The air is alive with noise. Joyful laughter resounds above the faint tinkling of music in the background, while birds chirp gleefully and ducks splash about in the water. Children run back and forth, chasing one another in circles around the benches and the bushes.

Hot food is just around the corner from beautiful, albeit man-made, waterfront views, and park-goers are only chump change away from a ride on a piece of history.

And this is all available to anyone willing to walk the five minutes it takes to get to there from east campus.

Pullen Park is a living, breathing piece of Raleigh’s past, and a testimony to the passion of one man for the people of Raleigh. The first public park in North Carolina, the now flowering park leaves little hint of its humble beginnings.

Home-grown, hardy fun

Founded March 22, 1887, Pullen Park was farm land donated to the City of Raleigh by Richard Stanhope Pullen. According to the City of Raleigh’s Web site, Pullen himself “characterized it as an old cow pasture, red and rocky.” With the help of the park keeper Wiley Howell, Pullen began developing the park, planting trees and flowers. The two men also built many of the early attractions, including the stone fountain and circular pavilion. Many of the park features, including later additions, were financed completely by Pullen himself, according to the same Web site.

Pullen has always been a short walk from campus, with the University’s first building, Holladay Hall, being built only two years after the initial founding of both the park and N.C. State. But as the years have passed, and both the park and the University have expanded, the two are closer than ever before.

Maggie White, a sophomore in communication, is taking summer courses at NCSU and visits the park on a regular basis, partly because “it’s a nice walk.” She said she loves that it is easily accessible and convenient for students without the means, such as a vehicle – or gas money – to go too far from campus.

Eventually, other, more up-to-date attractions were acquired at the park, including a swimming pool in 1891, a steam powered merry-go-round in 1915 that would later be replaced with a renowned carousel in 1921, a miniature train in 1950 and a whole slew of other merry-makers, such as pedal boats, kiddie boats, playgrounds, ball fields, tennis courts and a concessions stand. There is even a “Theater in the Park,” nationally acclaimed for its theatrical achievements.

Big deal, another park

According to a census of the National Amusement Park Historical Association Pullen Park is actually the 14th oldest amusement park in the world. It caters to children of all ages with not only rides and attractions, but well-maintained landscaping and paths, giving guests plenty of manicured space for studying, shooting the breeze or just chilling out.

“I love it!” sophomore in history Amanda Thompson said. “I haven’t been able to go right now because I’m out of school, but when we were at school I’d go every weekend pretty much.”

White, who said she loves that she is able to enjoy the park during summer session, echoed Thompson’s enthusiasm, saying that she liked summer at Pullen Park the best “because of the paddle boats and all the trees are in bloom and everything and all the ducks are out and it’s just nice.”

A diamond in the rough

Pullen Park is home to a rare jewel of amusement attractions: a fully functioning Dentzel carousel, built in 1912. The National Carousel Association has recognized Pullen Park for its possession of this carousel, the Dentzel #106, and after being listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 a major restoration effort began taking place. While it is still being carried out today, the carousel and its mounts are still fully functional. However, a stallion or two may be short a mare.

As one of 23 remaining historic Dentzel carousels , the intricately carved treasure at Pullen Park draws both young and old alike for a ride on one of its ponies, or pigs, or rabbits or whatever animal one chooses to ride. A Wurlitzer 125 Military Band Organ dating to between 1900 and 1924 provides the whimsical music the mounts dance to. PBS even featured the carousel in one of its shows, “Our State”, which highlights interesting tidbits of North Carolina history.

While it is one of Pullen’s key attractions, though, the carousel may not be for everyone. Thompson said she feels like it’s a bit of an oddball in a park that doesn’t have many rides of that nature, and that she has yet to ride it.

“It’s all right; I mean it’s kind of out of place,” she said. “It’s good for kids, though.”

In addition to the carousel is a miniature train that runs the perimeter of the park, eventually cutting right through the center of Pullen, beside the stone fountain, and ending back in the station by the swing-sets. While anyone can appreciate the scenery, the notion of riding a toy train is another feature of Pullen Park that draws children by the scores.

The idea of children frolicking about, however, does not seem to bother students as much as might be expected.

“It doesn’t bother me at all,” Thompson said. “I love the youthfulness of it. There’s a bunch of kids around, you get to feel like a kid. Thats good, a good feeling.”

Young at heart, easy on wallet

Shawn Morrison, a 2006 graduate in political science and history and employee at Pullen Park for the past two-and-a-half years, said he feels that the park will continue to grow and change “because the City of Raleigh and Parks and Rec[reation] are very dedicated to the park. It’s an extremely popular attraction in Raleigh, especially for families.”

One of Pullen Park’s most appealing features, however, is its affordability, even on a college budget. Tickets can be purchased for one dollar and most attractions only require one ticket per rider, while pedal boats are rented at a higher rate by the half-hour. But if that’s still a little steep for the penny-pincher, there are still the swings to enjoy and the paths to meander, cost-free.

Many have made a special place for Pullen Park in their heart, and its significance is not lost on the people of Raleigh – children and students alike.

“I love it,” Morrison said. “I’m going to miss it.”