Great park when i was a kid in the 1980s , was a good park going back to the 60s, it had a decline with various ownership changes in the 90s, until Martin (who had a traveling carninval) bought the park, it has subsequently been sold off, but there has been "some" improvements.... Martin made it a goal to make a big coaster, in homage to the defunct "Comet" Cosater in nearby Crystal Beach Park , which closed in 1989. Parts of the "Comet" were stored at Fantasy Island, until it was moved to Lake George at their Amusement park and reconstructed.
@@jayducharme according to our tv local station-the story is that they are selling off rides.Their tax bill is $100,000 a year for only being open for 4 months a year
@@jayducharme Looks like they may have a buyer as of this past week. I went there as a small child.when it opened in 1961. Bought season passes for my own kids to enjoy the park for several summers. Now they're grown. Hope the deal goes through and Fantasy Island is saved.🙂👍
@@christinestange4813 I just read about that. It has indeed been rescued, and I'm very happy about that. The Silver Comet will have a new lease on life!
@@christinestange4813 Christine do you remember the Tuscorora native women making their crafts in 1961. They were located right beside the entrance. I was seven years old when our family visited in 1961. Maybe you were sitting beside me and my brother in the saloon. We were from Toronto. You couldn't move for people when the gunfight started. Very different times now.
This is when the park really started the downfall. I remember going last year and the pond was filled with think algae. Sad how they closed it without warning. I would have gone on the last day in 2019.
The last day I was their was during the hollowed event in 2017 when I was 9 I was so scared I was never gonna go their agian but little did I know I was right
Have a lot of fun and great memories of this park in the 70's/80's as a kid and teenager when it was Fantasy Island and than again in the 90's thru the 2000's taking my gf's kids there and than our first grandchildren when it was Martin's Fantasy Island. So sad that Apex Parks closed and killed it. What a loss for our Western New York Community!
I hope I get majority of the people thoughts and scoop them all into one comment. So first when the park opened it was a main actraction for anyone who visited Niagara Falls or a place close to that. The park had a strong future and was maintained as needed. The park really started to downfall in 2010 when what they mostly focused on was the rides/attractions, and not issues like the bathrooms plumbing, pond, paving, landscaping, buildings and infrastructure. So the park started to downfall as the tlc that it did need wasnt acquired. The real drop really started when the new owners came in in 2016 and just let the park rust, they did minor improvements just to past health/safety law standards and that was about it. The owners raised prices, didnt take care of any rides/ attraction, etc. Thats why they started to have less park attendance. This was a company and not family owned anymore so they just used it for profit. Now as of recently park rides have been dismantled and now a few to none rides/attractions are at the park. If somone put lots of money and effort into thay park that it needed it could be the main tourists spot of grand island again. Hopefully somone may puchased the park but I heard amazon was intrested to but the property to put warehouses. If a buyer dont come soon fanasty island will be no longer and by by childhood.
Interesting note: that game where you send your friends up the tower was actually at Darien Lake last year. They bought it for the 2017 season, it made no money, they sold it to Fantasy Island.
It does! I can relate I loved Dorney park! This was a cheap alternative. What is wierd is that this park has 7 water rides and 3 coasters and dorney has 3 water rides and 7 coaster!
I live 5 minutes away from here, it’s so sad hearing you say that the new owners are going to to this and that to make the place better. They ended up running the place into the ground and is now selling off some of the rides
Unfortunately, that might be it for this season. We had planned to get to a few new parks but something came up and we're pretty much stuck at home for the rest of the summer. If we get a chance, I'd like to make a day trip to Great Adventure. That would be a heckuva walk-thru!
Fantasy island is good for a kiddie park lol I grew up going there yearly qith season passes then once we got into our teens we favored darien lake more. Now 24 year later I'll be taking my son for his first time next weekend
The new management was undertaking a lot of construction that season, with many rides temporarily in storage. So we'll see if they fill out the park a bit more for next season.
I have went there plenty of times I would say it's defitnetelty for younger kids with the new ownership the park has been unkept and the newer season passes are cheaper but it's not for a good reason because it has very limited rides which most are closed and has attracted lots of new rude people from lower income areas I defitnetely won't be back and honestly Darien Lake is way better
Good news: the park was reportedly purchased by a company committed to restoring it. They plan to reopen in 2021.
Great park when i was a kid in the 1980s , was a good park going back to the 60s, it had a decline with various ownership changes in the 90s, until Martin (who had a traveling carninval) bought the park, it has subsequently been sold off, but there has been "some" improvements.... Martin made it a goal to make a big coaster, in homage to the defunct "Comet" Cosater in nearby Crystal Beach Park , which closed in 1989. Parts of the "Comet" were stored at Fantasy Island, until it was moved to Lake George at their Amusement park and reconstructed.
RIP Fantasy Island 1961-2020
I was very saddened to hear of that. I really like Fantasy Island, and I hope someone rescues it.
@@jayducharme according to our tv local station-the story is that they are selling off rides.Their tax bill is $100,000 a year for
only being open for 4 months a year
@@jayducharme Looks like they may have a buyer as of this past week. I went there as a small child.when it opened in 1961. Bought season passes for my own kids to enjoy the park for several summers. Now they're grown. Hope the deal goes through and Fantasy Island is saved.🙂👍
@@christinestange4813 I just read about that. It has indeed been rescued, and I'm very happy about that. The Silver Comet will have a new lease on life!
@@christinestange4813 Christine do you remember the Tuscorora native women making their crafts in 1961. They were located right beside the entrance. I was seven years old when our family visited in 1961. Maybe you were sitting beside me and my brother in the saloon. We were from Toronto. You couldn't move for people when the gunfight started. Very different times now.
This is when the park really started the downfall. I remember going last year and the pond was filled with think algae. Sad how they closed it without warning. I would have gone on the last day in 2019.
The last day I was their was during the hollowed event in 2017 when I was 9 I was so scared I was never gonna go their agian but little did I know I was right
Have a lot of fun and great memories of this park in the 70's/80's as a kid and teenager when it was Fantasy Island and than again in the 90's thru the 2000's taking my gf's kids there and than our first grandchildren when it was Martin's Fantasy Island. So sad that Apex Parks closed and killed it. What a loss for our Western New York Community!
I hope I get majority of the people thoughts and scoop them all into one comment. So first when the park opened it was a main actraction for anyone who visited Niagara Falls or a place close to that. The park had a strong future and was maintained as needed. The park really started to downfall in 2010 when what they mostly focused on was the rides/attractions, and not issues like the bathrooms plumbing, pond, paving, landscaping, buildings and infrastructure. So the park started to downfall as the tlc that it did need wasnt acquired. The real drop really started when the new owners came in in 2016 and just let the park rust, they did minor improvements just to past health/safety law standards and that was about it. The owners raised prices, didnt take care of any rides/ attraction, etc. Thats why they started to have less park attendance. This was a company and not family owned anymore so they just used it for profit. Now as of recently park rides have been dismantled and now a few to none rides/attractions are at the park. If somone put lots of money and effort into thay park that it needed it could be the main tourists spot of grand island again. Hopefully somone may puchased the park but I heard amazon was intrested to but the property to put warehouses. If a buyer dont come soon fanasty island will be no longer and by by childhood.
Fantasy Island is closed for good. Was a nice park too, sad to see it go.
Interesting note: that game where you send your friends up the tower was actually at Darien Lake last year. They bought it for the 2017 season, it made no money, they sold it to Fantasy Island.
Ryan Raimondo Interesting! Thanks.
Nice! Looks a lot like Dorney Park back in the seventies.
It does! I can relate I loved Dorney park! This was a cheap alternative. What is wierd is that this park has 7 water rides and 3 coasters and dorney has 3 water rides and 7 coaster!
Love the videos looks like a fun place
It is a fun place! I’ve been there before.
rest in paradise
I love it here, Fairy tale not such as Spongebob or Superman
I like fairytale 'theme' I can agree.
I go there all the time
really sad that it’s shut down for good, i used to come here all the time
I live 5 minutes away from here, it’s so sad hearing you say that the new owners are going to to this and that to make the place better. They ended up running the place into the ground and is now selling off some of the rides
I know. I was very sad about that and I will really miss Fantasy Island. Apex certainly wasted no time dismantling the place.
They definitely didn’t! From what I can see from the thruway the crazy mouse is gone and so is flight!
@@briannabors9267 I hear it may still reopen. I live on the Island too.
What other walkthroughs are you going to do this year?
Unfortunately, that might be it for this season. We had planned to get to a few new parks but something came up and we're pretty much stuck at home for the rest of the summer. If we get a chance, I'd like to make a day trip to Great Adventure. That would be a heckuva walk-thru!
Fantasy island is good for a kiddie park lol I grew up going there yearly qith season passes then once we got into our teens we favored darien lake more. Now 24 year later I'll be taking my son for his first time next weekend
I wish you would come Charlotte, NC and do a walk through of Carowinds. It’s the Cedar Point of the South and I would love to get your thoughts on it.
That was on our plans (which got scuttled) for this summer. Our son lives out that way and he raves about the park.
Jay Ducharme it’s wonderful. A great collection of coasters and flats. I hope all is well with you and your family.
Thank you. We're fine. My wife got picked for Grand Jury duty -- for the entire summer. That sort of crushed our previous plans....
Sucks they got rid of the giant slide and the wave pool is down for the season this park sucked this year
I know but at least we got the silver comet
Hey I am going here tomorrow
I hope you make a trip back
My memory s when I was kid 😰😔😩
Went there in 68 or 69 , have pictures standing in front of a huge open book at the entrance.
They have the music backwards? That would annoy me
Fantasy island opens on July 1, 1961?
I haven’t been in sooo long I shit u not my last birthday day party was a couple days before it’s closed fully
Seems kind of lame. A lot of space with nothing happening. Going to try it in 2019 though.
The new management was undertaking a lot of construction that season, with many rides temporarily in storage. So we'll see if they fill out the park a bit more for next season.
I have went there plenty of times I would say it's defitnetelty for younger kids with the new ownership the park has been unkept and the newer season passes are cheaper but it's not for a good reason because it has very limited rides which most are closed and has attracted lots of new rude people from lower income areas I defitnetely won't be back and honestly Darien Lake is way better
Jay Ducharme too bad there probably won’t be a next season 😭