Growing up in D.C. a trip to the Glen Echo Amusement Park, was a treat for my siblings and me. Glen Echo is a small venue, nothing like Six Flags, just a couple of miles from the D.C.-Maryland line. I don't recall everything about it, I do recall the carousel of course. Glen Echo had the distinction of having the first bumper cars in the US. along with a penny arcade, skeeball, shooting galleries, a wooden roller coaster and even a tunnel of love. The park was also a terminus for streetcars coming from town. Sections of track are still evident in the blacktop parking lot. In 1968 the park closed. The original plan was to sell the land off for housing development but better angels prevailed and the National Park Service took over the property in 1970. Today, the working carousel remains along with some buildings from old attractions, but the other amusements are long gone. Glen Echo Park is now an arts and performance center as well as home to several landmarks.
I got out early on a Sunday morning. I wanted to photograph the architecture, which I found particularly interesting, without visitors around. My 8AM arrival was accompanied by blue skies, low humidity and 68 degree temps. Is this really August in Washington D.C.?
The National Park Service maintains it, the park is very popular with the community, and it is a little bit off the beaten path so all that could help keep it protected and in proper order. There are a number of photography programs, pottery, painting and other craft workshops and galleries there. Quite an interesting place.
