Playland-Not-At-The-Beach Preserving a part of Bay Area history through a hands-on museum of fun From the penny arcade machines and the side show exhibit to the hand carved wood circus and Santa’s Village, Playland Not At The Beach pays homage to all things fun and the innocent world of amusement parks from days gone by. This El Cerrito based center draws much of its inspiration from the beloved 1920s Ocean Beach park that was called Playland At The Beach, according to Frank Biafore, the chief operating officer and the fabulous fun facilitator of Playland Not At The Beach. “We are a museum and family fun center,” said Biafore. “We have a nice mixture of things to see and do. There are a lot of places out there where the kids have fun and the adults are board, or the adults have fun and the kids are board. But this is a place where you will see a five year old and a 65 year old next to each other playing pinball and both are having a ball.” By Jeannie Howard While the nearly 9,000 square foot facility is dedicated to the joy of play, it also serves as a place to learn about amusement parks from the past—and for those who were fortunate to have experienced the seaside and land-locked parks of a simpler time, they are able to reminisce and share their stories with younger generations. First time visitors are often underwhelmed when they first walk in, admitted Biafore. “This is merely because the building from the outside is not terribly exciting and our facility is broken up into a number of different areas and rooms,” he explained. “Many times people expect to be here maybe thirty minutes or an hour, but end up spending three to five hours exploring all there is to see and do.” “We are not one of those places that are one huge room full of lights and noise that you cannot
Contra Costa Marketplace - June 2016
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