The carousel at the National Mall has finally returned from being refurbished. After nearly three years away, it will welcome visitors back beginning Friday morning.
“The carousel was in quite disrepair, and we took the step to have it fully refurbished, sent it out to a wonderful company in Ohio called Carousels and Carvings, and they spent many years restoring this beautiful carousel, and it has just been reinstalled on the Mall,” Denise Elliott, acting president of Smithsonian Enterprises, told WTOP.
The goal was to return the carousel before America’s 250th birthday celebrations in the nation’s capital.
They held a grand reopening of the carousel Thursday morning, during which kids and adults alike got a chance to ride the nearly 80-year-old merry-go-round.
“I first rode on a regular horse, then he rode on a blue horse,” 8-year-old Vivian Wolly told WTOP.
When asked how many times she would be taking a spin, she said, “as many times as I’m allowed.”
“I thought it was cool. It was worth the wait,” said 12-year-old Jackson Hayle. “I rode a normal horse, but I wanted to ride the seahorse one. It was the coolest one.”
The carousel was removed from the National Mall in November of 2023 for refurbishment, but Elliott said they were careful to restore, rather than change anything.
“We restored it back to how it was. We didn’t add anything new to it. Smithsonian’s a historical organization. We weren’t going to modify the history of the carousel,” Elliott said.
Riders got a chance to hop on horses that represent different U.S. states (not all 50, however, are on the carousel, according to Elliott), as well as a vibrant “Sea Dragon” and even a tusked pig.
“I do think my personal favorite is the pig that has the boar tusks,” Elliott said.
This particular carousel was built in 1947 by the Allan Herschell Company and installed in Gwynn Oak Park near Baltimore, Maryland. It was then relocated in 1981 to the National Mall, replacing a previous carousel.
The Smithsonian purchased the carousel in 2022 from its previous owner.
The carousel is located in front of the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building on the National Mall.
It is open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. daily. Tickets are $6.
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