This spring, 55 colorful carved horses—plus one dragon—will again canter in circles on the National Mall when the Smithsonian Institution’s historic carousel returns after two years of restoration work. Built in 1947 by the Allan Herschell Company, the carousel was originally installed in Gwynn Oak Amusement Park outside of Baltimore. The amusement park was desegregated, after years of protests by civil rights activists, on Aug. 28, 1963, when 11-month-old Sharon Langley and her family entered and she rode the carousel with her father. It was the same day that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech on the Mall, just 45 miles away.

In 1981, the carousel was moved to the Mall in front of the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building and operated by Hunter Concessions through Smithsonian Enterprises. After the Smithsonian purchased it in December 2022, Carousels and Carvings, Ohio-based experts in carousel restoration and fabrication, disassembled the carousel to repair and restore it to its former glory. Its return to the Mall is part of the Institution’s celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday.

Carousels and Carvings’ owner and president Todd Goings illuminates the intricate process of refurbishing the carousel, including steps taken to preserve the visual integrity and history of the carousel along with making necessary safety improvements.

General Information

• View Common FAQs and Policies about our Online Programs on Zoom.