Hanson's Amusement Park

The Amusement Park

Hanson's Amusement Park replaced the Picnic Grounds, offering life-long memories for generations of Lake visitors.

more...

Don Hanson's
Amusement Park

The history of Don Hanson's Amusement Park.

more...

Rock and Roll Dances

Local favorites, the Star Fires and Joe Nardone and the All Stars, lit up the second-floor dance hall at Hanson's in the 1960s and 70s.

more...

The Bud Light Ampitheatre

The last major entertainment venue on the Picnic Grounds and Hanson's site was the 1980s Bud Light ampitheatre, which attracted major national acts.

more...

The Starfires

Here's a special slideshow featuring the popular Star Fires band.

more...

The Hanson's Amusement Park Speed Boat Rides

Hanson introduced a speed boat ride for the 1937 season with a stylish Hacker-Craft motorboat.

more...

LVRR Railroad Excursions To The Park

In 1885 a railroad was planned from Wilkes-Barre through the Back Mountain to Harvey's Lake and into the wilderness beyond to largely transport the harvest of vast virgin timberlands between the Lake and Lopez.

more...

Shirley Hanson Oral History
Interview: 2004

An oral history of Hanson's Amusement Park by Shirley Hanson. Manuscript recorded August 20, 2004

Click here to read the manuscript

The LVRR Picnic Ground - Extra

This article explores in more detail the park's earliest years when it was created by the Lehigh Valley Railroad and known as the Picnic Ground or Grounds.

more...