The world's oldest operating roller coaster is the Leap-the-Dips, located at Lakemont Park in Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA. It was built in 1902 and is a "side-friction" wooden coaster, meaning it doesn't have the wheels that lock under the track used by modern coasters. However, if you are looking for the oldest continuously operating coaster, many enthusiasts point to the Scenic Railway at Luna Park in Melbourne, Australia, which opened in 1912 and has never had the long-term closures that Leap-the-Dips faced. Both rides are "living museums" of 2026 theme park history, offering a gentle, bumpy, and nostalgic ride that is vastly different from the high-G steel giants of today. If you visit Lakemont Park in 2026, you’re riding a piece of Edwardian-era engineering that has survived for over 120 years.