RetroLisa
----------------- |
1970s Travel | |
|
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
|
|
|
RetroLisa
| _________________________________________________________ | __ | _________________________________ | _____________ | Getting There
gas stations
The gas station industry changed dramatically in the 1970s. Prior to this, most stations provided full service, auto repair and accessory sales. An attendant pumped the gas, cleaned the windshield and checked the oil. Station owners sold motor oil and gave away free road maps and trading stamps.
The first self-service gas station opened in 1947. By the 1960s, they were becoming quite common in states where it was legal for customers to pump gas. Station owners could install more pumps and reduce the number of employees, which resulted in higher profits and lower prices.
In the 1970s, many older stations were forced to close when new environmental regulations became too costly for them to implement. The poor economy and the oil embargo forced many remaining stations to change the way they did business. By the late 1970s, over half of all stations in the United States were self-service. Freebies like road maps became a thing of the past.
Many stations dropped their service and accessory departments completely. New cars required fewer repairs, and new businesses specializing in muffler installation and parts sales were taking away their remaining service customers.
| |
|
_________________________________________________
|
|
|
RetroLisa
| _____________________________________________________________ | __ | _____________________________ | _____________ | Destinations
tourist spots
The weekend getaway became a popular vacation choice in the 1970s. These resorts appealed to conventioneers and suburbanites who simply wanted to get away from the house and kids for a few days. They were located in the suburbs, where the activities revolved around golf, fine dining and live entertainment. Many of them operated in conjunction with dinner theaters.
In Hollywood, visitors who took the Universal Studios tour were treated to special effects demonstrations from the studio's most recent blockbusters....Jaws and Earthquake. Universal first offered organized tours in 1964.
east
south
midwest
west
foreign & tropical
vacation deals (round-trip from Chicago)
8 Days In Hawaii: includes round-trip airfare, hotel accomodations, hula show, tours, all taxes & tips and more! $319/person (1973)
Jamaica Honeymoon: airfare, 7 nights at the Hilton, cocktail parties, transfers. $285/person (1974)
|
|
In the 1970s, Playboy Enterprises operated Playboy Resorts in Wisconsin, New Jersey and Jamaica. Here, guests could enjoy luxurious hotel accomodations, skiing, swimming, tennis, horseback riding, live entertainment and dancing in the Bunny Hutch disco.
A renewed interest in sports and healthy outdoor living made ski vacations more popular than ever. |
amusement parks
The amusement park industry enjoyed a rebirth in the 1970s. In the process, old-fashioned parks were left behind in the rush to build bigger and better theme parks. The era of the corporate-owned megapark was upon us.
characteristics of the new theme parks
- several themes within the same park
- blacktopped walkways
- manicured lawns and gardens
- updated rides like the corkscrew roller coaster, skyway and log flume
- huge parking lots where you could ride a tram to your car
- one-price admission, rather than individual tickets for each attraction
Theme Park Brochures
70s Theme Park Boom
Steel & Looping Roller Coasters
Six Flags
east
south
midwest
west
|
|
The log flume was introduced in 1963. It became a common sight at parks in the 1970s.
In the 1970s, the invention of tubular steel tracks made new roller coaster designs possible. Knott's Berry Farm installed the first corkscrew coaster in 1975.
|
_________________________________________________
|
|
|
RetroLisa
_________________________________________________
|
|
|
