A carousel brings a veteran’s vision of happiness to mountain town visitors.

In Nederland, Colorado, a small mountain town 30 minutes up the highway from Boulder, the sounds of laughter and blaring french horns set to banging drums draws passerby’s into a magical place. Inside of a pavilion shaped building, the Carousel of Happiness spins people around, bringing joy to the lives of people of all ages.

Scott Harrison doesn’t even remember riding a carousel when he was a kid. But during his deployment in Vietnam, he would listen to a music box sent to him by his sister to bring down his adrenaline after a fire fight. He would close his eyes, and picture a carousel in a mountain meadow with children and families having a picnic. “It was just the opposite of where I was at the time,” he says.

After returning from the war, Scott’s vision of the carousel slowly became reality. He began carving animals in 1986 as a way to escape from life. After finding a derelict carousel in Utah, he brought it back to Nederland, where the ride came alive in 2010. 

Since then, over 1,000,000 riders have enjoyed the carousel, with people from around the world experiencing Scott’s vision of happiness for themselves. Every one of them has a unique relationship with the ride, whether it’s a favorite animal or a family tradition, but every one of them can find some sort of magic during the three minute spin.

The entrance to the Carousel of Happiness is shrouded with wooden doves and white flowers on Nov. 3, 2022 in Nederland, CO. Every rider is greeted with wonder as they walk through the gates to ride.

Scott Harrison, the artist who hand carved every animal on the carousel, sands down his first carving on Nov. 3, 2022 at his workshop in Nederland, CO. Harrison’s been carving animals for more than 26 years, and continues to work on pieces for the ride today.

Electric chisels and drilling tools rest on Harrison’s work bench on Nov. 3, 2022 in Nederland, CO. After decades of carving every piece entirely with a hammer and chisel, Harrison says “it’s much easier for me, rather than pounding. It also is just easier on the elbows and arms.”

On the slow, snowy morning of Nov. 3, 2022 one of the operators, John Callahan, passes time by reading the sports section in the local paper in Nederland, CO. The carousel attracts visitors from around the world, but some days are slower than others.

Lucy Stroock (left) and Carlye Calvin (right) sit at the register waiting for riders on Nov. 5, 2022 in Nederland, CO. The friendly faces of desk attendants greet every person who wanders in the door, wondering what they've stumbled on.

On Staurday Nov. 5 2022, a sudden rush of excited riders floods in the carousel’s front doors in Nederland, CO. Carlye patiently greets the families, as they ask for 30 tickets for the group. A ticket to ride costs $3, a small price to pay to enjoy the magic behind the carousel.

After purchasing tickets, the families wait in line for the next ride on Nov 5, 2022 in Nederland, CO. As excitement builds, the operator on duty takes a moment to tell the story of the carousel, starting with its origin at Utah’s Great Saltair Park in 1917, all the way up to Scott’s vision for a place of happiness in Nederland.

  • Lincoln Hurst and Ruby Sparks ride their favorite animals on Nov 5. 2022 in Nederland CO. Their families get together and pay a visit to the carousel a few times a year. “I just like how the carousel brings people together,” Ruby says.

  • On Nov. 3 2022 in Nederland, CO, Scott changes out the paper roll from the Wurlitzer band organ at the center of the carousel. This roll is the Ghostbuster’s soundtrack, which was played for riders during the Halloween event the previous weekend.

  • Alex Klein (left) and Jacob Ursini-Gallagher (right) sit on the swan as the carousel whirls on Nov. 3 2022 in Nederland, CO. Operator Burt Rashbaum (not pictured) calls this the “tunnel-of-love” seat because of the couples who come in to ride in it.

  • After starting the carousel with the ring of a gong, operator Burt Rashbaum plays the air piano at the center of the carousel on Nov. 5, 2022 in Nederland, CO. Burt writes poetry about the carousel, inspired by the magic he sees from his center vantage point.

  • Lincoln Hurst sits on the camel as the carousel spins to the soundtrack of big band music on Nov. 5 2022 in Nederland, CO. He says the music is his favorite thing about the carousel, and he’ll “never be too old to ride.”

  • Fred Dreier and his daughter Magnolia sit ride on the panda, her favorite animal, on Nov. 5 2022 in Nederland, CO. Fred takes his daughter here after hiking and snowshoeing the trails outside of the town. With all of the emotional swings a young child can have, he says these moments of seeing her happy are what bring him the most joy.

A stack of hats sits on the shelves of the carousel gift shop on Nov. 3 2022 in Nederland, CO. In addition to tickets, sales from the gift shop help keep the Carousel of Happiness funded, and give the riders a souvenir to remember their visit.

At Scott’s house in Nederland, CO., rows of hand-carved birds sit on almost every window sill on Nov 3. 2022. Scott makes these for donors to the Carousel of Happiness as an appreciation. The carousel is largely funded by donors, and was made possible by the Nederland community’s fundraising efforts.

After a three minute spin on the carousel, riders exit through the gate on Nov. 5 2022 in Nederland, CO. The ride is short, and many people don’t want it to end. “To me, that’s a metaphor for life,” says Burt (not pictured).

Upstairs in the carousel house, children put on an impromptu puppet show after riding for a small audience of their parents on Nov. 5 2022 in Nederland, CO. The puppet theater is a hidden gem in the building, built in the shell of another old band organ. As with the intricacies and hidden magic of the ride, the puppet theater adds another layer of childhood nostalgia for its visitors.

As the crowd winds down, Carlye and Burt convene at the exit gate on Nov. 5 2022 in Nederland, CO. Operators and attendants weave the story of the carousel to patrons and keep the magic of the carousel going ‘round with their efforts.

A family walks out the front door into the brisk fall air on Nov. 5 2022 in Nederland, CO. After several trips around the carousel, the laughter filled afternoon comes to an end. They’ve been visiting the Carousel of Happiness since it opened in 2010, and support it through donations every year. “I rode it twice. It’s hard to not be happy while you’re here,” says Kirstin Johnson, pictured behind her daughter, niece and nephew.

Olivia Stewart, Ruby Sparks, Lilly Hurst, and Lincoln Hurst sit on the bench overlooking the Carousel of Happiness on Nov. 5 2022 in Nederland, CO. They all say they'll never be too old to ride, because even their parents still ride it. It seems, no matter who you are, "the joy transcends," says operator Burt Rashbaum, "it's a beautiful thing."