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Coney Island, Brooklyn: The Cyclone, the Wheel and the Boardwalk

Coney Island, New York

Pictures from Coney Island

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The Cyclone from Surf Avenue The Wonder Wheel over the boardwalk Nathan's Famous at Surf and Stillwell The Riegelmann Boardwalk looking east

Nobody agrees where the name came from. A Lenape word rendered Konoh or Konoi, a distortion of the explorer John Colman's name, an Irish captain who named it for County Sligo, Dutch settlers naming it for the Conyn family or for konijn, the Dutch word for rabbit — Egbert Benson's 1816 treatise argued for Conyn's Island and noted that the rabbit tradition was already forming around it. Coney Island became part of the town of Gravesend in 1645, the year Gravesend's first town charter was granted. In 1824 the Gravesend and Coney Island Road and Bridge Company built the first bridge across Coney Island Creek, and in 1829 the same company built the first hotel, the Coney Island House, near present-day Sea Gate. The Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Railroad opened in 1864, and Charles I.D. Looff built the first carousel and amusement ride here in 1876.

  1. The 1927 wooden coaster on Surf Avenue, landmarked in 1988 and on the National Register since 1991.

  2. Opened May 30, 1920 and landmarked in 1989; Wikipedia calls it the oldest continuously operating ride here.

  3. The Vourderis family's park on West 12th Street, built around the wheel.

  4. Open on part of the old Astroland site since May 2010, and operator of the Cyclone since 2011.

  5. On Surf Avenue since June 6, 1957, and fully reopened from Hurricane Sandy repairs in July 2022.

  6. Coney Island USA's seasonal museum in a landmarked former Childs Restaurants building.

  7. The 1939 World's Fair tower, illuminated as a landmark since it stopped running as a ride.

  8. Home of the Brooklyn Cyclones since it opened on June 25, 2001 as KeySpan Park.

  9. Built 1922-1923 and made the city's eleventh scenic landmark on May 15, 2018.

  10. Ballfields, a track and tennis courts on the creek side of the peninsula, known for bird watching.

  11. The 1916 original stand at Surf and Stillwell, back in business since May 2013.

  12. Coal-oven pizza on Neptune Avenue since 1924, lately on much reduced weekend hours.

Amusement parks, fires and a boardwalk

Steeplechase Park opened in 1897, Luna Park in 1903, and Dreamland in 1904; Dreamland burned down in 1911 and was never rebuilt. The Riegelmann Boardwalk went up in 1922 and 1923 to a design by Philip P. Farley, named for Brooklyn borough president Edward J. Riegelmann, and the Parks Department took over its maintenance in 1938.

The original Luna Park was heavily damaged by a pair of fires in 1944. Steeplechase closed for the season on September 20, 1964, for what turned out to be the last time, and its Pavilion of Fun was demolished in September 1966 under Fred Trump. Astroland, a space-age park at 1000 Surf Avenue, opened in 1962 and closed permanently on September 7, 2008; a new and unrelated Luna Park opened on part of that site on May 29, 2010.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the boardwalk the city's eleventh scenic landmark on May 15, 2018, after initially rejecting the application. A renovation valued at roughly a billion dollars was announced by NYC Parks and the Economic Development Corporation in December 2024, with work not expected to start for at least two years; hazardous-condition complaints have continued into 2026 while the major project has not begun.

Hurricane Sandy struck in October 2012. The New York Aquarium did not fully reopen from the repairs until July 2022, and Nathan's original stand closed on October 29, 2012 and reopened on May 21, 2013.

Getting there

Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue and West 8th Street–New York Aquarium are both recorded inside the neighborhood.

Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue is served at all times by the D, F, N and Q, with two rush-hour F express trains in the peak direction. West 8th Street–New York Aquarium is served by the F at all times, plus rush-hour express service, and by the Q at all times.

No NYC Ferry route serves Coney Island. A proposed route was postponed indefinitely as of 2022, and the Economic Development Corporation was reported to be restudying its feasibility in late 2025. No landing exists today.

What still runs

The Coney Island Cyclone, the wooden coaster at 834 Surf Avenue and West 10th Street, opened on June 26, 1927. It was designated a New York City Landmark on June 12, 1988 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 25, 1991, and Luna Park has operated it since 2011.

The Wonder Wheel opened on May 30, 1920 and was designated a New York City Landmark on May 23, 1989 under reference number 1708. Wikipedia describes it as the oldest continuously operating ride at Coney Island. The Vourderis family runs the surrounding Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park at 3059 West 12th Street; the wheel did not turn at all in the 2020 season because of COVID-19, and the park reopened in April 2021.

The Parachute Jump is the exception. Built for the 1939 World's Fair, moved here and reopened at Steeplechase Park in 1941, it stopped operating as a ride in the mid-1960s — sources split between 1964 and 1968, with a documented incident dated May 30, 1968. It has been on the National Register since September 2, 1980 and a New York City Landmark since May 23, 1989. It is preserved and illuminated as a visual landmark and cannot be ridden.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get to Coney Island?
By D, F, N or Q train to Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue, which all four lines serve at all times, or by F or Q to West 8th Street–New York Aquarium. Both of those stations are recorded inside the neighborhood. There is no NYC Ferry service to Coney Island; a proposed route was postponed indefinitely as of 2022.
Where does the name Coney Island come from?
It is disputed. Theories include a Lenape term rendered Konoh or Konoi, a distortion of the explorer John Colman's name, an Irish captain naming it for County Sligo, and Dutch settlers naming it either for the Conyn family or for konijn, Dutch for rabbit. Egbert Benson's 1816 treatise argued for Conyn's Island and noted that a competing rabbit-based tradition was already forming.
Can you ride the Parachute Jump?
No. The tower stopped operating as a ride in the mid-1960s and is preserved and illuminated as a visual landmark only. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since September 2, 1980 and designated a New York City Landmark since May 23, 1989.
Is Astroland still there?
No. Astroland opened at 1000 Surf Avenue in 1962 and closed permanently on September 7, 2008. A new and unrelated Luna Park opened on part of the same site on May 29, 2010, reusing the name of the 1903 park that fires destroyed in 1944.
Is the original Nathan's still open?
The stand founded in 1916 at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues still exists. It closed after Hurricane Sandy on October 29, 2012 and reopened on May 21, 2013. In January 2026 the Nathan's Famous corporate chain agreed to be acquired by Smithfield Foods in a deal announced on January 21, valued at $450 million and expected to close in the first half of 2026; what that means for the physical original stand has not been specified.
Where can I stay in Coney Island?
None is listed here. The historic resort hotels — the Coney Island House of 1829, the Brighton Beach, Manhattan Beach, Oriental and Cable hotels — are all long closed, and a 50-room boutique hotel proposed in 2018 for the former Shore Theater at Surf and Stillwell was never confirmed as built or opened.

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