It'll now cost more than $1 to ride the Zippin Pippin roller coaster, as Bay Beach Amusement Park raises prices on 10 attractions
GREEN BAY - It’ll now take a buck and some change to get your thrills on the Zippin Pippin.
The famed wooden roller coaster is one of several rides at Bay Beach Amusement Park to get a ticket pricing bump for the 2024 season, which begins on Saturday. A ride on the coaster that Elvis Presley loved when it was originally at Libertyland in Memphis, Tennessee, in the 1970s, will cost $1.50, up from $1.
It's the first increase for the fan-favorite ride since it opened at Bay Beach in 2011.
Of the 22 rides at the historic 132-year-old Green Bay city park known for its throwback pricing, nine will require an additional 25-cent ticket from last year. Twelve will remain the same.
Bay Beach visitors purchase 25-cent tickets for rides, with all but the Zippin Pippin requiring one, two, three or four tickets. Admission to the park is free.
More thrills: Here's what's new, what's back, what's under construction at Bay Beach Amusement Park for its 2024 season
Tilt-A-Whirl and Scrambler increase 25 cents; kiddie rides unchanged
It is rides the park bills as its thrill rides and family rides that will see the change. The Scrambler, Tilt-A-Whirl, Scat, Sea Dragon, NebulaZ, Big Wheel, Yo-Yo and bumper cars will each increase from three tickets to four.
The Bay Beast, Ferris wheel, Helicopters, Rock’n Tug, merry-go-round and trains are all holding steady at two tickets. The slide is increasing from one ticket to two.
All of the kiddie rides will remain at just one ticket each: Lady Bugs, Granny Bugs, Jeeps, Sky Fighters, Race Cars and Boats. In addition, all one-ticket rides will be free on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
One of main goals of Bay Beach, which is self-funded, is to keep the popular summertime destination affordable, said park manager Jason Arnoldi. But as with nearly everything in recent years, costs of repairs and upgrades have gone up, he said, and in the last five years, the wages for seasonal staff have nearly doubled.
The last time the cost of individual tickets at Bay Beach increased was in 2003 when they went from 20 cents to 25 cents.
Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on X @KendraMeinert.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Bay Beach Amusement Park increases prices for 10 rides for 2024 season