A carousel is usually a horse, but may include various mounts such as pigs, zebras, tigers, or mythological creatures such as dragons or unicorns. Sometimes, seats similar to chairs or benches are used, and occasionally, mounts in the shape of airplanes or cars are also used.

Carousels are usually powered by electricity, but there are also some manual carousels. On a manual carousel, tourists need to push the carousel to spin on their own, which requires significant strength and skill. However, due to safety and efficiency considerations, manual carousels have gradually been replaced by electric carousels.