During our recent trip back to the S.F. Bay Area, we rode on the old carousel at Los Gatos’ Oak Meadow Park. The Chronicle takes a look at the six old wooden carousels around the Bay Area, including brief reviews from a 4-year-old boy (not ours). All are from the golden age of carousels, the late 1890s-1920s, when these merry-go-rounds featured intricate wooden carvings and detailed scenery panels. The one at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk actually has a working brass ring dispenser. The Bay Area is also home to one of a pair of the world’s largest carousels, the Carousel Columbia, built in 1976 at Santa Clara’s Great America.