Lakeside Amusement Park
Lakeside Amusement Park was an amusement park located in Salem, Virginia, neighboring Roanoke, at the intersection of U.S. Route 460 (East Main Street in Salem) and State Route 419 (Electric Road in Salem). For a second stop, Appalachian Trail is 20 mi away. The best weather comes with April, May, June, September and October, at 70–84°F.
A theme park inside Salem
1,985 rides
Open since 1920. About ↓
You can stay in Salem
Lakeside Amusement Park is inside Salem, which has 19 places to stay, so you won’t need a base farther out. Where to stay ↓
Open since 1920
Lakeside Amusement Park opened in 1920, 106 years ago. About ↓
Best months: Apr, May, Jun, Sep and Oct
April, May, June, September and October are the mild months, with highs of 70–84°. When to go ↓
An airport 4 miles away
Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional (ROA) has airline service, about 4 miles from Lakeside Amusement Park.
Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures and Wikipedia.
A month-by-month look
This is the year’s weather near Lakeside Amusement Park.
Lakeside Amusement Park
Lakeside Amusement Park was an amusement park located in Salem, Virginia, neighboring Roanoke, at the intersection of U.S. Route 460 (East Main Street in Salem) and State Route 419 (Electric Road in Salem). The park was named after a very large (300 feet long, 125 feet wide) swimming pool which was opened on the site 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 were added to the facility within a few years of its opening. The park also included a pavilion, which hosted celebrity concerts. Frequent performers included country artists Tom T. Hall and Conway Twitty.
Nearby Roanoke College also had use of the park when it was closed in the winter as an area for its men's lacrosse team to use for practice.
- Type
- Theme park
- Rides
- 1,985
- Opened
- 1920
- Wikipedia readers
- 3.3K a year
Nights near Lakeside Amusement Park
To stay close, try Salem (19) and Roanoke (44).
- 1Appalachian Trail
- 2Lane Stadium
- 3Mountain Lake
- 4Virginia Museum of Transportation
- 5Taubman Museum of Art
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From Lakeside Amusement Park | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salem | in town | — | 19 15 hotels · 2 motels · 2 inns & B&Bs | 25,816 | $259K | — |
| Roanoke | 4 mi east | 5 min | 44 33 hotels · 4 motels · 4 inns & B&Bs · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 campground · 1 RV park | 99,111 | $191K | D |
| Hollins | 5 mi northeast | 10 min | 13 12 hotels · 1 inn or B&B | 17,097 | $244K | — |
| Daleville | 10 mi northeast | 15 min | 16 13 hotels · 1 motel · 1 inn or B&B · 1 hostel | 3,797 | $370K | — |
| Cave Spring | 5 mi south | 10 min | 5 4 hotels · 1 lodge or cabins | 25,742 | $326K | — |
| Cloverdale | 8 mi northeast | 10 min | 4 1 hotel · 1 motel · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 RV park | 3,208 | $360K | — |
| Lafayette | 11 mi southwest | 15 min | 4 3 hotels · 1 motel | 628 | — | — |
| Christiansburg | 23 mi southwest | 35 min | 20 15 hotels · 3 inns & B&Bs · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 RV park | 22,442 | $253K | C |
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service
Combine it with these
All of these are within 68 miles.
Big draw120 mi Park & preserveAppalachian Trail3.0M visitors a year
222 mi Stadium & arenaLane Stadium
37 mi LandmarkProject Greek Island
328 mi LakeMountain Lake
32 mi LakeSmith Mountain Lake
68 mi National Historical ParkAppomattox Court House National Historical Park77K visitors a year
45 mi MuseumVirginia Museum of Transportation
55 mi MuseumTaubman Museum of ArtPhoto credits
Appalachian Trail: Paulba. Original uploader was Paulbalegend at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lane Stadium: User:B, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Project Greek Island: Z22, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mountain Lake: Rolfmueller, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Smith Mountain Lake: Jay White, Public domain · Appomattox Court House National Historical Park: Doug Coldwell, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Virginia Museum of Transportation: Warfieldian, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Taubman Museum of Art: O Palsson, CC BY 2.0
What people ask about Lakeside Amusement Park
Is Lakeside Amusement Park in Salem?
Yes. It’s inside Salem, VA.
When is the best time to visit Lakeside Amusement Park?
April, May, June, September and October, with highs of 70–84°.
How far is Lakeside Amusement Park from Greensboro?
About 84 miles south of Greensboro, as the crow flies.
What is the closest airport to Lakeside Amusement Park?
Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional (ROA), about 4 miles away. The nearest big hub is Piedmont Triad (GSO), about 83 miles.
Where should I stay near Lakeside Amusement Park?
Roanoke (4 mi, 44 places to stay), Salem (in town, 19 places to stay) and Hollins (5 mi, 13 places to stay).
Tips for visiting, from Salem
Questions and tips go in Salem’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.