@sandiegoville: Take a first-person ride on one of San Diego's most recognizable landmarks - the Giant Dipper roller coaster at Belmont Park in Mission Beach, which turned 100 years old on July 4, 2025. The historic wooden coaster opened on July 4, 1925, as one of the signature attractions of what was then called the Mission Beach Amusement Center. The oceanfront park was developed by San Diego businessman John D. Spreckels in part to attract people to Mission Beach and encourage development of the surrounding community. Designed by legendary coaster builders Frank Prior and Frederick Church, the Giant Dipper was constructed remarkably quickly in the weeks leading up to the park's opening. At the time, it was reportedly the largest roller coaster on the West Coast. More than a century later, riders are still racing along approximately 2,800 feet of wooden track, climbing as high as 75 feet and reaching speeds approaching 50 mph. But the Giant Dipper almost didn't survive. After decades of operation, Belmont Park deteriorated and eventually closed in 1976. The coaster sat abandoned and faced demolition before preservationists organized the Save the Coaster Committee to fight for it. The Giant Dipper was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987. More than $2 million was ultimately spent restoring the coaster before it triumphantly reopened on August 11, 1990. The response was so strong that first-year ridership reportedly reached three times what operators had projected. Today, the Giant Dipper remains a working piece of San Diego history - surviving fires, decades of changing tastes, years of abandonment and repeated threats of demolition while generations of San Diegans have continued to climb aboard. And yes, a 101-year-old wooden roller coaster feels exactly as wild as you would expect. Here's the entire ride from the front seat.

SanDiegoVille

Open In TikTok:

Region: US

Friday 21 August 2026 14:44:17 GMT