Beech Bend Park
Overlooking the lake at Beech Bend Park in 2016
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| Slogan | It's always a good time! |
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| Location | Warren County, in Bowling Green, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 37°01′27″N 86°23′43″W / 37.02417°N 86.39528°WCoordinates: 37°01′27″N 86°23′43″W / 37.02417°N 86.39528°W |
| Owner | Dallas and Alfreda Jones |
| Opened | 1898 |
| Operating season | May–September |
| Rides | |
| Total | Approx 40 |
| Roller coasters | 3 |
| Water rides | 1 |
| Website | www |
Beech Bend Park is an amusement park, campground and automobile race track located in Warren County, in the U.S. state of Kentucky, just outside the limits of the city of Bowling Green.
The park takes its name from a bend in Barren River where stands of beech trees are scattered throughout the area. The area was used for picnics as early as the 1880s. Charles Garvin purchased the park property in the early 1940s, adding amusements both rides and recreational activities over the years. The first ride was a pony ride, followed by a roller skating rink, dance hall, bowling center and swimming pool.
Shortly after World War II, Garvin added mechanical rides to Beech Bend Park, beginning with a Ferris wheel purchased from the Chicago World's Fair. Racing began about that same time with motorcycles. Auto racing began on a 3/8-mile (600 m) oval dirt track; that same track, now paved, is still in use today. A dragstrip was added in the 1950s.
The 1960s marked the park's heyday. Gate admission was ten cents, with promotions known as "County Days," spotlighting a county within the Bowling Green, Kentucky area each week. Carnival-type rides were abundant, with the famous Wild Mouse the most popular; midway games such as Skee ball and Fascination were a hit with guests. The campground grew over the years, with more than 1,000 spaces advertised at its peak, billed at one time as the world's largest. (The campground was home to the original store of what is now Camping World, a large camping supply retailer founded by David Garvin, Charles Garvin's son.) A small zoo was also added.
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