Funland, Rehoboth Beach

Funland (Rehoboth Beach)

Previously known as The Rehoboth Beach Sports Center
Location	6 Delaware Ave, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, U.S.
Status	Operating
Opened	1939
Owner	Al Faschnacht
Operated by	Seaside Amusements
General manager	Chris Darr
Slogan	Today's Fun at Yesterdays Prices
Operating season	Mother's Day Weekend - Weekend After Labor Day
Attendance	250,000–350,000
Area	1 acre (0.40 ha)
Attractions
Total	19
Website	funlandrehoboth.com

Funland (Rehoboth Beach) is a small family owned amusement park in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. It has 19 rides, as well as family style games, and an arcade.^[1] It is located right off the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk. The park opened in 1939 as the Rehoboth Beach Sports Center. It was then purchased by the Fasnacht family in 1962, and was rebranded Funland. Today, it is still owned and operated by the Fasnacht family.^[2] Funland operates rides that opened with the park, the oldest being the Boats and the Fire Engines, both of which likely opened in 1946 or 1947. Funland was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and faced staffing shortages.^{[3][ambiguous]}

History

Before becoming Funland in 1962, the park was known as The Rehoboth Beach Sports Center and owned by the Dentino family. On March 6, 1962, just nine days before the purchase was supposed to close, the Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962 started destroying Rehoboth Beach. The storm went on for three days before it finally subsided. By the time it finally left, The Rehoboth Beach Sports Center was one of the business left standing. It was still heavily damaged, but the Fasnacht family ^[4] decided they wanted to continue with the purchase after adjusting the price for the damages.^[5] Now, Funland gets between 250,000 and 350,000 visitors each season.^[6]

Funland is normally open on weekends from Mother's Day weekend (the second Sunday in May), through the weekend after Labor Day (the first Monday in September). However, in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it did not open until July 10.^[7][8]

References

1. "Funland Rides". Funland Rehoboth Beach. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
2. "A Fun Ride Back in Time". CBS News. 2015-08-09. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
3. "Tourism is Back but Businesses are Overwhelmed With Insufficient Staffing". ABC News. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
4. https://www.capegazette.com/article/funland-ends-60th-season-legislative-tribute/245770
5. "History of Becoming Funland". FunlandRehoboth. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
6. "Funland in Rehoboth Beach is 57 Years Old and Still Creating Treasured Memories for Generations of Families". Cape Gazette. 2019-05-09. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
7. Flood, Chris (2020-05-07). "Rehoboth's Funland Will Not Open for Mother's Day 2020". Cape Gazette. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
8. MacArthur, Ron (2020-07-07). "Funland Rides to Open July 10 on Rehoboth Boardwalk". Cape Gazette. Retrieved 2022-04-10.

38°42′52″N 75°04′35″W