Entry No. 7 — the Boulder file — filed under: carousel
Carousel of Happiness
In 1968, Marine Corporal Scott Harrison returned from Vietnam haunted by combat and sustained by a single mental image: a carousel in a mountain meadow. He spent the next 26 years turning that vision into reality. In 1986 he rescued an abandoned 1910 Looff carousel from the Utah State Training School, hauled it to Nederland, and — despite having no prior carving experience — hand-carved more than 50 one-of-a-kind basswood animals to replace the missing horses. The result is a menagerie unlike any other: alpaca, mermaid, gorilla, peacock, a Navajo pony (the lone horse), and dozens more, each hiding a poem, story, or artwork sealed inside its carved body. It all spins to a 1913 Wurlitzer band organ at 8,200 feet. Harrison opened it on Memorial Day 2010; it sold its one-millionth ticket in 2022.
The story
In 1968, Marine Corporal Scott Harrison was stationed in Vietnam, clinging to a single recurring mental image to survive combat trauma: a carousel spinning peacefully in a mountain meadow. When he returned stateside, the daydream refused to fade. In 1986, he tracked down a abandoned 1910 Charles I.D. Looff carousel frame at the Utah State Training School. The iron gears and wooden frame survived, but every original carved horse was gone. Harrison bought the skeletal frame, hauled it up to Nederland, and decided he would carve the missing animals himself.
He had no prior woodworking training, but over the next 26 years, Harrison shaped slabs of basswood into more than 50 custom creatures. Instead of replicating a standard herd, he carved whatever struck him: a gorilla, a mermaid, an alpaca, a peacock, and a single Navajo pony—the only horse on the ride. Before sealing the carved sections of each hollow figure, Harrison slipped secret personal artifacts inside: hand-written poems, tiny drawings, and quiet notes forever entombed inside the wood where no rider will ever see them. The whole rig was built around a restored 1913 Wurlitzer band organ that cranks out music from paper rolls.
Harrison opened the carousel to the public on Memorial Day in 2010, setting it inside a fully enclosed timber building to shelter it from mountain weather at 8,200 feet elevation. Operating as a non-profit, the ride quietly sold its one-millionth three-dollar ticket in 2022. You won't find synthetic fiberglass or modern electric speakers here—just a quarter-century of obsessive hand-carving turning in circles to the mechanical chime of century-old organ pipes.
What it's like
Park in the Caribou Village lot off Highway 119 and walk into the timber pavilion. Inside, the space is warm and climate-controlled, cutting off the high-altitude mountain winds outside. Three dollars gets you a physical ride ticket at the desk. When the 1913 Wurlitzer kicks on, the mechanical punch of organ air and paper rolls fills the room as the wooden deck begins to turn. Pay close attention to the joinery on your animal—somewhere beneath the paint and basswood is a sealed poem you'll never read. After your ride, walk upstairs to the mezzanine to look down on the spinning canopy, try out the small puppet theater, or step into the Story Catcher Booth to leave a recorded personal memory before you go.
The move: Take the 45-minute drive up Boulder Canyon to Nederland, arrive when it opens, and pick your animals together — the mermaid and the gorilla are a natural pair. After riding, browse the upstairs puppet theater and record a story in the Story Catcher Booth, then grab coffee at the adjacent train-car cafe.
📍 Before you go Open year-round but hours vary by season: Memorial Day through Labor Day, daily 11am–5pm (Fri–Sun from 10am); fall through spring, Thu–Mon 10am–5pm, closed Tue–Wed. Last ride at 4:45pm. Rides are $3 each or $25 for 10. No reservations needed for walk-in rides. Parking is free in the Caribou Village lot. The building is indoors and heated, so weather is not a factor. Pets not allowed inside. At 8,200 feet — take it easy if you're coming from sea level.
- 📍 Nederland
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 20 Lakeview Dr, Nederland, CO 80466 (Caribou Village Shopping Center, off CO-119)
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Train Cars Coffee & Kava — Located right next door in the same parking lot, these three restored century-old railroad cars serve hot espresso and drinks for an easy warm-up before or after your ride.
- Grandpa Bredo's Tuff Shed — Just a half-mile away, shift from one man's decades-long passion project to Nederland's famous cryonically preserved Norwegian grandfather.
- Nederland Mining Museum — A two-minute walk down the road brings you to the last surviving Bucyrus 50-B steam shovel from the Panama Canal construction.
Good to know
How much does a ride cost, and do I need to book in advance?
Rides are $3 each, or $25 for a 10-ride punch card. No advance reservations are needed for walk-ins; you just buy tickets at the door.
What are the seasonal operating hours?
From Memorial Day through Labor Day, it runs daily from 11am to 5pm (opening at 10am Friday through Sunday). From fall through spring, it operates Thursday through Monday from 10am to 5pm (closed Tuesday and Wednesday). The last ride of the day starts at 4:45pm.
Are there really secret notes hidden inside the animals?
Yes. While hand-carving the hollow basswood animals, Scott Harrison permanently sealed small written poems, personal notes, and artworks inside the interior chambers before gluing the wooden pieces together.
Is weather or altitude an issue?
The entire carousel is housed indoors and heated year-round, so rain and snow won't affect your visit. However, Nederland sits at 8,200 feet above sea level, so take it slow if you are coming straight from lower elevations. Note that pets are not allowed inside.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Roadside America · cbsnews.com
last checked: 2026-06-11