BOLINGBROOK, Ill. — The roar of roller coasters under one roof. The shimmer of lights on a domed skyline. The concerts, the shops, the memories that refused to fade. Fifty years after the world’s first indoor amusement park opened its gates, author Timothy A. Hill is bringing the story back to life with his new book, My Wild Ride!
“Old Chicago wasn’t just an amusement park,” Hill says. “It was a dream in steel and neon, a place where the future came early—and left too soon.”
In the pages of My Wild Ride!, Hill pulls readers into the rise and fall of an icon that put Bolingbrook, Illinois on the map. From Robert Brindle’s audacious vision of “recreational real estate” to the looping roar of the Chicago Loop roller coaster, the book captures the magic, the missteps, and the mania that made Old Chicago unforgettable.
Hill writes with the same punch and energy that powered the park itself. His chapters read like boarding calls—“All Aboard,” “One Ticket to Ride,” “Fasten Your Seatbelts”—each stop revealing another twist in the story. Along the way, he shares insider recollections from his time as Old Chicago’s Public Relations Manager, rubbing shoulders with rock stars, country legends, and TV icons who graced the stage during the park’s final days.
“This was not your average shopping mall, not your average theme park, not your average job,” Hill recalls. “It was a ride that came too fast, burned too bright, and left everyone wanting just one more ticket.”
My Wild Ride! isn’t just history—it’s memory, nostalgia, and a cautionary tale of vision colliding with greed. Above all, it’s a celebration of the people, the rides, and the moments that still echo half a century later.
