Honestly, if you drive through Marshall, Wisconsin, and don't know what you're looking for, you might think you’ve accidentally hallucinated a 1950s carnival in the middle of a cornfield. It's called Little Amerricka. Yes, with two ‘r’s. That’s not a typo—it’s named after the founder, Lee Merrick.
Most people heading to the Wisconsin Dells for those massive, high-tech waterparks completely blow right past Marshall. Their loss. While the Dells is all about $50 parking and artificial wave pools, Little Amerricka is a bizarre, beautiful time capsule that feels like it shouldn't exist in 2026. It’s gritty. It’s nostalgic. It’s kinda weird. And that’s exactly why it works.
What Most People Get Wrong About Little Amerricka
Usually, when people hear "small-town amusement park," they think of a couple of rusty swing sets and a sad inflatable slide. That's not this place. Little Amerricka is essentially a rescue mission for dead amusement parks.
Almost every ride here was saved from a park that went bust. We’re talking about vintage machinery that would have been sold for scrap metal if Lee Merrick and his partner Darrell Klompmaker hadn't swooped in. They didn't just buy rides; they rebuilt them.
Take The Meteor. This is a wooden roller coaster from 1953. It started in Chicago at a place called Kiddytown, then moved to Hillcrest Park. When Hillcrest died, Little Amerricka bought the bones of it in 2003. They had to replace about 75% of the wood. It’s one of the only wooden coasters in the world that has been moved and rebuilt more than once. Most wooden coasters just get bulldozed because they’re too fragile to move.
The Swiss Toboggan (The Ride That Might Break Your Brain)
If you want to see something truly rare, you go for the Swiss Toboggan. It looks like a giant, vertical corkscrew. You climb into a tiny car that feels like a bobsled, you get hauled straight up a vertical shaft, and then you spiral down the outside of the tower.
It was built in 1969 by Chance Rides. Back then, these were everywhere at traveling carnivals because they were portable. Today? There are only a handful left on the planet. This specific one is actually the prototype—the very first one ever built. It’s loud. It’s jerky. It’s absolutely exhilarating in a way that modern, smooth-as-glass coasters can't replicate. It’s got soul.
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The Train That Goes Nowhere (and Everywhere)
The whole park actually started because of a train. Lee Merrick wasn't an amusement park mogul; he was a guy who loved miniature railroads. In 1987, he built a 1/3-size track on his land so people could ride out to his Christmas tree farm.
People loved the train more than the trees.
Today, the Whiskey River Railway is the heart of the park. It’s not just a loop around a parking lot. It’s over three miles of track that snakes out into the Wisconsin countryside. You go past a wildlife pond, over bridges, and through a tunnel. It even goes past the "roundhouse" where they actually build and repair these miniature locomotives.
They still use real steam engines on the weekends. You can smell the coal smoke. It’s authentic. It’s the kind of thing you just don't see at a corporate theme park where everything is powered by a quiet electric motor and hidden behind a plastic facade.
Why It Still Matters in 2026
We live in a world where everything is sanitized and corporate. Little Amerricka feels human. It’s 11 acres of "we did this because we liked it."
- Affordability is real here. You can actually bring your own cooler. Read that again. At a time when a bottle of water at a major park costs $7, Little Amerricka lets you pack a sandwich and sit at a picnic table.
- The "Grit" Factor. It’s clean, but it isn't polished. You can see the gears turning. You can hear the mechanical clatter of the Scrambler and the Tilt-A-Whirl.
- No Teenagers. Okay, there are some, but it’s not a "hangout" spot. It’s built for families with younger kids (2-10 is the sweet spot), but coaster nerds travel from all over the country just to check off the rare credits.
The park is currently home to 26 rides. Some are kiddie classics from the Allan Herschell Company—stuff that dates back to the 1940s and 50s. If you grew up in the Midwest, these are likely the same models you rode at a county fair thirty years ago.
The Logistics (The Boring But Necessary Stuff)
If you're planning a trip, don't just wing it.
The park usually runs from May through September. In October, they do a "Pumpkin Train" which is a whole different vibe, where only the train and the mini-golf stay open.
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Prices are refreshingly weird too. You can buy individual tickets or a wristband. If you’ve got a kid who only wants to ride the Red Baron planes ten times, tickets are the way to go. If they want to do everything, get the Gold Wristband. In 2026, those are usually around $30, which is basically a rounding error compared to Disney or Six Flags.
The Verdict on Marshall’s Hidden Gem
Is it for everyone? No. If you need 400-foot drops and 4D virtual reality headsets, you’re going to be disappointed. But if you appreciate mechanical history, short lines, and a place that feels like a neighborhood backyard that got out of hand, you’ll love it.
It’s a "dying breed" of park. It’s a place where the owner’s name is on the gate because his legacy is literally holding the wood of the roller coaster together.
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Actionable Tips for Your Visit:
- Check the Weather: They are quick to close for rain because many of these vintage rides can’t run on wet tracks. Call (608) 655-3181 before you leave the house.
- Saturday is Steam Day: If you want the full Whiskey River Railway experience with the real steam engines, show up on a Saturday or Sunday. Weekdays usually run the diesel engines.
- Pack a Cooler: Save your money for the gift shop or an extra round of mini-golf. There’s a designated picnic area for a reason.
- Hit the Toboggan Early: It’s a slow-loading ride because the cars are tiny. If there’s going to be a line anywhere, it’s there.
- Look for the Black Friday Sale: They often do half-off ticket deals in November. If you’re a local or planning a summer road trip, that’s the time to buy.
Stop looking for the newest thing and go look at the oldest thing that’s still working. It's more impressive.