By Joseph Morales

    The old Safari Golf in the Eltingville section of Staten Island was once the go to for those wanting to have fun in the borough. It evolved multiple times in its 70-year history and was a source of entertainment in multiple forms. The facility went from a drive-in restaurant and arcade known as Al Deppe’s between the 20s and the 60s, to Safari Golf and Val’s Pizzeria from the 90s to 2010. Staten Islanders across several generations shared fond memories of fun, pizza and family time at what was once a South Shore funplex.

         Unfortunately, Safari Golf never reopened after 2010 and has been vacant ever since. The closure has left families and youth on Staten Island with few options as far as recreational activities. An attractions page on the parenting site Staten Island Parent primarily lists places throughout New Jersey. These attractions being in NJ mean that they all require a car and usage of a toll bridge to get to. This makes traveling to fun places tedious and expensive for many. 

          Thankfully, this is set to change as the NYC Parks Department is near the end of a project to revitalize and reopen the former Safari Golf. The new family entertainment center(FEC) will be similar to the old Safari Golf and include new batting cages, go-karts, mini golf and more. There is also a new dining spot that was built as part of the project adjacent to where the park will be. Now it is an Italian sit-down place known as Corrado’s Cucina that is taking over the dining portion of the complex. This restaurant is a family-owned establishment that prides itself on “offering a dining experience that captures the essence of home-cooked meals and cherished family gatherings.” It has been open since 2023 and seems to have held true to its promise. Corrado’s Cucina has averaged 4.2 stars out of 155 reviews on Google since the restaurant’s opening. The FEC should be opening soon.

             Once the complex is fully open, the businesses and their patrons will benefit from transit options that have been significantly improved since Safari Golf first shuttered. For starters, the S79-SBS that started operations in 2012 has a stop directly across the street from the new park at the Eltingville Transit Center. This bus provides riders from the East Shore and Brooklyn with a more frequent, direct, and faster route to the Eltingville area than they have ever had before. In addition, portions of Richmond Ave just north of the park that carry multiple Eltingville-bound routes have received bus lanes since the park last opened. These new lanes make it so that practically all buses leading to the park are faster and more reliable than they were when the park was open. The improved transit is especially important given how many potential teenage park goers are among the most transit dependent residents on Staten Island. 

          Outside of bus improvements, the Eltingville Transit Center had its parking lot expanded multiple times by hundreds of spots since the park was last open. More commuters parking in the transit center means that more street parking spaces will be available for park goers than there were prior to the expansion. The amusement center will also have a parking lot solely for guests. This is critical as current parking options outside of the transit center and restaurant are limited.  Newfound parking availability in multiple places will undoubtedly lead to happier guests and families that will be able to more seamlessly access the park and restaurant. 

        The myriad of transportation upgrades around the amusement center will be just as big of a boon for the park and restaurant owners as it is for the guests. FEC Design Consultant Betson has said on a company blog that when opening an FEC “its critical” to account for mass transit and traffic conditions near a proposed FEC site. Therefore, it is likely that a new FEC in Eltingville will have a significant advantage over competitors in the transportation area. The other two FECs on Staten Island, Fun Station USA and Chuck E Cheese, are both in isolated parts of the borough’s West Shore with access to just a single bus route each. Corrado’s Cucina is also likely reaping similar benefits. Restaurant Inventory Management Company Sculpture Hospitality has an article about transit and restaurants that claims a transit stop could “create a perfect opportunity to draw in new customers.”  These circumstances are setting up Eltingville’s new park really well to reap the benefits of being easily accessible by various modes from areas across Staten Island. 

          While the amusement center is near completion, the project has not come without major challenges. The NYC Parks Department had a difficult time finding a contractor for the work between Safari Golf’s closing in 2010 and the new park being announced in 2016. During construction, they faced a plethora of issues with utility connections and the supply chain. COVID-19 also slowed down work when the pandemic was more severe. The construction was likely already a challenge for the NYC Parks Department given they have little to experience developing amusement centers of this scale. Nonetheless, the project appears to be nearing completion judging from sneak peeks provided by holes in the fences. A flyover video from the Staten Island Advance also shows what looks like a near finished facility. Though the place did not open as scheduled last summer, it should not be long before the park opens and starts a new era of glory. The Brooklyn-based contractor Vista East Amusements has been performing the construction. 

           A new amusement center where Safari Golf once stood is set to be a great thing for Staten Island. Generations of Staten Islanders will once again build lasting memories in what was and will again be one of the borough’s recreational hubs. They will also have a more seamless time getting there than previous generations which should help those memories to multiply. Here’s to what the next era of the Safari Golf site has in store.

Works Cited

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