Discover Delmarva: Funland Rehoboth
REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. – Funland is one of the most well-known spots along the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach. While decades have passed, the family continues their mission of creating generations of fun each and every day. We met up with Ian Curry, a fourth-generation family member, who showed us around this iconic attraction. “We’re over 60 years old, it was my great-grandparents and my grandparents’ generation that started it in 1962.”
Over the years, many things have stayed the same while others have adapted to the times. Curry tells us big changes are coming to their arcade this summer.”With the new card system, we’re hoping it’ll enable customers to use the machines more easily to for prizes. It also builds up the points to get that big prize they’ve been working on all summer.” So I think I needed to start building my points and get a head start heading into the summer! Curry showed us one of their newest games where you can try your hand at filling a summer favorite, “Icees,” to win big! Now I love the new technology, but my pride and joy lie with some of the classics. This year, they brought back one game you may remember from over 40 years ago.. The Panda Pitch! Now it looks simple, but it’ll take a few tries and some luck to get that ball in the dish to win yourself- Panda!
Curry was telling me our friendly competition was fun, but he had another game in mind for us to try. “My favorite game is probably our derby, the horse race. It’s iconic, it’s right on the corner of the boardwalk. When those doors go up, the seats are filled.” So we filled the seats and went head to head. I had never tried this game before, so I went in with a major disadvantage. Quickly, I got the technique and managed to get the ball in the bull’s eye to move my horse quicker! Who would have thought… I’d win on my first try! Again, friendly competition. I quickly got humbled in a game of Whack-a-Mole. I think my luck was wearing thin… But Ian said that the winning feeling is very important to what they offer here. “We like to make sure we have winners here at Funland. That’s really important to us. We want everyone to walk away with something if they’re going to play a game. We have a lot of winners every time games. These are simple games, mostly geared towards kids. But parents know if they spend 3 bucks, their kids are going to get something.”
I was a kid in a candy shop throughout the arcade, but they also offer a wide variety of rides. From their iconic Haunted House, the classic bumper cars, or even rides that date all the way back to the 1950s! Curry tells us, “Some of these rides have been around since the late 50s, even the turn right after World War II. So a lot of people have ridden these rides.”
Including myself! I hopped on the merry-go-round that I was NOT too big to go on! They offer a variety of rides for kids of all ages, with many of the same rides their parents and grandparents rode on years ago being their very first experience! Curry says the tradition at Funland is something special for visitors, and they hope to maintain it in the future. “As we look towards the future, trying to preserve what people come and expect. While also looking towards what new things we can do without taking away from the stuff people are expecting from us.”
Now, Funland is officially open for the season. The arcade opens every day at 10 am, while the rides open at 1 pm through August 23rd. Entry is free to Funland, but you’ll need tickets to go on the rides. For more information on their ticket packages and attractions, check out their website.
