Ridin' The Zippin' Pippin

Ridin’ The Zippin Pippin
Jessica Marie

August 15, 2012; the day I was supposed to meet my pen pal that I had conversed with for a year and half over Facebook that the excitement—and nervousness, was a bit overwhelming.

“Since you are going to Bay Beach, be sure to ride the Zippin Pippin!” The bus driver exclaimed as we were en route to Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary, which is in the vicinity of the park (maybe 5-10 minutes away). I knew vaguely what she was talking about. Every January I am sent a magazine advertising Green Bay and I painstakingly plan my trip through the sacred magazine. I have always seen it advertised and was always curious, but I was never a fan of roller coasters.

Purchased in 2010 from Memphis Tennessee, Bay Beach Amusement Park in Green Bay, WI now houses one of the United States oldest wooden roller coasters and the most famous. To the delight of the bus driver and I see the smile that lit her face in the mirror, as it’s really impressive to boast, was Elvis’s favorite ride.

According to their site, 200,000 were expected to ride the new attraction as of May 2011. Since then, if I remember from the sign correctly, over a million people have ridden the Zippin Pippin. The cost is nominal at $1, or two tickets, per ride.

It’s nice to finally meet my pen pal. We zipped through the winding streets of downtown Green Bay. “Let’s ride the Zippin Pippin!” was the first thing out of her mouth once we arrived at Bay Beach. I was hesitant, but I figured that we only live once and the experience would be one I would treasure of Green Bay for a long time.

My heart pounded and my nails broke as the Zippin Pippin knocked us from side to side, it’s almost violent. We couldn’t help but laugh, however. I held on for dear life and that’s why my nails broke and despite that and the butterflies in my stomach, I had a lot of fun. My nails on the other hand, not so much, as the green nail polish hung off to my chagrin (as the big game was on the 16th). We wanted to ride again, but opted not to because we wanted to ride the other rides the park had to offer. The other rides are just as fun and laugh worthy.

I can see why the park is now popular to kids and folks of all ages not only in Green Bay, but from all over the country. According to Wisconsin’s travel bureau, attendance is up 65% from 2010. If you happen to be on a road trip and travel through Wisconsin, it’s worth it to go to Green Bay to not only ride the Zippin Pippin or visit Bay Beach, but to see other attractions the small city has to offer. The travel bureau can be found at the following site: http://www.greenbay.com/.