The Centreville Amusement Park is a children's amusement park

Amusement park

thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...

 located on Middle Island, part of the Toronto Islands

Toronto Islands

The Toronto Islands are a chain of small islands in the city of Toronto, Ontario. Comprising the only group of islands in the western part of Lake Ontario, the Toronto Islands are located just offshore from the city centre, and provide shelter for Toronto Harbour...

, offshore of the city of Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

 in the Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 province of Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

. The park was built in 1967 with a 1900 turn-of-the-century theme, and includes a miniature railway and the Far Enough Farm. An 1860s cast iron planter in the centre of the park was originally located in front of St. Lawrence Market

St. Lawrence Market

St. Lawrence Market is one of two major markets in Toronto, the other being Kensington Market.It features two buildings, both on the west side of Front St. East and Jarvis St. Each building holds different purposes:...

 and a 1907-vintage carousel are the only historic items of value in the theme park.

The park is operated by Etobicoke-based Beasley Amusements on land leased from the City of Toronto, and is open daily in summer. It is connected to downtown Toronto by one of the Toronto Island ferry services

Toronto Island Ferry Services

The Toronto Island Ferry connects the Toronto Islands in Lake Ontario to the mainland of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The ferry provides access to the islands for recreational visitors, access to the mainland for island residents, and access to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, which is located at...

, which links a dock adjacent to the amusement park with another at the foot of Bay Street

Bay Street

Bay Street, originally known as Bear Street, is a major thoroughfare in Downtown Toronto. It is the centre of Toronto's Financial District and is often used by metonymy to refer to Canada's financial industry since succeeding Montreal's St. James Street in that role in the 1970s...

 on the central Toronto waterfront

Toronto waterfront

The Toronto waterfront is the lakeshore of Lake Ontario in the City of Toronto, Ontario in Canada. It spans 46 kilometres between the mouth of Etobicoke Creek in the west, and the Rouge River in the East. The entire lakeshore has been significantly altered from its natural glaciated state prior to...

.

History

Centreville was built as part of a master plan to convert the Toronto Islands land usage from cottage residences to recreational uses. The park opened in 1967, with several rides on the same site and has expanded over the years, adding one or two rides a year. The park replaced the old Sunnyside Amusement Park

Sunnyside Amusement Park

Sunnyside is a lakefront district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It includes a beach and park area along Lake Ontario's Humber Bay, to the west of the Exhibition grounds, at the foot of Roncesvalles Avenue where it meets King Street West and Queen Street West. In the 1910s, the area was the site of a...

, which closed in 1955.

Amusements

The Park is home to a 1907-vintage carousel, 'antique car

Antique car

In the United States, an antique car is generally defined as a car over 45 years of age, this being the definition used by the Antique Automobile Club of America. However, the legal definition for the purpose of antique vehicle registration varies widely. The antique car era includes the veteran...

s', 'swan boats', a windmill-style ferris wheel, a 'haunted barrel works' and several kiddie rides. Two rides travel around the park, a miniature railway and a 'sky ride', a ski lift type of conveyence travelling from Centre Island to the next-most easterly island and back. Additionally, their 1903 'Antique Carousel' is incredibly unique and one of the few of its kind left in existence in North America today. Centreville Fire Hall is a children's fire station theme ride and the Townhall houses a gift shop.

Far Enough Farm

Although not owned and maintained by Beasley Amusements, the Far Enough Farm exists on the eastern outskirts of the Amusement Park, just past the Toronto Island Monster Roller Coaster Ride. The farm lays home to several domesticated animal species including pigs, chickens, cows, ponies and, of course, peacocks which often freely roam around the farm. Operated and maintained by the City of Toronto, the farm provides a quant and peaceful escape from the sometimes noisy amusement park. It is a great place to relax and allow children to witness and experience a large assortment of animals that would otherwise be difficult to achieve across the lake in Downtown Toronto.