Lakeside Amusement Park (Salem, Virginia)

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Lakeside Amusement Park was an amusement park located in Salem, Virginia at the intersection of U.S. Route 460 (known here as East Main Street) and State Route 419 (known here as Electric Road). The name derives from a very large (300 feet long, 125 feet wide) swimming pool which was opened in 1920. The pool was surrounded by a beach and quickly became a favorite summer retreat for residents of Roanoke and Salem. Amusement park rides began to be added to the facility within a few years.

The pool declined in popularity after desegregation was ordered and as home swimming pools became popular. In 1967, the pool was filled in as part of an expansion project whose highlight was a new wooden roller coaster. Lakeside remained a popular destination through the 1970s and early 1980s, though larger parks such as Kings Dominion were beginning to draw away visitors. Nearby Mason's Creek inundated the park during the major flood of November 1985. Somewhat surprisingly, the park was able to repair the damage and even construct new attractions for the 1986 season. Unfortunately, that year a maintenance worker was struck and killed by the roller coaster due a miscommunication that left him on the track during a test run. The park's updates had failed to reverse the decline in attendance. The park also occupied a very valuable parcel of real estate at the intersection of two highways only a mile south of Interstate 81. Lakeside Amusement Park closed its gates for the last time on October 19, 1986.

Within a few years, the site was the location of a strip mall, named Lakeside Center, with Kroger and several other stores and restaurants. This neighborhood of Salem is still commonly referred to as Lakeside and several churches and businesses bear the name.

The closure of Lakeside led to the creation of the Salem Fair in 1988. This event, which has free admission, runs annually for ten days in late June to early July. Estimated attendance is around 300,000, which makes it the second largest fair in Virginia, trailing only the State Fair of Virginia in Richmond.