Fantasy Island, Inc. (1961–1981) Fantasy Island was founded by real estate developer Lawrence Grant, and opened on July 1, 1961. It was planned by co-financier and local jeweler Gerald Birzon, with buildings designed by
Milton Milstein & Associates. The ownership group was formed under the name Fantasy Land, Inc. before changing soon after to Fantasy Island, Inc. The group had originally planned to call the park Fantasy Land, but changed the name for legal reasons after discovering there was an area of
Disneyland called
Fantasyland. Upon opening, the park occupied only of land that was divided into five themed areas: Action Town, Animal Kingdom, Garden of Fables, Indian Village and Western Town. Action Town featured
amusement rides, Animal Kingdom featured a
petting zoo, Garden of Fables featured explorable recreations of
fairy tale scenes, Indian Village featured
Native American dancers, and Western Town featured a live
Wild West show. To promote the park,
WGRz aired a live weekly television program on Saturday mornings from 1961 to 1962 titled
Fantasy Island Show, featuring the park's characters and puppeteers performing for an all-children live studio audience. The show's host and protagonist was Buckskin Joe, portrayed by park general manager Clyde "Buddy" Farnan. A 2,500-seat outdoor arena was constructed in 1965 for French
lion tamer Jean "Tarzan" Zerbini's circus. Actor
Jim Carrey grew up in nearby
Ontario and would vacation at Fantasy Island, citing Zerbini's show as a fond memory. The park was expanded to in 1974 to make room for more thrilling rides and to broaden the park's appeal. Citing the
1979 oil crisis and rising cost of gasoline, the park reported a 62% drop in profits during the 1979 season. The park was put up for sale that same year. After dwindling attendance stemming from Western New York's
Rust Belt economic decline, Fantasy Island, Inc. declared bankruptcy and the park did not operate for the 1982 season.
Charles R. Wood Enterprises (1982–1989) The park was acquired out of bankruptcy in November 1982 by Charles R. Wood Enterprises, headed by
Charles Wood, founder of
Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor in
Queensbury, New York. A water park called Water World was added in 1984. Wood also installed an 800-seat
picnic pavilion that was previously used at the
1982 World's Fair.
Arto Monaco was commissioned to redesign Garden of Fables, constructing a castle with a
moat that was encircled by a
horse-drawn carriage he had previously built for
Land of Makebelieve.
International Broadcasting Corporation (1989–1992) -built Iron Horse Train in 2008 Wood sold the park to International Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) in April 1989 for $36 million. As part of the deal, Wood would remain the
chief executive officer of the park, and his son-in-law, Tom Wages, was retained as general manager. Following the 1989 closure of nearby
Crystal Beach Park, that park's famed
The Comet roller coaster was purchased by Charles Wood at auction in October 1989 for $210,000, disassembled, and stored indefinitely at Fantasy Island. In June 1990, Michael Murach was paralyzed from the head down while performing a
high diving act at the park when he slipped on a diving board during a comedy act and fell 20 feet (6 m), hitting his head on the edge of the concrete pool. Years later, Murach was awarded damages of $58.6 million after a jury found International Broadcasting Corporation 100% liable for his injury. The end of the diving board was not installed at a proper distance away from the edge of the pool to prevent such an incident from occurring. In August 1991, 14-year-old Kenneth Margerum fell to his death from the park's
Ferris wheel after his seat dropped from its axle. It was revealed that the park operators routinely removed one or two seats from the ride each day to prevent the ride from moving around in high winds during off-hours. Each time the ride opened, the seats were bolted back onto the frame of the ride. Investigators found that only one side of the victim's seat had been bolted properly, causing Margerum's seat to drop from its axle, subsequently leading to his death.
Charles R. Wood Enterprises (1992–1994) Charles Wood reacquired the park in October 1992 for $14 million when International Broadcasting Corporation went bankrupt. In his second stint of ownership, Wood changed the park's name to Two Flags Over Niagara Fun Park.
Martin's Shows (1994–2016) Martin DiPietro, owner of Martin's Shows, purchased the park and renamed it Martin's Fantasy Island in January 1994. Charles Wood took the stored The Comet roller coaster and reassembled it at
Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor later that year. DiPietro would install his own roller coaster named
Silver Comet in 1999, inspired by the original.
Store Capital (2016–2021) Apex Parks Group Martin DiPietro sold the park's land to Store Capital in May 2016, and Apex Parks Group began leasing the property from Store Capital that same month. The park returned to its original name of Fantasy Island. Reports surfaced in 2018 and 2019 that the general condition of the park had deteriorated, with many attractions not operational due to mechanical failure and understaffing. On February 19, 2020, following reports that Apex Parks Group had put the park's rides up for sale, the company confirmed that the park had permanently closed. A settlement was reached with the Attorney General's office to refund customers that had purchased 2020 season passes.
IB Parks & Entertainment (2021–present) Gene Staples, owner of IB Parks & Entertainment, entered a long-term agreement to lease the property from Store Capital in May 2021. IB Parks & Entertainment also owns and operates
Clementon Park and Splash World and
Indiana Beach. The park was renamed Niagara Amusement Park & Splash World, and reopened in August 2021. The 2021 season featured only the water park, as rides were refurbished and reinstalled in the dry park. The full park reopened for the 2022 season. In mid-April 2026, management of the park indicated that they were "working through some logistics" in regard to that season's opening after failing to post job openings or offer season passes by April. It was announced on April 30, 2026, that the park would not open for the 2026 season, citing low attendance and revenue levels. ==Rides and attractions at time of closure==