about Us
Captain Kid Amusement park is family owned and operated in Seaside, Oregon by Bruce and Tammi Rath; kids at heart!
Captain Kid Amusement Park
Having Fun since 2008
The Captain Kid Amusement Park has been a labor of love for Bruce and Tammi Rath and so much fun for everyone in Seaside, Oregon! Our season generally starts in mid February until November 1st. We boast 10 attractions for children and adults. We’re located just 1 mile south of Seaside, Oregon on Highway 101, and have over 4 acres of attractions!
We’re constantly changing and improving our attractions, so every year is something new, come check us out!
Bruce and Tammi’s Story
According to Tammi Rath, when she and her now-husband Bruce Rath first got together, they were in agreement on one thing: “We’re never getting married.” Bruce had been married 44 years to his high school sweetheart and first wife Patty. Tammi had likewise enjoyed a long marriage of 23 years to her husband John. In the wake of their loved ones’ deaths, however, Bruce and Tammi crafted a bittersweet love story and acutely strong bond that was celebrated at their Astoria-based wedding in December 2019.
“It was a great day for two people who thought life was over.” Tammi said.
Tammy and Bruce originally met in early 2000 at a pizza join she and John owned in Eatonville, Washington. Joined by Bruce’s wife Patty and another couple, they formed a tight knit group of friends that called themselves “the six pack” and socialized frequently.
A few years later, Patty was diagnosed with a lung disease and told she only had a few years to live. Bruce closed his business and the two of them set off to travel throughout 2006 and 2007. In 2008, they purchased a small family fun park in Seaside, which they renamed Captain Kid Amusement Park. John and Tammy would accasionally travel to Seaside to visit.
In 2015 Patty passed away, leaving Bruce with the amusement park to manage on his own and a deep sense of loss.
In February 2018, Tammi experienced loss too after her husband John passed away. At this point, “Life was completely done as far as I was concerned,” she said.
Understanding her grief as someone only can after sharing a similar experience, Bruce became a source of comfort and support for her in the following months, during which they spent ample time “barfing on each other emotionally”, Tammy said.
Bruce shared his struggle with loneliness and wanted to find someone to share life with, while Tammy was dealing with agony, anger and confusion.
In the late spring, Bruce suggested vacationing to Lake Tahoe together, to get away and relax before summer season at the amusement park and the start of Tammi’s new job. She was hesitant to go at first, worried about leaving the place she had lived with John.
“You feel like they’re going to come back, so you need to stay home, stay close,” she said. It was her son who finally approached her doling out a bit of tough love about being crippled by sadness, and in turn encouraging her to take the trip.
In Tahoe things changed. Over the following months, however, they had to figure out how to navigate the complicated situation that was still wrought with grief. Tammy moved to Seaside in September 2018, and they spent about 50 days in the off-season traveling throughout the United States.
“It was really good healing time for both of us,” she said.
It took a while for Tammi to embrace the idea of marriage, even though they both had loved being married. Bruce said opening up to the idea can be difficult, because “you don’t want to go through the agony again, the defeat.”
At some point however, Tammi determined that “(John’s) death is not going to my death sentence.” She knew nothing would ever be the same for Bruce or herself, but they had an opportunity to take their experiences and losses and “combine that with a new life and new love.”
They now get much joy out of running the Captain Kid Amusement Park in Seaside, Oregon.