最早有纪录的的旋转木马，在拜占庭帝国时已经出现。第一个以蒸汽推动的旋转木马，约在1860年在欧洲出现。

　　现在依然可以在各大小游戏场、商场等地方，见到各式旋转木马。在收费的主题公园中，会有装饰豪华典雅的旋转木马;在免费的休闲公园中也有旋转木马，它俗称“呇呇转”，由人力推动的。许多人都认为，旋转木马是个让人看起来很幸福的游戏，旋转木马的含义，是追逐是等待是无法触及的距离，坐在木马上的人周而复始地旋转，永远只能看到彼此的背影，距离那么近，却怎么也触不到。也许有人会坐在一起，可那只是现在以后会怎样，心中的苦闷，谁知道?谁了解?摩天轮和旋转木马，幸福的代表摩天轮是紧紧将两人套捞而旋转木马永远只有一个孤单的影子想抓却抓不到。

An amusement park (sometimes referred to as a funfair[1][2]) or theme park is a group of entertainment attractions, rides, and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people. Amusement parks have a fixed location, as opposed to travelling funfairs and traveling carnivals, and are more elaborate than simple city parks or playgrounds, usually providing attractions meant to cater specifically to certain age groups, as well as some that are aimed towards all ages. Theme parks, a specific type of amusement park, are usually much more intricately themed to a certain subject or group of subjects than normal amusement parks.

Amusement parks evolved from European fairs and pleasure gardens, which were created for people’s recreation. World’s fairs and expositions were another influence on the development of the amusement park industry.[3]

In common language, the terms theme park and amusement park are often synonymous. However, a theme park can be regarded as a distinct style of amusement park. A theme park has landscaping, buildings, and attractions that are based on one or more specific themes or stories.[4][5] Despite many older parks adding themed rides and areas, qualifying the park as a theme park, the first park built with the original intention of promoting a specific theme, Santa Claus Land, in Santa Claus, Indiana, did not open until 1946.[6][7] Disneyland, located in Anaheim, California, built around the concept of encapsulating multiple theme parks into a single amusement park is often mistakenly cited as the first themed amusement park, but is instead the park that made the idea popular.