Theme parks, or amusement parks, have a very long history. They started as part of the seasonal fairs that were held in many European cities in Medieval times. These early fairs were about merchants buying and selling, with the funfairs on the side. But by the 19th century, the amusement park had grown to be something quite separate. By this time merchants no longer wanted to do business at fairs, and so the buying and selling part of the fair died away.

In early fairs, any amusement ride had to be pushed, pulled or somehow moved by people. During the 19th century mechanical rides started to become the most important features. They were powered by steam engines, often traction engines with the engine connected to the ride by a big belt. Later the steam engine was replaced with electric or diesel motors.

At the same time, people began to enjoy going to public parks, and quite often these had entertainments on them as well. Music at bandstands, and even fireworks displays were quite common.

Then, in the 19th century, and starting with the Great Exhibition in London in 1851, there was a series of 'world fairs' where countries put on show all of their latest achievements. Each of these showcase fairs was accompanied by an area for amusements.

The rides became more exciting in these parks. The first Ferris Wheel was put up at the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, USA, in 1893. A giant wheel is now a feature of many parks and cities.

This fair was designed with paid amusements to help offset the huge cost of the exposition. This was an enclosed fair, not one just put up in a park. It gave the impression of an ideal modern city, filled with all of the latest wonders. What it did was to make it feel that you had gone to some kind of fairyland. Modern theme parks all use this idea from the 19th century.

The first permanent enclosed entertainment area, run by a single company, was founded in Coney Island, New York in 1895. It charged admission just to get into the park, as well as selling tickets for rides within the park.

The first amusement park in England was opened in 1896. It was the Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

The golden age of the amusement park was before World War I. In the 1920s and early 30s there was a world-wide depression, so people could not afford to go to amusement parks. After World War 2, people started to use cars and watch TV, so the amusement park became less popular.

What changed the amusement park and made it fashionable again was the idea of Walt Disney and his company. The idea was to make a huge park which was a real fantasyland that would take people away from the real drab world in which they lived. Of course, Disney had Mickey Mouse and all of the other cartoon characters to make this happen. This park - Disneyland - opened near Los Angeles, California.

The idea was to keep adding new rides, so that the park was never the same from one year to the next. At the same time, these new parks were divided into areas of different styles, or themes, so that you wandered from one to another. They were so big you never had time to see everything, and you never had time to get fed up.

That is how modern theme parks have developed today. Because they have to be on a huge scale, there can't be many of them. When the Walt Disney Company opened its second theme park, Magic Kingdom near Orlando, Florida it was surrounded by 48 square miles of undeveloped land so there was a huge barrier between the park and the outside world. It had to have hotels and so it became a resort. Walt Disney World Resort now has four theme parks and is the most visited vacation resort in the world.