Pleasure Beach, Bridgeport, CT
Although locally referred to as an island, the site is actually a peninsula connected to the town of Stratford by beach and to the city of Bridgeport by a bridge. This wooden bridge last burned in 1996, has not been repaired, and there seems to be no interest in doing so.
The only access to the area is by boat or a two-mile walk down a narrow stretch of beach. Our method of entry was the beach walk. The photos are from two visits we made during the summer of 2005.
The first thing you see is mostly-abandoned vacation cottages in various states of disrepair. These people were leasing the land from the town and some have continued to use these properties, even though the area is officially closed.
Once past the cottages, you see some fairly recent ruins that I think are from the 1990s. A restaurant and a building I think may have been a "beach house".
Past here you begin to see the older amusement park part of the island. This park was in operation from 1892 up until sometime in the early 1950s. Much of the attractions are gone, but three buildings including the old carousel and bumper cars ride survived at the time of this exploration. These two were destroyed by the town of Bridgeport in 2009.
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