45°
“As we celebrate Memorial Day here at our newly reopened Pleasure Beach, I want to thank all of the men and women who have bravely fought for our country, and given their lives to protect our democracy,” said Mayor Finch. “Together, as we celebrate this important day, let us keep our fallen service members, and their families, in our thoughts and prayers.”
Pleasure Beach – a 71-acre barrier island off the Long Island Sound that is owned by the City of Bridgeport – opened to the public for its first full summer season in 19 years.
New attractions at the barrier island this year include a historical walking tour and expanded concessions.
Bridgeport took ownership of Pleasure Beach in 1892. It served as home to a nationally acclaimed amusement park and ballroom for the first half of the 20th century, but fires and declining visitor numbers put the amusement park out of business in 1966.
The barrier island continued to go from periods of revival and decay until Father’s Day of 1996 when the bridge to Pleasure Beach set ablaze. The bridge was deemed unusable after the fire, and Pleasure Beach remained inaccessible after that.
After nearly two decades of neglect, Finch restored access to the barrier island on June 28, 2014. For the two months that Pleasure Beach was open last year, more than 25,000 people visited via free water taxi.
“What a great place to be today,” said Stafstrom who brought his wife and daughter with him to visit Pleasure Beach. “It’s like a little piece of Nantucket right here in Bridgeport.”
Pleasure Beach is accessible on weekends in May via free water taxi from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., which picks beach goers up at the fishing pier on Seaview Avenue near its intersection with Central Avenue. It will be open seven days a week beginning in June.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Bridgeport and receive free news updates.
