Carousel Museum Collection
In preparation for your year end tax donations, please consider donating to the Carousel Museum's transportation fund! Our permanent collection of carousel animals continues to grow each year. Donations to the collection have come from all over the United States including, Maine, Connecticut, New York, Kansas, Las Vegas, New Jersey, California, and New York. Your support of our transportation fund will help us get these animals to the Museum and into their forever home!
UPCOMING EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
LAKE COMPOUNCE: 180 YEARS OF SUMMER FUN
Exhibition Dates: July 3 – October 25, 2027
The Carousel Museum is proud to present Lake Compounce: 180 Years of Summer Fun, a special exhibition celebrating the remarkable history of America’s oldest continuously operating amusement park. Located in Bristol, Connecticut, Lake Compounce has welcomed generations of visitors since its founding in 1846, evolving from a peaceful lakeside retreat into a beloved destination for recreation, entertainment, and family traditions.
The exhibition explores a story that reaches even further back—to 1684, when Native American communities inhabited and used the land surrounding the lake. Through photographs, artifacts, historic documents, amusement memorabilia, and interactive displays, visitors will discover how the site transformed over centuries, reflecting broader changes in American society, leisure, transportation, and entertainment.
As industrialization reshaped everyday life during the nineteenth century, Lake Compounce became a place where people could escape the demands of work and enjoy nature, community gatherings, and outdoor recreation. The arrival of amusement rides, including a carousel in the early twentieth century, marked the beginning of a new era of entertainment. Over time, the park became home to iconic attractions, including the historic Wildcat Roller Coaster (1927), which continues to connect modern visitors with the golden age of amusement parks.
Lake Compounce: 180 Years of Summer Fun examines the park’s enduring legacy and its important connection to carousel art, ride design, and American popular culture. The exhibition highlights the creativity of carvers, engineers, and entrepreneurs whose innovations helped shape generations of family experiences and cherished memories.
Occupying Gallery A and Gallery B on the museum’s first floor, this immersive exhibition invites visitors to explore more than three centuries of history—from Indigenous stewardship of the land to the rise of one of America’s most treasured amusement destinations.
