Here are some great places to go this summer…provided you have a time machine.

Aquatarium (St. Petersburg, Florida)

Housed in a 160-foot-tall transparent geodesic dome, the 17-acre Aquatarium opened in 1964. Tourists came from far and wide to visit this aquarium, which overlooked the Gulf of Mexico and was home to porpoises, sea lions, and pilot whales. But it rapidly started losing customers—and money—when the bigger and better Walt Disney World opened in nearby Orlando in 1971. In 1976 sharks were brought in and the site was renamed Shark World to capitalize on the popularity of Jaws, but it didn’t help. Today condominiums sit on the site.

Jantzen Beach (Portland, Oregon)

When it opened in 1928, this 123-acre amusement park on an island in the middle of the Columbia River was the largest in the United States. It housed a merry-go-round from the 1904 World’s Fair, four swimming pools, a fun house, a train, and the Big Dipper—a huge wooden roller coaster. More than 30 million people visited “the Coney Island of the West” over its lifetime. But after World War II, attendance started to decline and continued steadily downward until the park finally closed in 1970. Today it’s the site of a shopping mall.

Palisades Amusement Park (Cliffside Park and Fort Lee, New Jersey)

Built on steep cliffs on the west side of the Hudson River, it began in 1898 as a grassy park for picnics and recreation. In 1908 it was renamed Palisades Amusement Park and rides and attractions were added. It boasted a 400-by-600-foot saltwater pool (“world’s largest”); the Cyclone, one of the biggest roller coasters in the country; and then in the 1950s, rock ’n’ roll shows. Attendance grew during that period because of heavy advertising on TV and in comic books. (There was a hole in the fence behind the music stage kept open to let kids sneak in to avoid paying the 25- cent admission fee.) By 1967, the park had gotten too popular. The city of Cliffside Park was tired of park-related traffic, litter, and parking problems, so it rezoned the site for housing (it has great views of Manhattan). The park was shut down for good in 1971.

For more great trivia, check out:
Uncle John’s Curiously Compelling Bathroom Reader.