As an author, I’ve often heard, “Write what you know.” For carousel carvers of old, it was, “Carve what you know.” They knew horses. After all, as mentioned in DYK This Carnival Ride was Created to Train Warriors?, carousels began as a safe way to train warriors on horseback. Only French carousel makers branched out to use menagerie (non-horse) animals, and these carousels were usually only for small children. This changed in America.

 

The Menagerie

With the popularity of public zoos during the Age of Enlightenment, carvers were able to study and carve other animals. The practice of adding menagerie animals grew, and soon carousels began to tell new stories. While horses still lead the pack of carousel animal types, the popularity of endangered species carousels has grown, especially in zoos.

 

Houston Story

Built in 2004, the Houston Zoo’s Wildlife Carousel  has 64 menagerie animals and two chariots. This carousel, which includes many of the animals found in the zoo, is a hand-carved and painted unique work of art. A ride on it helps fund the Zoo’s ongoing conservation efforts around the world.

 

Nashville Stories

Nashville has two special carousels, although only one is currently operating. To take a ride on it, visit the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere. Built in 2005, the Wild Animal Carousel offers 39 wooden menagerie animals and two chariots. Its animals are endangered species, including a giant anteater and a clouded leopard.

Nashville’s Fox Trot Carousel proves carousels aren’t limited to just animals, real or imaginary. Created by internationally renowned artist, Red Grooms, this carousel operated from 1998-2003 on the riverfront in downtown Nashville. Since 2004, it has been owned (and stored in pieces at an undisclosed location) by the Tennessee State Museum. This far-from-usual carousel tells the story of Tennessee with 36 life-size human, animal, and other figures.

You can ride a horse with President Andrew Jackson, a guitar with country music great Chet Atkins, or a catfish, a Nashville cuisine staple. Some of the people figures include Davy Crockett (frontier hero, American statesman, and Alamo defender), the Everly Brothers (singers), Cornelia Fort (eyewitness of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor), Captain Thomas Ryman (riverboat captain and sponsor of Ryman Auditorium construction), Sequoyah (creator of Cherokee alphabet), and Wilma Rudolph (3-time Olympic gold medal winner). But not all the figures are people or animals. These include the Bell Witch (haunted the Bell Family in Adams, TN), Purity Milk (family-managed dairy), and the GooGoo Boy (GooGoo Cluster was America’s first combination candy bar).

 

Other U.S. Carousel Stories

A list of carousels can be found on the National Carousel Association’s website. But here are a few of the ones that tell unique stories.

Wonder-Go-Round, at Children’s Fairyland in Oakland, CA, is an Alice in Wonderland-themed carousel.

Speedwell Foundation Conservation Carousel, at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., is a menagerie of zoo animals found in four habitats—aquatic, forest, grassland, and desert.

Greenway Carousel, at the Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston, MA, captures real and mythical animals, sea creatures, and birds of New England.

Great Northern Carousel, in Helena, MT’s, Great Northern Town Center, showcases animals native to Montana.

Want to ride on an insect? Try the Bug Carousel  at the Bronx Zoo in Bronx, NY.

If aquatic life is more your thing, try the SeaGlass Carousel at The Battery in Manhattan, NY. This carousel resembles an under-the-sea garden with visitors riding inside rotating fish.

The Kaufmann Stadium Carousel in Kansas City, MO, features baseball-themed figures and animals.

 

Summary

Remember, no two carousels are the same. Even if they contain the same animals, the carousels are as unique as their talented creators, and they all have a story to tell. So next time you find yourself on one, look around and “read” its story as you enjoy the ride.