Bay Beach Amusement Park in Green Bay in Brown County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Zippin Pippin

Photographed by Sean Flynn, August 11, 2024

1. Zippin Pippin Marker

Inscription. The Zippin Pippin, designed by John Miller, was originally built in 1923. Miller, a renowned wooden coaster designer, also designed Bay Beach Amusement Park's original roller coasters, "The Greyhound" and "The Jack Rabbit". The Zippin Pippin is a classic, out and back coaster design that reaches the height of sixty five feet, and travels at speeds up to forty five miles per hour. The coaster was originally named "The Pippin" and in 1976, upon the opening of Libertyland, "Zippin" was added to the coaster's name. The Zippin Pippin was operated as part of Libertyland in Memphis, Tennessee until 2005. On March 19, 2010, Bay Beach purchased the original Zippin Pippin design and naming rights. The coaster was built using entirely new materials and opened May 7th, 2011 in its new home at Bay

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Beach Amusement Park.

Erected by Bay Beach Amusement Park.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Entertainment • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical date for this entry is May 7, 2011.

Location. 44° 31.984′ N, 87° 59.018′ W. Marker is in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in Brown County. It is in Bay Beach Amusement Park. It can be reached from Bay Beach Road east of Angie Avenue, on the right when traveling west. The marker is affixed to the fence just next to the entrance of the Zippin Pippin ride at Bay Beach Amusement Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1313 Bay Beach Road, Green Bay WI 54302, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Wisconsin’s Fox River Valley.

It is also in the American

Zippin Pippin image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean Flynn, August 11, 2024

2. Zippin Pippin

The "Elvis Favorite Ride" marker can be seen on the right; the Zippin Pippin marker is on the fence near the entrance but facing away from the camera.

Midwest,

on the Great Lakes,

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Elvis Favorite Ride (here, next to this marker); Sea Dragon (within shouting distance of this marker); Falling Star (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Naval Veterans Monument (approx. 0.2 miles away); Big Eli Ferris Wheel (approx. 0.2 miles away); Tilt-A-Whirl (approx. 0.2 miles away); Grassy Island Range Lights (approx. 1.1 miles away); The Birthplace Home of Earl "Curly" Lambeau

Photographed by Sean Flynn, August 15, 2018

3. Zippin Pippin

(approx. 1½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Green Bay.

More about this marker. Another marker about Elvis Presley's affinity for this ride is about 50 feet to the right of this one. A large dedication stone for the Zippin Pippin's re-dedication in Green Bay in 2011 is about 50 feet to the left.

Regarding Zippin Pippin. The Zippin Pippin's most famous fan goes unmentioned on this marker, but he is in the title of another historical marker just 50 feet away: rock 'n' roll superstar Elvis Presley. As described on that other marker, titled "Elvis Favorite Ride," Presley rented out Libertyland in Memphis for six overnight hours on August 8, 1977, and spent much of that time on what was purported to be his favorite roller coaster, the Zippin Pippin. "Decked in a blue

Photographed by Sean Flynn, August 11, 2024

4. Zippin Pippin

jumpsuit with black leather belt, huge belt buckle with turquoise studs and gold chains," that marker says, "the 'King' rode the Zippin Pippin repeatedly during a two-hour period." The early morning at Libertyland was Presley's final public appearance before he died on August 16, 1977.

The Pippin, as it was originally called, was built in 1923 and rebuilt in 1928 after it was damaged by a tornado. In 1976, the Libertyland amusement park was built around the newly renamed Zippin Pippin; in 2005, that park closed amid financial troubles. Over the ensuing five years, the Zippin Pippin sat unused and unmaintained, and a few reported acquisitions of the coaster fell through. Finally in 2010, the City of Green Bay acquired the ride with the recognition that it would need to be completely rebuilt. The

Zippin Pippin dedication stone image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean Flynn, August 11, 2024

5. Zippin Pippin dedication stone

$3.8 million rehabilitation was completed in time for the opening of Bay Beach's 2011 season.

In 2024, Bay Beach raised the price to ride the Zippin Pippin for the first time since its 2011 reopening. After a 50% increase, it now costs six tickets — $1.50 — to ride.

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. Zippin Pippin / Libertyland historical marker in Memphis, Tennessee

Also see . . .
1. Price Set for Pippin Purchase as Green Bay Seals Deal. From the Memphis Flyer

Excerpt: "What the Wisconsin city will pay is roughly $10,000, says Mulroy, who further explains that the original range had been 'from $10,000 to $15,000' but that the deal had been simplified when the passenger cars belonging to the legendary Fairgrounds ride had been decoupled
Chris Rand (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons, August 23, 2011

6. Zippin Pippin aerial photo, 2011
from the sale. Those cars were re-consigned to Carolina Crossroads, the amusement park company which had tentatively bought the entire Pippin complex at auction from the City of Memphis but had failed to come up with a viable use for the ride and had subsequently negotiated with Mulroy to return to his local group’s keeping the partly dismantled Pippin complex."

(Submitted on August 15, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. Zippin Pippin roller coaster will celebrate 10 years at Bay Beach Amusement Park. From 2021, a look at the 10-year celebration of the Zippin Pippin in Green Bay. (Submitted on August 15, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

3. Roller Coaster Database: Zippin Pippin. (Submitted on August 15, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Credits. This page was last revised on October 1, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 15, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 420 times since then and 84 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 15, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 6. submitted on September 29, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.