Condominiums, lakefront restaurants, tate-of-the-art swimming pool the size of two football fields -- sounds good, huh? Didn't happen! Almost 30 years later, that area, as well as MOST of the scenic road on the Lakefront is BLOCKED OFF to the public. When I was growing up, it was a beautiful area to park with your family, hike, have a picnic, throw frisbies, or to watch the sail boats & sunset over the lake. What a travesty to close Ponchartrain Beach. Obsolete? Another lie.

@dexterramey8787

2 жыл бұрын

What was reason none of that happened?

@jewl1215

Жыл бұрын

@@dexterramey8787 you mustn’t be from New Orleans, or you would prob know that answer.

@dexterramey8787

Жыл бұрын

@@jewl1215 I'm not. What a doc that sent me into investigation mode.

They stole a iconic historical place from all of us who grew up in this era but they can't steal from us the memories we made ,the fun we had or the love we shared at the beach.

Back in 1969 at the end of school summer break ,you got in free and a free ride ticket for every A on your report card , and I made straight A's and those comps really inspired me to make the extra effort to get them A's

I rode the Zephyr! :D

what happened to the condos and the wonderfull swimmingpool

I loved this beach as a kid, my favorite was the haunted house. I loved the shows, the rides, games, everything. This guy talking with the helmet on sounds deluded. Of course at the time everyone thought it was sincere, but to hear him talk about a new beach...what fantasy camp is he in?! There were no condos, no beach, nothing. Nothing but a flat slab. I do have my memories, praise God. At least me and many others had the joy of experiencing the magic. Value every good thing while it's here.

@Strive1324L

6 жыл бұрын

Every time i see this Stephen Kapelow, i get disgusted. New Pontchartrain Beach? More people at the new beach than the old one? He should have been in politics. Great fit.

@dexterramey8787

2 жыл бұрын

@@Strive1324L what happened?

@Strive1324L

2 жыл бұрын

@@dexterramey8787 This guy was saying how there would be a new beach, but somehow a deal was made to build condominiums on the property, but it was a hoax, and a fiasco. So the beach closed down and was abandoned. Years later additions to a college campus were built there, and there was no Pontchartrain Beach 2. So, that's how it ended.

We sure all got ripped off on this deal. These big developers convinced the Batt family this park was never going to make it with all the new technology coming out so they can buy the property. I say we all got ripped off because the guy in the interview lied about everything. The park is gone! I had high hopes about Jazz Land but now that is gone too. I miss Ponchatrain beach terribly. I wish another could be built like it.

@lizceldycarmona3909

8 жыл бұрын

this old park re -openend as jazz land and then was sold to six flags and re-openend as six flags new orealns!

@cajunroadwarrior

8 жыл бұрын

+Minecraft Master most of use are very familiar with that. The problem is after the hurricane destroyed the new park a number of con artists tried one scam after another with the false pretense of bringing the park back to life.

@lizceldycarmona3909

8 жыл бұрын

I know

@lizceldycarmona3909

8 жыл бұрын

+paul reed it never did when hurcane Katrina came so six flags left!

@cajunroadwarrior

8 жыл бұрын

+Minecraft Master the site of Ponchartrain Beach was never reopened. the property was donated to Tulane university. Developers of the 1984 World's Fair pressured the owners of the park to close so it wouldn't interfere. It didn't help the World's Fair was still a massive financial failure.

Meanwhile, Mississippi had a miniature version of Pontchartrain Beach: Fun Time USA in Gulfport, which too fell victim to Katrina even if they tried competing with the Internet plus the number of casinos that popped up all over the coast.

Loved going there whenever I came out to New Orleans from California to visit my grandma. Unfortunately it became condos.

I remember my auntie telling stories about when she was a kid she was not allowed there because she was black,

@IslenoGutierrez

2 жыл бұрын

Yep true. It was a whites amusement and beach park

Talk about history repeating itself... well, kind of lol.... Six Flags park is supposed to be a big outlet mall with having a few of the rides refurbished. That deal now fell through and the park will still stand with no plans of anything. Sad.

Even if the park were to remain open, there would still be one thing that would shut down the park. Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

maybe the city didn't want people going to pontchartrain beach, and paying $8 a day to ride all of the rides, instead of going to that big bomb of a world's fair, in 1984, which charged $15 just to get in the gate.

It is kind of ironic that those condos never got built. All that is there now is a shit office park and some UNO stuff. That lighthouse is just sitting in some overgrown, fenced off brush in the middle of a field.

damnit i wish i was born at that time

"Computer games and other things to do".....yea right. We all know why it closed.

@wallacestine

5 жыл бұрын

bruh

@vtxoa

4 жыл бұрын

Same reason Lincoln beach closed!

@jw1006

3 жыл бұрын

What happened

@dexterramey8787

2 жыл бұрын

Why?

@rasundesilva6088

2 жыл бұрын

Tell us

That's Mr Kay....English 2....Sarah T Reed High School 95

NOLA Needs Pontchartrain Beach once again!

The reporter, Paul Murphy, used to be a news anchor here in Lake Charles, La. many years ago. I wonder what happened to him?

@galaxies352

7 жыл бұрын

Princess Taboo He is currently with WWL-TV in New Orleans.

@littlecasino60

7 жыл бұрын

Thank you.

i went there alot in the ealy 80's and it was great.part of the reason of closing was it was giving to much compition

Elvis did a concert at Ponchateain Beach

Well, i loved the beach but i also loved the fair.

Now New Orleans is nothing but shit nothing for the kids no Beach no jazzland no nothing the crime is bad it flood like crazy down here and all the good jobs left

At 2:26 they had that same Rocket slide in Kenilworth park in the east.

What ever happen to the New Pontchartrain Beach ?

Didn't Stephen Kapelow have some huge IRS problem to the tune of millions in unpaid taxes?

The Zepher ,the old wooden coaster took me a couple of years to get the nerve to ride it after hearing my dad tell us about the time it used to go out over the Lake and there was an accident and it went off the tracks and some folks were killed .Not sure the truth or details as it was something that happened when he was a boy but I never officially heard anything relating to that story .But I dont think my dad would lie about that .I might try and look that up .

@melaniesmith6353

4 жыл бұрын

I think that was the Wild Maus (Mouse) coaster? I rode it with my dad when I was about 5. It was a terrible ride. Very sharp turns that knocked me to the bottom of the car. They destroyed it after someone was killed on it. I heard that it missed a sharp corner turn....someone correct me if I'm wrong. The ride went something like this:kzread.info/dash/bejne/goJlrcasgLKXcps.html

@melaniesmith6353

4 жыл бұрын

"In the early 1980s, a boy was thrown from the Wild Mouse at Pontchartrain Beach in New Orleans. He fell twenty-five feet and suffered a head injury." countryroadsmagazine.com/art-and-culture/history/the-mystery-of-the-wild-mouse

@melaniesmith6353

4 жыл бұрын

Your dad was right. I had to dig for this one because some sites say no one ever died there except someone falling from one of the stunt shows..."Pontchartrain Beach was sold on September 23, 1983. The main reason it closed down was due to declining attendance. In 1943, Corporal Douglas O'Brien, a World War II serviceman from Springfield, Massachusetts, fell 75 feet (23 m) to his death from the top of the Zephyr roller coaster. He was 28." Lots more people known to get out of the coaster at the top of the highest hill and attempt to climb down the sides. I met one of those people while working in a mental institution once upon a time. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontchartrain_Beach

Sure was a nice place. I miss it even after all these years. Very sad. The people really know why the place was closed. No comment on why it was closed.

@galaxies352

3 жыл бұрын

John Williams it was closed down for more reasons than the “people really know why” reason you are thinking of or I think you are thinking of. Please, make a comment.

Steven caplo how did it wrk out

When I went to UNO I always what that light house was doing there, because it doesn't go with anything else around that.

@fastbackwalrus Don't forget Pac-Man! The Six Flags theme parks were another contribution; ironically, there was a Six Flags New Orleans, which was closed down for good after Hurricane Katrina came and went.

@Sargebri

3 жыл бұрын

Also, they claimed the World's Fair would draw away a lot of thr crowds. I went to that fair and it was empty.

@johnnyballenatl

Жыл бұрын

@@SargebriNo wonder why the 1984 World’s Fair was a colossal, financial flop (though at least it got a nice convention center out of it), not just for New Orleans, but the Mississippi Gulf Coast as well.

YOU LIE, Mr. Kapelow. Probably not your fault, but look at the beautiful 3...plain...office buildings we have instead. I'm sure all of New Orleans is rejoicing....NOT. So many miss Ponchartrain Beach or wish they could have experienced it.

@bustakitayancey7261

3 жыл бұрын

I see he committed suicide after in 2006

Where are the upscale condo's?

@russ5024

4 жыл бұрын

It never happened!

They also hac dolphin shows.

: GOD Is Witching----Always.....Amen

I grew up at Pontchartrain Beach, I worked there when I was old enough, Pontchartrain Beach was Mayberry USA until around 1965 when integration had it affect on the park, it became urban USA at that point, petty crime came to the park, cars were broken into in the parking lot, there were black youths creating chaos in the park, more and more police were required, it became a very unpleasant place, attendance dropped, it became dirty and unmanageable, this was the end of Pontchartrain Beach, just as it was the end of Canal Street shopping, I know many will call me racist, but, this is the way it happened, I witnessed it firsthand.

@littlecasino60

7 жыл бұрын

I live in southwest Louisiana, but I went there with a friend about 1982 and it was exactly how you described it. I feared we would get jacked. On one ride ~ I forgot what it was called ~ that was like a log water ride that went through these dark tunnels and I was terrified someone was hiding in there and I'd be attacked, LOL. I was the only one on the ride. It was fun, but scary too.

@Rollinghard7

5 жыл бұрын

Harry Goodhorn, you are such a liar and a racist. Pontchartrain Beach has crime LOOONG before blacks were allowed to enter it.

@SBabiLuv

5 жыл бұрын

Lol it’s a good thing your generation is dying. Enjoy the racism while you can buddy

@deedevlin3934

5 жыл бұрын

You are 100% totally accurate on your assessment of the closing of Pontchartrain Beach. It was a family place not a thug circus like everything is today

@dexterramey8787

2 жыл бұрын

Shopping is alive and well on Canal st..

Black or white doesn't mean shit. Big shots with money stole everybody's good times. I was a boy of 7 or 8 the first time we went in the early 60's. I loved the double ferris wheel and everything else about it. Who cares what color laughter is? I am anglo with friends of many races and hearts. Get over the racist thing. This is 2011. Let's try to act like we have some sense.

@IslenoGutierrez

2 жыл бұрын

It was mostly because the park was integrated why it died.

@dexterramey8787

2 жыл бұрын

@@IslenoGutierrez what is the source of this info?

@IslenoGutierrez

2 жыл бұрын

@@dexterramey8787 The source? There are reports of low turnout among whites after they desegregated the park. White folks were not happy they desegregated and they voted with the absence of their money and the park was forced to close. Everybody knows this story.

He killed himself in September of 2005 in Wyoming.

@littlecasino60

7 жыл бұрын

Who?

@mcmneverreadsreplys7318

4 жыл бұрын

Seems to be referring to Stephen Kapelow - the developer interviewed near the end of the video. ". . . Stephen, shot himself in the head with a 12-gauge shotgun in September. He was 64, and it was his fifth time attempting suicide. The couple would have celebrated their 16th wedding anniversary last week." www.jhnewsandguide.com/news/top_stories/suicide-numbers-troubling/article_887ec4af-9c9e-550a-acba-3ff69bceb51d.html

Biggest mistake ever made....I MADE A OFFER BACK THEN TO THE OWNER A MILLION DOLLARS FOR 2 PERCENT TAKE TO KEEP THE PARK OPEN,,,,HE TOLD ME THE CITY WAS FORCING HIS HAND TO CLOSE

@galaxies352

Жыл бұрын

You made the offer to the wrong party… you should have slipped Dutch Morial the $$$ and we would be ride the Zephyr today!

Did he really?

Well, Ponchartrain Beach is planning to reopen in the summer of 2016. All rejoice!!!

@johnnyballenatl

8 жыл бұрын

+Walter Lopez While Fun Time USA on the Mississippi coast will be doing the same, ten years after Katrina closed it down!

@littlecasino60

7 жыл бұрын

Did that happen? It's 2017 now.

@mcmneverreadsreplys7318

4 жыл бұрын

@@littlecasino60 Nope. 1/2020

@captrodgers4273

3 жыл бұрын

@@mcmneverreadsreplys7318 8-2020 still nada-nothing will happen with ponchatrain beech or jazzland untill republicans take control.

That condominium project never happened. It was all a pack of lies. They could have found a wealthy developer to save it. No matter how many video games come out kids always find time for amusement parks. Always!!

HA!...HE LIED HIS ASS OFF!...NEVER CARED FOR PONTCHATRAIN BEACH I WANNA SEE LINCOLN BEACH REOPENED!...

@IslenoGutierrez

2 жыл бұрын

Cuz you’re black. We loved Pontchartrain Beach cuz we’re white.

Really sad. This place was great. It's all because of you know what closed it down. They ruin everything.

@galaxies352

3 жыл бұрын

John Williams yes. It was more than “They” that closed PB.

@IslenoGutierrez

2 жыл бұрын

@@galaxies352 it was mostly “they” though. PB was successful since it opened in 1928 until “they” became part of it and then it died. We all know why it died.

@dexterramey8787

2 жыл бұрын

@@IslenoGutierrez so you are not going to hold the developer in this video accountable for anything? Typical...

@IslenoGutierrez

2 жыл бұрын

@@dexterramey8787 No, I’m not. The only thing typical is the reason PB failed after being so successful since its creation. There is a reason all of a sudden they had “low turnout” and had to close.

Amusement parks had it rough in desegregation. It's easier to desegregate a school where all the children are well known and closely supervised. Desegregating amusement parks often caused race riots.

@IslenoGutierrez

2 жыл бұрын

This was the demise of Pontchartrain Beach, racial integration.

Really makes me sad to see this. I was born in New Orleans in 1950. Blacks have destroyed everthing that was good about the city. No one will say it but its true. That place is a total dump now. Never to return to the good days again. Really sad.

@blackonyxtv823

5 жыл бұрын

Kerry Williams You Neantherthal ugly ass bitch go fuck yourself

@SBabiLuv

5 жыл бұрын

He was born in 1950. He probably wrote this on his deathbed 😹 they’re all dying out. Enjoy your last moments of racism before Hell swallows you.

@blackonyxtv823

5 жыл бұрын

MitchieMargaux Yep and it’s happening slowly but surely but not fast enough for me. *Rubs hands like Birdman* 😈😂

@deedevlin3934

5 жыл бұрын

Preach on my brother preach on someone one day will hear you

@IslenoGutierrez

2 жыл бұрын

@@SBabiLuv what u talking about there are plenty white people around

EVERYBODY FROM NEW ORLEANS KNOW THE REAL REASON WHY THEY HAD TO CLOSE. JUST LIKE EVERYBODY KNOWS THE PROBLEM WITH NEW ORLEANS TODAY