of my favorite places in the world! My grandmother used
to live in the apartment buildings right around the corner from AI, and she used
to bring me there all the time. When I was in elementary school I had many a
birthday party there (remember Don?!). As I got older, Adventurer's Inn grew
with me! They kept expanding - from a kiddie park to a full blown amusement park
(I believe they got a lot of their later attractions from New Jersey's Palisades
Park, which closed around the time they expanded). Later, after High School,
long after the amusement park was shut down, Don and I would go to the arcade at
night and play Popeye and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom! We got so good
at the Popeye Arcade Game that we could play all night long on one quarter!
 |
| The Adventurer's Inn sign that sat atop the arcade. |
Donald remembers:
Although the rides and restaurant closed around 1978
or so, the arcade remained open for at least another 10 years or so, I believe -
and even though the concrete landing at the top of the arcade entrance way was
sinking, and the circular mosaic design of the Adventurer's Inn Pirate was
nearly obscured in a perpetual puddle of water - I can still remember visiting
this place with fondness. I do actually recall at least one of Lloyd's birthday
parties there, when the park and the rides were open - and regarding Lloyd as
some type of celebrity. But the longest amount of time I've spent there in one
stretch was in 1985 when the union at the company I had just started working for
went on strike for three long months. I couldn't have been too worried...
Instead of walking picket lines I spent much of that time plunking quarters at
the arcade, being I lived just moments away in College Point. By the end of the
strike I was a Popeye/Indiana Jones Master. I also vividly recall (much to my
horror) one of the long term employees at the arcade who you'd get your quarters
from. Lloyd and I nicknamed him "Quasi" (for his uncanny resemblance to
Quasimoto). With his change belt straining around his enormous girth, Quasi
would be the guy we'd have to contend with before playing our favorite video
games. With our hands extended we'd patiently wait - as he'd pinch out one
quarter at a time. This up close encounter was horrifying. Quasi's one eye would
leer down at his belt, while the other was fixed on us. He would never speak,
but his breathing would be loud and laborious. It took us every ounce of courage
not to forget the whole deal and bolt for the doors.
 |
| The "Fligth To Mars" ride. Perhaps even more frightening than the ride itself, is the fact that someone spelled "flight" wrong - and then decided to just leave it like that. |
Joe remembers:
Yeah, Adventurer's Inn was quite a place in the mid seventies, and you guys are
right, it started to go downhill from there. Many of the rides, as Lloyd states,
were leftovers from Palisades Park, but some were also from Coney Island and the
garbage cans around the place were from the 1964 World's Fair, right down the
road in fact!! I remember in it's later incarnation as an arcade, walking
through with friends dressed in full ape make up and freaking out all the little
kids!!!! The bad thing I remember is that giant cat-sized rats use to chase us
back to the car when we left. Not fun!!! Regards to my old friend and fellow
film guy Lloyd Goldfine, who, as a young zombie tried to kill me!!!
 |
| The bumper car ride - just before the bulldozer. |
Remember Adventurer's Inn? Add YOUR comments...
