WOW, simply wow!! This is an amazing video and I'd thought that these memories would only last in my head, never to be actually seen again. I thank you so much for sharing this video, it gave me some chills just seeing those images again. Dorney was such an integral part of my childhood around this time and it's so refreshing to see her in her glory days! 😍

this just popped up for me and it is a real gem. This is the Dorney Park I remember fondly. I would have been 11 years old then. This was before the fire that claimed much of the center of the park including that remarkable carousel. Thank you for posting it

I swear I looked at every kid's face to see if my or my brother was in this. Great memories. Thank you very much for posting.

Thank for the content been going since 75

My first time here was in 1981. My parents loved this park. Now nothing is the same. I miss The Iceberg more than anything!

Super cool to see, definitely brings back memories

Bro this is amazing. That's the Dorney Park I remember.

Journey to the Center of the Earth was the first ride I ever went in by myself 😂

6:00 Is the music just old and wavery from the film or did the ride actually sound like that? Cause that sounds way out of tune. Everything else sounds great though, except at 0:30 the ride here also sounds very loud!

Thanks for recharging my childhood memories, this is how I always picture Dorney Park, I still rember the smell of that pond the whale boats were in. I loved the rockets, zephyr train and motor boats. When I was 7 we saw a Charger painted like the General Lee in the parking lot, I must have spent half the night thinking the "Duke Boys" were at Dorney and kept looking for them, I dont think my parents had the heart to tell me it wasnt really them. I havent been there since 94 so much has changed.

Wish the Skyride was still there

I just saw this today. I grew up with Dorney Park since 1976 (I was born Jan 14, 1974) and I might have been there in 1980. I remember all this stuff. I rode those kiddie cars under the colored umbrellas, the spaceships/planes with guns, the kiddie boats, Journey, Iceberg, Bucket O' Blood, Zephyr, Rockets, Sky Ride, Le Grande Carrousel, Whale Boats, Water Skooter, Glass House, The Whip, and Gold Mine as well as Thunder Creek Mountain, it opened 1982. I remember the ticket booths and ticket books

This video is a real gem! I think you have the only known footage of The Flying Dutchman rollercoaster. This is, by far, the best old school Dorney video out there!

I know damn well what camcorders looked like back then...I am AMAZED that you got this footage. Congrats b/c this is a genuine piece of history that not many thought to make at the time.

Anybody remember the house that used to be under the yellow roller coaster? The elderly lady lived there probably until she passed away. She refused to move out of house. It’s not there anymore. Something how the whole park built up around her.

James Madison, I posted the video to show what the park was like 34 years ago, not to vent about blacks and mexicans. I'm in this video, btw. Please don't post comments about other races here. Chill, relax, just enjoy.

They clocked that merry go round at 200 mph.

The WHIP might have been the greatest ride ever lol always long lines

Dorneys' best era.. now I just go to knobles which is old school and best

Went to DP yearly as a kid in the 70s. Life was simple back then and better IMO...

May I use this footage in a video I'm making on Dorney Park's history? I will give you full credit.

The original dorney park is unfortunately unrecognizable now

Oh wow. Thanks for sharing this! Brings back fond memories of my Grammy taking me to the park when I was little. We took the bus from Coplay because she didn't drive. We'd ride Journey to the Center of the Earth, the rocket ships, and the Zephyr (that tunnel with the 7 dwarves always freaked me out). And she'd let me "drive" the Water Scooter - thanks to your video I now know that despite what she told me my hypothesis that we would not crash if I took my hands off the wheel was correct ;) Bonus points for the carousel, Flying Bobsled, and Flying Dutchman footage. Those were my first "big girl" rides when I was tall enough to qualify, and it was great to see them again. Sad that they are no longer with us.

The Zephyr is the Heart of Dorney Park. I'm so glad it has endured.

Wow! This brings back some memories! I could actually remember the smell of the exhaust from riding on the train. It is amazing what amusement parks have become now, from the generic rides we had back then.

This is exactly how I remember dorney. I was 5 years old and my first memories. Great video!

Thanks for this trip down memory lane. I'm sure I was at the park in 1980, as a little kid. Later, as a teen, we rode the Sea Dragon (seen briefly at the end, in front of the Flying Dutchman) 14 times in a row, until my buddy finally threw up. :D Good times.

oh wow... the old carousel before they burned it down... I mean before the accidental fire

I seriously just want to jump right into this video. I miss the old Dorney Park and Alfundo!!! Thanks for sharing, Michael. Tho my memories of those days are fuzzy, videos like this help to clear them up a bit. They are cherished childhood memories! ^_^

Remember on the train ride...when you went into one of the structures. There was a poster of some girl on the wall. The guys used to whistle at it. Also the old Flying Dutchman. Thanks for your video

Thank you sooooooo much for posting this! It really brought back a lot of memories. To see all the rides that were there in 1980 makes me miss them even more!

Thank you for posting your memories here. I loved the Kiddie Land rides as I'd watch my youngest brothers getting their first looks (in stages dating from 1967-1972) at Dorney Park. We, as a family, could _all_ ride The Zephyr given that there weren't height requirements. I used to look into the creek and spot the trout swimming back and forth. What times these were! Belgian Waffles at or just after sunset were a regular treat and then Phase 2 of our Dorney Park visit would begin and last until The Coaster left the station for the last time that evening.

Magical! Thanks for uploading this.

I just watched the video again. Thanks so much for posing it. It captures almost the entire park.

I miss the old Dorney Park. The new owners since 1992 are too safety conscious and put seat belts on almost every ride, removed old stuff, replaced the blacktop with bright concrete, built new coasters, new eating places, new rides, eliminated tot spot for snoopy, and it gets way too crowded and busy some days in the hot summer. But, the Haunt event sort of brings back the classic style spook attractions to the park, normally the park is scare free in the summer since they got rid of Journey as well as the other scary indoor rides. The security once booted me out because some girl complained that she felt uncomfortable because I was getting too close to her on the lazy river. I fled the scene after getting off the ride but returned to the area a half hour later and the security officer walked up to me and my brother and apprehended us and took us to the security office where our passes were revoked for the year. They had to call my mom to pick us up. She was angry. Now she's afraid to let us go to Dorney Park sometimes because of fear of me getting arrested for supposedly being a perv. That was in Aug 2000. The security are a bunch of a holes. They will boot you out for any farting thing. Why do they need to carry guns like police officers? I'm 42 but live at home because I have autism and don't drive. I'm unemployed since Dec 2000. 2002-2008 and 2010-2012-2014 I went multiple times but 2001 I went once in the fall and 2009 once in October, and 2013 didn't go at all, due to my mom's fears, and last year went about a few times in the summer and fall. This year she was unsure but she might let us go. When I worked I could only go on my days off so I only went a few times a year except 1997 because my brother did something bad, he was 18 but since he was living under mom's roof, still is due to autism he had to live by her rules.

Dorney Park has certainly lost its charm over the years. I adored it as a kid in the 80s, but when I was there around 2001, it simply wasn't the same. It seemed like most of the trees were gone, they upped safety on the roller coasters (like adding a slight brake at the top of Hercules), and the overall appearance and feel of the park was just lacking. Excellent video!!

Great place it was back then. Hard to believe the changes to the place but so it goes...

Check out my Journey to the center of the Earth video. I taped it off a TV show about Dorney Park several years ago. I only have an edited Journey clip to show only the Journey scenes.

These videos you posted are amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this piece of our childhoods. The videos help me place all the rides I loved (and the ones that scared me! haha), most of which perished in the fire that hit the park in 1983. I really appreciate seeing the carousel again (my little 10 year old heart broke when I learned that burned), and the Flying Dutchman and the Palacio de Cristal (I LOVED this rotating house of mirrors). These are priceless.

Thanks for posting this. It is really nice to see the park from back in the day. Wish they never changed it, to what is is today.

Thanks so much for posting this brought back so many wonderful memories 👍

WOW! Thanks for posting! Great to see the original carousel with the original band organ playing!

Awe! This brought back memories!

What a great video. I was shortly before the park changed and it is great to watch.

This is the only video i found with original old merry go round in it before it was lost in a fire. thanks for the memories, we would drive here from West Reading.

It's good stuff! This, and the movie I posted depicting a year earlier show the Journey to the Center of the Earth, Bucket of Blood, Gold Mine, and the Iceberg which I don't think any of which exist anymore...

Thanks for sharing. Cool for the young ones to see the end of the park before Collosus/Lazer, Camp Snoopy and whatever else they have now. I heard rumors years ago that the Laser was slowly sinking into the ground because they built over the area that had the whale boats. No clue if that was true. I haven't been there since 2008.

wow great video

Michael that was such a great video. I was Alfundo that year. Not sure what you mean about venting, guess there were some negative comments. This video really brought back good memories. That was before the fire of 1983. Thanks for posting it.

I haven't been to Dorney Park since 2001. Is The Zephyr still in operation? This movie is a great encapsulation of the Golden Age of Dorney (which occurred during my lifetime) though I'm certain that other, similar, golden ages preceded my acquaintance with Dorney Park.

*FUN FACT* : The Flying Dutchman coaster operated from 1972 to 1988. Despite its massive size and popularity, it was removed due to being a maintenance nightmare with frequent downtime, as well as a few injuries. Shame. It looked fun :(

QUESTION : When and why was the Sky Ride removed?

This was back when Dorney Park was good. Back before those corporate big wigs from Cedar Fair came in and started adding all these big fancy rides from the future. Before they put a focus on safety and brought the park into the 21st Century. Shame on them for investing hundreds of millions of dollars into the park, they ruined it!

1:34 typical kid "digging for gold"

I Remember the summer the flying Dutchman opened!!! Great to see again.

I had to operate that one kid ride w/the plane/rocket once. Never had any problems with the kids but the parents were horrible!! Great video! Thanks for posting.

whale boats!

Was Dorney Park's security force as big in the 1980's as it is now? Now they even hired two South Whitehall poilce officers because they were getting so many calls to arrest people. What happened? There were 50 drug busts this past summer. I guess Cedar Fair is advertising too much and getting the wrong crowds. The park gets insanely busy/crowded in the summer and during Haunt. Now they randomly wand people at the entrance for security reasons, like at airports. I guess it has become that bad that they need to do that. But Kings Dominion installed metal detectors a few years before 9/11.

Stop picking your nose