For generations of Detroiters, Boblo Island was more than an amusement park. It was the boat ride down the Detroit River, the first glimpse of the rides through the trees, music drifting across the water and a summer tradition shared by families on both sides of the border.
Boblo Day begins at 12:55 PM
We are bringing Boblo back to life through the people who remember it. Join us Saturday afternoon for a special three-hour History Loves Company gathering filled with Detroit history, personal memories and the stories that made Boblo one of the region’s most beloved destinations.
Boblo Day premiere: Saturday, October 17, 2026 at 12:55 PM ET
The full documentary premieres at 5:55 PM
Later that evening, watch The Rise and Fall of Boblo Island: Detroit’s Lost Amusement Park. The documentary follows Boblo from its beginnings in 1898 through nearly a century of rides, picnics and ferry excursions, then examines the park’s 1993 closing and the powerful memories that remain.
Boblo’s story is also a border story. Located on Bois Blanc Island in Ontario, the park became part of Detroit’s cultural life because of the SS Columbia and SS Ste. Claire. The journey was part of the attraction: generations boarded downtown, traveled the river and arrived at a place that felt completely removed from the city.
Full documentary premiere: Saturday, October 17, 2026 at 5:55 PM ET
A place that still belongs to Detroit
The rides are gone, but Boblo survives in family photographs, boat whistles, ticket stubs and stories told every summer. Saturday is our chance to gather those memories in one place and preserve them for the next generation.
Every home has a story. Every city has places that become part of who we are. Boblo is one of Detroit’s.
