Beech Bend Park is an amusement park, campground and automobile race track located in Warren County, Kentucky, USA, just outside the limits of the city of Bowling Green.
The park takes its name from a bend in Barren River where stands of beech trees are scattered throughout the area. The area was used for picnics as early as the 1880s. Charles Garvin purchased the park property in the early 1940s, adding amusements over the years. The first ride ...
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Beech Bend Park is an amusement park, campground and automobile race track located in Warren County, Kentucky, USA, just outside the limits of the city of Bowling Green.
The park takes its name from a bend in Barren River where stands of beech trees are scattered throughout the area. The area was used for picnics as early as the 1880s. Charles Garvin purchased the park property in the early 1940s, adding amusements over the years. The first ride was a pony ride, followed by a roller skating rink, dance hall, bowling center, and swimming pool.
Shortly after World War II, Garvin added mechanical rides to Beech Bend Park, beginning with a Ferris wheel purchased from the Chicago World's Fair. Racing began about that same time with motorcycles. Auto racing began on a 3/8-mile (600 m) oval dirt track; that same track, now paved, is still in use today. A dragstrip was added in the 1960s.
The 1960s marked the park's heyday. Gate admission was ten cents, with promotions known as "County Days,"...
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