Minh Tra still recalls the vivid memories associated with Belmont Park’s reopening in 1990.
Tra and his childhood friends got a parent to give them a ride to the park. Tra said he remembers seeing all the people in the line for the Giant Dipper, hearing the clack of the roller coaster on the track and finally, that first exhilarating ride.
“As you’re going up, you’re seeing views on both sides,” Tra said. “You see the bay and you see the ocean, and just that in itself is like, that’s not a common thing to see. … So as you go up, you get to appreciate all this in a few seconds.”
Tra was a pre-teen when he rode the historical wooden roller coaster and witnessed the reopening.
Longtime fan and Belmont Park employee Minh Tra has seen the 100-year-old amusement park in Mission Beach transform since reopening in 1990. (Elaine Alfaro)
“It was a big deal in our city that this roller coaster that had been here since 1925 was being rebuilt and reopened to the public,” Tra said. “That’s kind of what started my first time here at Belmont Park.”
It wouldn’t be the last. He’s since been on the roller coaster a multitude of times. A few years after that first encounter, once he got his driver’s license, he started working there as an employee in the kid’s indoor playzone — at the time known as Pirate’s Cove. Little did Tra know, from that job, there would be much more in store for him.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Belmont Park being a part of Mission Beach. For employees like Tra, there’s a connection to the park after witnessing and even being a part of the park’s milestones over the years.
But before Tra joined the team, Belmont’s story over the past century, from opening to closure to reopening, offers a glimpse into San Diego’s past.
Belmont Park’s storied past
Belmont Park first opened under the moniker “Mission Beach Entertainment Center,” according to Maddison Sinclair, Belmont Park’s public relations and partnerships manager who shared some of the park’s history.
Sinclair said the Giant Dipper was part of that original entertainment center created by local prolific developer John D. Spreckels.
The Giant Dipper’s construction crew in 1925. (Courtesy of Belmont Park)
“It was most popular in the ‘30s and the ‘40s,” Sinclair said.
Originally called the Natatorium, the indoor swimming pool was the centerpiece of the 1925 park, along with the Giant Dipper. The building surrounding the pool was built in the Spanish Renaissance style, similar to the structures in San Diego’s Balboa Park. The present-day building has arches at the entrance that mirror that architectural flair.
The Plunge is among Belmont Park’s oldest features. The indoor swimming pool began a century ago as the Natatorium. (Elaine Alfaro)
But the park eventually hit turbulent waters.
“By the late ‘60s and ‘70s, though, that’s when it kind of fell into disrepair and it did close in 1976,” Sinclair said.
Rides and attractions were sold or demolished, and the coaster was actually slated for demolition in 1980. But, a community group dubbed “The Save the Coaster Committee” formed and rallied behind the Giant Dipper to raise funds and protect that piece of Mission Beach.
According to the National Parks Service, the Giant Dipper was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and it became a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
It is one of only two wooden roller coasters — the other being at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk — remaining on the West Coast that were designed by Frank Prior and Frederick Church, who were noted roller coaster designers. The Giant Dipper at Belmont Park is also the only one whose construction the duo supervised.
Its track length is 2,800 feet and its highest points are 75 feet above the ground.
Belmont Park’s opening day on July 4, 1925. At the time, it was called the Mission Beach Entertainment Center. (Courtesy of Belmont Park)
Through The Save the Coaster Committee’s efforts and a renewed interest in fixing the park, the rollercoaster was fully restored by 1990.
“Belmont Park has gone through so much over the years, from opening in 1925,” Sinclair said. “The park and the Giant Dipper roller coaster … survived a demolition. It survived fires. There’s been a lot of people rallying behind (the) Giant Dipper and keeping Belmont Park open.”
Reopening in 1990 and three decades of growth
When Tra was working at Belmont Park in the ‘90s, he started seeing the evolution of the park.
“I continued to work here as a part-time job,” Tra said. “At some point the business started growing.”
He said the San Diego Coaster Company, which operated the roller coaster at the time, bought out the operator of Pirate’s Cove. Then, the park started growing.
“There was only a couple of rides when we first started,” Tra said. “There was a roller coaster, a carousel and a bumper car ride, and in 1995 we started adding more rides. It started becoming more of an amusement park, in a typical fashion, meaning, rides, games and arcades.”
Tra has also grown alongside the park. Fast forward 30 years and Tra is now Belmont Park’s assistant general manager. Over the course of his career, he’s seen all the changes and growth that came with it.
He shared stories of the fun, adventure and thrill that came with the amusement park. In particular, some might remember the “Whirl ‘til you Hurl” competitions that piqued the interest of adventure and treasure seekers.
Radio station Star 100.7 sponsored the Whirl ‘Til You Hurl roller-coaster riding contest that nearly never ended in 1998. According to reports in The San Diego Union-Tribune, contestants had to ride the hard-jolting roller coaster for more than 14 hours a day, with only 90 minutes of break time. They slept in the coaster cars with no pillows.
After 70 days, the contest finally ended on Sept. 7, 1998. The five finalists shared the $64,000 prize.
According to the Union-Tribune, one of the finalists — Debbie Arnold (known as “DiehardDebbie”) — told lawyers that the marathon turned her life upside down.
“It’s changed me as a person,” she said. “I’m completely worn out every day.”
The marathon was an effective publicity tool, attracting local and national media. It even created local celebrities of the contestants, like “DiehardDebbie.”
“I had a chance to ride with them and get to know some of them. And, what a great crew of people to be a part of that contest,” Tra said. “It was tremendously impactful to the city of San Diego in terms of that type of competition and the engagement with the community. … There were fan favorites based on personality.”
The Tilt-a-Whirl is among popular rides at Belmont Park. (Courtesy of Belmont Park)
From the Tilt a Whirl to the Natatorium (or present-day the Plunge), spaces within the park continue to evoke a sense of nostalgia even as the park embraces a new look.
Belmont’s current moment and localized vision
Sinclair said the Belmont Park that people see today is the product of management stepping up and creating a localized vision for it.
“Over the years it has gone through different ownerships, so a lot has changed,” she said. “A lot of the mindset has changed.”
Sinclair said that when Pacifica Enterprise Management Group gained leadership of Belmont Park and acquired the park’s lease in 2012, it aimed to give the park another facelift -– two decades after its reopening.
“Ever since Pacifica Enterprise Management Group bought into Belmont Park, they really wanted to make it more local,” Sinclair said. “That’s the one thing I think that kind of separates us from everyone else, that the majority of everything that you’re going to see on Belmont Park property are local companies.”
These include Moo Time, Pizza Port and Brandt Beef, all Southern California companies found within the amusement park.
To ring in the 100th year of operations, Belmont Park also established a vision for summer 2025 -– 100 days of festivities.
100 Days of Belmont
Belmont park kicked off the celebration on Memorial Day and the park’s promotions will run all the way until Labor Day on Sept. 1.
There are a few promotions running simultaneously. There will be a car giveaway in September -– if someone can guess the right weight. Throughout the 100 days, they’ve created “Dollar Dipper Days,” when guests can ride the Giant Dipper for just $1 on Tuesdays.
There are also special Belmont bites at the on-site food spots — like birthday cake soft serve and birthday cake milkshake.
For more promotion information, visit the website, belmontpark.com.
The biggest promotion is a Belmont Park Lifetime Pass giveaway. Sinclair said the park is giving away 50 lifetime passes to lucky guests, and some have already snagged the prize. There are a few different ways to enter:
• Share your favorite memory with Belmont Park at belmontpark.com/memories,
• Purchase a wristband online or
• Become a season passholder either online or on-site.
Sinclair said they’re also doing random lifetime pass giveaways throughout the week. One person already won a pass through their lifetime pass claw machine that’s in the arcade.
Through Sept. 1, Belmont Park visitors could win a lifetime pass if they capture the right box in this claw machine. (Elaine Alfaro)
“That was a huge, huge game over the past week,” Sinclair said in mid-June. “A lot of kids were playing that one just so they can try to win the lifetime pass.”
The vending machine is eye-catching with “lifetime pass” in large font on the front. Kid after kid lines up to try to grab one of the golden mystery boxes, but most slip through the claws.
Tra said his son is like those kids who love the arcade and Belmont Park at large.
“I now have a 2-year-old. And, I now get to see that side of it — enjoying the park with a child,” Tra said. “I mean, he loves all the rides, right?”
Tra said he tells his son, “Get a little bit bigger, you can go on more rides.”
Tra said his story is not unique at Belmont; there are stories like this found among other employees.
“We have employees on our team that have been here for 10, 15, 25 years, similar to my story,” Tra said. “And you see them grow. They had the same opportunities and the same path, and I’m glad that we were able to give them those opportunities by working here.”
Visitors in 1925 enjoying the indoor swimming pool originally called the Natatorium, now the Plunge. (Courtesy of Belmont Park)
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Visitors in 1925 enjoying the indoor swimming pool originally called the Natatorium, now the Plunge. (Courtesy of Belmont Park)
Although the park has had its peaks and valleys over the years, Tra said he’s excited for the ways the park is entering its next chapter.
“We have great employees and great leadership,” Tra said. “When (guests) come here and they’re able to see that, it translates to a better experience. Ultimately, that’s why I continue to work here. (It) is being able to have an impact on that.”
Tra’s son is not quite tall enough to ride the Giant Dipper with him, but until then, Tra will be there at the park for the ride. Though, he said he won’t give away which is the best seat. That’s for visitors to decide.
Want to visit?
Belmont Park
Address: 3146 Mission Blvd., Mission Beach
Phone: 858-488-1549
Website: belmontpark.com
Email: info@belmontpark.com
Hours: Vary, but usually run from late morning through late evening. Visit belmontpark.com/park-hours for hours on specific dates.
Cost: There are several ride ticket and pass options available. See website for details.