For some, the carousel has evolved into a place to spend lazy afternoons, but for many others, it's a way to recapture a slice of childhood.

Lounging in the Carousel Café as the Wurlitzer organ grinds above (the carousel sits on the second floor as a safeguard against potential flood damage), you'll munch on popcorn and grilled sandwiches as you recall the days of yore.

And don't forget: You can rent the Fall River Carousel for your private party or special event. Offering spectacular views of the bay, this historic venue is available with all-inclusive catering for up to 150 people.

Follow this link to lean more about the Fall River Carousel.

WAR HORSES: One legend has it that carousels were developed as an early device to teach cavalrymen how to fight on horseback. Whether this is true or not, carousels do have some interesting links to the military.

• Spurred by a surge of patriotism following the Boer War (1899-1902), centaurs appeared on several British-made carousels; these double-seater horses replaced their usual heads with lifelike, waist-up carvings of domestic political or military heroes.
• In the early 1940s, Winston Churchill ordered that Britain's carousels be re-opened, despite widespread material shortages, to boost morale during WW II.
  
• Reputedly, one of the C.W. Parker Company's most notable former employees was Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander of D-Day in World War II and later U.S. President, who, as a young lad, was said to have sanded carousel horses at the Parker factory located near his home in Abilene, Kansas.
  

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