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Coney Island: Two Historical Webinars, plus Online Resources


Online presentations (virtual tours) I can lead for classes, groups, and organizations.


Brooklyn tour: the Cyclone rollercoaster in Coney IslandThe (most-copied) Cyclone rollercoaster, Coney Island, Brooklyn
This page is under development.

Coney Island, a font of popular culture, cradle of the amusement industry, and summer respite for the well-off and the working class, has been richly documented in photography, film, audio, and video. Numerous worthy books and online exhibits have been produced.

But sorting through them takes an enormous amount of time, and even excellent single summaries, such as in a book or documentary film, aren't necessarily eclectic or current enough.

So I, as tour guide and Coney Island aficionado, have developed two lively entertaining, educational webinars (online seminars, or virtual tours), including slides and video, to distill Coney's history. I can present them as private tours for your family or group, customized by timing and scope.

And I also present them as larger-group tours open to the public, via the New York Adventure Club, for $10. Note that you do not have to attend at the exact time; a replay will be available for a week.
  • ​Part 1: The Heyday of the Amusement Age (until about 1920). See Schedule page.
  • Part 2: From the Nickel Empire (1920s) to the 21st Century. See Schedule.
​Each lasts 75-90 minutes and is aimed at anyone interested in Coney Island, including locals stuck inside, those who remember visiting Coney decades ago, or those who always wanted to go. (Here's a taste of the story of Topsy the Elephant.)

The webinars can be presented on Zoom or any other workable platform, with Q&A or chat enabled. The webinars can be adjusted for specific classes or interested groups.

My research depends on the enormous collective effort of scholars, fans, ordinary people, businesses, and nonprofit organizations.


Viewer reactions to my first Part 1 tour:
  • "Thanks! Great presentation!"
  • "So much fun— thank you."
  • "Very good presentation, loved all of it. Thank you!"

I've continued my research, such as on the history of Old Plantation and whether Coney Island amusements closed during the 1918 flu epidemic.

Today's Coney Island

Do support nonprofits involved in Coney, notably:
  • Coney Island USA, "A nonprofit arts organization defending the honor of American popular culture," sponsor of the Mermaid Parade, the Circus Sideshow, and the Coney Island Museum, among others.  Here's their extensive gift shop. (Coney Island USA is having a salon and fundraiser, with some impressive guests, Dec. 5)
  • ​Coney Island History Project, which conducts oral history, provides access to historical artifacts, and honors community leaders and amusement pioneers. 
Coney amusement park businesses:
  • Deno's Wonder Wheel Park
  • Luna Park (including The Cyclone and Thunderbolt, and B&B Carousell)
Other Coney stalwarts:
  • Ford Amphitheatre at Coney Island Boardwalk
  • Brooklyn Cyclones, Single A team, at MCU Park
  • New York Aquarium
  • Alliance for Coney Island

Coney Island t-shirts (and other souvenirs) available via Coney Island Beach Shop, Lola Star, Coney Island USA, Roxy's Tee Parlor, Ruby's Bar, Luna Park, NY Transit Museum.

Coney Island food & drink:
  • Nathan's Famous
  • Totonno's Pizza (will it reopen?)
  • Gargiulo's Neapolitan Cuisine
  • Paul's Daughter
  • Williams Candy
  • Coney Island Brewing Company
  • Ruby's Bar & Grill​

See Coney live: Coney Island Earth Cam!

Major resources
Heart of Coney Island: David Sullivan's wonderful historical site, with great images
Jeffrey Stanton's excellent Coney Island History Site, last updated 2013

America Experience: Coney Island, 1991 companion web site to Ric Burns' documentary film (see below)
U.S. History Scene, Vaudeville, Amusement Parks, & the World’s Fair, an excellent academic site
​Coney Island History Project, especially good on recent decades
Laff in the Dark, a web site re "dark rides" in amusement parks, including Spook-A-Rama in Coney
History of roller coasters, via American Coaster Enthusiasts and the National Roller Coaster Museum


Image libraries
Brooklyn Museum: Coney Island: Visions of an American Dreamland, 1861–2008 (original exhibition at Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art); also Forever Coney: Photographs from the Brooklyn Museum Collection, Stephen Powers: Coney Island Is Still Dreamland (To a Seagull), and​ Goodbye Coney Island?

Library of Congress has an enormous trove.

New York Historical Society: and also search at this link. Smithsonian Institution; National Gallery; Google Arts & Culture; International Center for Photography; Museum of the City of New York; Museum of Modern Art (MoMA); Whitney Museum; Metropolitan Museum of Art; New York City Transit Museum; Guggenheim Museum; Cooper Hewitt Design Museum; American Museum of Natural History; American Folk Art Museum; Jewish Museum.

Video/flim
Blueprint Coney Island, lively 28-minute documentary produced by New York City in 2017
America Experience: Coney Island, 58-minute documentary produced by Ric Burns in 1991.  Available on DVD and digitally via Kanopy (if your library subscribes)
Defunctland: The History of Coney Island, a well-researched 40-minute episode, from 2020, with five stories from Coney Island
Channel 13, Treasures of NY: Coney Island Museum
Can Italian Amusement Royalty Save Coney Island? by The New Yorker
Coney Island Dreams for Sale, 2013 documentary about 2009 rezoning controversy, by Alessandra Giordano
A map of the locations in the film The Warriors

Books, nonfiction
Coney Island: Lost and Found, by Charles Denson
Coney Island: the People's Playground, by Michael Immerso
Coney Island: A Postcard Journey to the City of Fire, by Richard Snow
The Lost Tribe of Coney Island: Headhunters, Luna Park, and the Man Who Pulled Off the Spectacle of the Century, by Claire Prentice
The Strange Case of Dr. Couney: How a Mysterious European Showman Saved Thousands of American Babies, by Dawn Raffel (also BBC audio documentary Life Under Glass, by Claire Prentice)
Topsy: The Startling Story of the Crooked-Tailed Elephant, P. T. Barnum, and the American Wizard, Thomas Edison, by Michael Daly
The Kid of Coney Island: Fred Thompson and the Rise of American Amusements, by Woody Register
Amusing the Million, by John Kasson
Going Out: The Rise & Fall of Public Amusements, by David Nasaw
Cheap Amusements: Working Women and Leisure in Turn-of-the-Century New York, by Kathy Peiss
Sodom by the Sea, by Oliver Pilat & Jo Ranson (1941)
Coney Island, by John S. Berman
America's Boardwalks, by James Lilliefors
Coney Island's Wonder Wheel Park, by Charles Denson
Coney Island and Astroland, by Charles Denson
Famous Nathan, by Lloyd Handwerker
Horsemen of the Esophagus, by Jason Fagone
The Canary Sang but Couldn't Fly, by Edmund Elmaleh

Books, art & photography
Coney Island: Visions of an American Dreamland, 1861–2008, ed. by Robin Jaffee Frank, et al.
Coney Island, by Harvey Stein
Coney Island: 40 Years, by Harvey Stein
Coney Island Kaleidoscope, by Lynn H. Butler
Harold Feinstein--Saying Yes, by Harold Feinstein

Books, fiction
Dreamland, by Kevin Baker
The Museum of Extraordinary Things, by Alice Hoffman
Coney, by Avram Ducovny
Coney Island Reader: Through Dizzy Gates of Illusion, edited by Louis Parascandola & John Parascandola (inc. non-fiction)

Coney Island in popular culture
I
ncluding film, music, theater, and more: Wikipedia has a good list
Contact me
New York Like A Native: Energetic, eclectic tours of Brooklyn & beyond. Experienced guide. Personal service.
  • Home
    • Brooklyn 101 tour >
      • Brooklyn 202 tour
  • Brooklyn tours
    • North & west of Prospect Park >
      • Fort Greene & Clinton Hill tour
      • DUMBO, Fulton Ferry, Brooklyn Heights tour
      • Park Slope tour
      • Brooklyn Bridge (and more) tour
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      • Red Hook tour
    • Williamsburg & north Brooklyn >
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      • Bushwick and East Williamsburg tour
    • Central Brooklyn >
      • Bedford-Stuyvesant tour
      • Crown Heights tour
      • (Not Just) Victorian Flatbush tour
      • Green-Wood Cemetery tour
    • Coney Island and southern Brooklyn >
      • Coney Island Webinar, Virtual Tour, & Resources
      • Coney Island (& Brighton Beach) tour
      • Sunset Park tour
      • Bensonhurst tour
      • Bay Ridge tour
    • Jewish, food, and Xmas lights tours >
      • Jewish Neighborhood Tours
      • Food, dessert, ice cream tours
      • Dyker Heights Christmas Lights tour
    • Moving to Brooklyn/layover tours >
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    • Sunnyside & LIC East
  • About your guide
  • Fees/Schedule/FAQ
    • Fees for private tours
    • Schedule
    • FAQ
    • Vehicle and custom tours
    • Tours for classes
    • Resources on Brooklyn
    • How to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge
  • Contact me/Book
  • Blog