Photo by UMB-O at Shutterstock
Abandoned Amusement parks have attracted urban explorers for many years. There is something so creepy and just plain spooky about an abandoned amusement park that was once packed with children and laughter, and now deadly silent and maybe haunted! While it’s hard to imagine the fun and excitement of a theme park ending when it shuts down.
Incompetent business plans, lack of profit, and natural disasters are just some of the reasons amusement parks might go out of business. And when these companies do close their doors, it usually leads to demolition or an extreme absence of landscaping and vandalism.
Letting nature run wild usually leads to some beautifully creepy results when some of mankind’s most intricate designs become one with their surroundings. It’s generally against the law to trespass on these properties, but it is entirely legal to live vicariously through these following images of them.
You can join in on the fun of one of the world’s most comprehensive Wizard of Oz festivals! The Land of Oz sits on top of Beech Mountain in NC, and there’s no place like it. Hop down the Yellow Brick Road one mile high in the sky, where you are literally over the rainbow. The park operated for ten years with displays and attractions based on L. Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz books from 1970-1980.
Unlike the rest of our parks, this property usually opens its gates yearly for events in Autumn. The property remains abandoned the rest of the year with a witch’s castle, trees with faces, and an aged yellow brick road winding up the mountain. This is the only attraction where you are absorbed in the magical Land of Oz, and you get to meet your favorite characters from the classic story.
During this time, check out unique arts & crafts merchants, delicious types of food and beverages, and eight live performances! Trespassing in the park the rest of the year is forbidden.
Six Flags New Orleans was once a crowded park full of laughter and joy! That changed in August 2005 after only five years when Hurricane Katrina hit the area. The storm ravaged the park and immersed it with over 20 feet of water that took more than a month to drain. This added pressure made the park’s drainage pump fail, and a downpour of water ruptured the berm protecting the area from Lake Pontchartrain! After that, the park closed without plans to reopen.
Despite attempts to restore the park, it is still closed today but has yet to be demolished. These days stillness engulfs the area, as this sad shadow of its former self lies regrettably stuck in time, as graffiti and rust cover the dilapidated rollercoasters and Ferris wheels. Images from people who have snuck into the park reveal the deserted and decaying structures encompassed by overgrown plants and infested wildlife. You can still notice it from the interstate as a dense jungle with wild plants and trees winding around the rollercoasters! Because of large amounts of putrid water still in the area and the damage to sealife tanks, rumor has it alligators swim in this park!
Fun Fact: The actual park has been a movie location for Hollywood blockbusters such as Jurassic World!
What was once the largest dinosaur park in the world is now a place where you can learn the history of the American freeway, the rise and fall of the roadside attraction, and the long-lingering dinos once known as the Land of Kong that have faded away into obscurity. Guests of Dinosaur World used to travel back to the prehistoric age of cavemen and dinosaurs.
It is located in Beaver, AR, and this park was in service from 1967-2005. At some point, it went by the name “John Agar’s Land of Kong” to pay tribute to the park’s 40ft tall model of the ape. What first started as a collection of some life-size dinosaurs grew into the home of about 100 of these figures. The old sign that greets guests at the park, which is now overgrown with foliage, reads, “We accept no responsibility for those eaten!”
Fun Fact: The tyrannosaurus is highlighted in the 2005 film Elizabethtown and is displayed on the film’s cover.
Nowadays, when you think Orlando, Universal Studios, and Disney World comes to mind. But in 1976, River Country was Disney World’s first waterpark and on the shore of Florida’s Bay Lake. It was a hillbilly-themed park. According to the Disney Parks, it was supposed to be everything kids ever wanted to do at an old swimming hole down by the river in the good old days. In truth, back then, it was a prime Florida summer vacation spot and living up to its name! It survived for many decades and didn’t bat an eye at newer parks being opened at Disney!
In 2001 the park closed for winter as usual but didn’t reopen. After much speculation of a reopening date, Walt Disney stated in 2005 that it would permanently close. These days River country is a decrepit and wild wasteland, with overgrown plants and trees covering the old rides! However, despite this, the park has gained interest by people sneaking in, hoping to catch a glimpse and snap pictures of this 70’s curiosity. It is believed Disney has plans to Demolish the site and open a Disney Vacation Club Resort…typical!
Coney Island is the capital of amusement parks in the New York area. Specifically, Brooklyn morphs into a vibrant entertainment stop every summer. However, there was a point when it was even more dynamic and bustling! One of the most famous is Astroland, which opened in 1962 as a futuristic space-themed park at West 10th Street on the boardwalk. The park had 32 rollercoasters and was an excellent spot for entertainment with rides.
In 2006, it was sold to Thor Equities by the Albert family, who had plans to redevelop the area as a resort. However, under the agreement, the Alberts had to continue to operate the Cyclone. So officially, Astroland became Dreamland in 2008 and then eventually Luna Park in 2010. The park developed in terms of technology and rides through the years, but issues began to appear. A few years ago, Luna Park was evacuated as a precaution because of a problem with the Astrotower swaying. The park called the New York Fire Department over concerns regarding the structural support of the former operational ride, which was in the center of the area. Because of potential risks, the park has been abandoned ever since.
Fun Fact: Astroland appears in the 1979 movie The Warriors and the 2003 movie Uptown Girls.
Holy Land USA was a theme park and Christian tourist attraction filled with religious displays in Waterbury, Connecticut, between 1958 and 1984. At its peak, it attracted up to 40,000 visitors a year. The Holy Land theme park comprised a Garden of Eden, life-sized scenes from the Bible, and statues of Jesus.
In 1984, the place was shut down for expansion to attract more people, but that never happened because the owner died. The park was left to a group of nuns, who kept it clean but never allowed entry, which left behind decomposing relics of its once happy place.
Today it is the local teens and looters who have made their mark. Statues have been beheaded, tunnels blocked, and dioramas destroyed. From time to time, tourists still stop to look and explore, but they make sure to leave before dark after hearing of crimes committed here!
Williams Grove was once home to a true family affair! It started back in 1850 when the Williams family began hosting picnics just outside Mechanicsburg. As the crowds grew, their popularity increased, and they decided to add some rides and turn it into a Fairground! Morgan Hughes then purchased the Amusement park in 1972, and several new rides were brought from the Palisades Amusement Park in New Jersey, including several rollercoasters, funhouses, and water slides. These new rides helped to keep the park exciting and in operation until 2005.
Nowadays, it is overrun by plants and vandalism. It was open to the public but in 2005 closed in part due to flood damage caused by Hurricane Agnes. These days the park is still holding but not operating, the area faces frequent vandalism, and the owners who still live on-site are battling to preserve the park’s history!
On Halloween night, October 31, 2016, they reopened to the public with a Haunted Walk delighting many avid fans full of Nostalgia.
Dog Patch U.S.A was a Hillbilly-themed park introduced in northwest Arkansas. It opened in 1968, and the park was based upon a comic strip Li’l Abner, created by a cartoonist named Al Capp, which was set in a fictional village called Dogpatch. It closed in 1993 because it had gained too much debt to continue operating and competing with larger parks that impersonated similar themes, such as Silver Dollar City.
While walking around the park, you would’ve seen Hillbilly characters such as Daisy Mae and Hairless Joe wandering around the park doing all sorts of antics! Since the closing, the park has been sold many times in hopes of a revival and was even the subject of a documentary. None of the park’s attempts have had success so far, so the land is still overrun with plants and wildlife to this day, appearing as a shell of its former beauty.
As a former epicenter of Hobbit-themed attractions, Hobbiton started in the mid-1970s and took guests on a redwood nature walk through the mystical story of J.R.R Tolkien’s, The Hobbit, complete with scenes and characters such as Bilbo Baggins, Gollum, and Gandalf!
On the trail, the scenes you could find were the fierce battle with dragon Smaug and Gandalf enlisting Bilbo’s help. The characters were crafted from cement, which left some key players looking a bit unusual. Gollum and Aragorn were said to look incredibly lumpy, but fortunately, each tableau came with a button-activated speaker that would explain the scenes being presented.
The park closed in 2009, with theories hinting that legal troubles forced this frail middle earth to close. However, these days the area is still a popular haunted redwood trail. Expect to see an abused Gandolf and an alien-looking Gollum being swallowed up by nature! It’s still fascinating to visit either way if you’re a Hobbit fan!
As a former escape for President Kennedy and his children, in 1894, this spot in Lincoln Park was opened by the Union Street Railway Co. as a picnic area. Regardless of the celebrity connections, this park was full of lousy luck, safety issues, not to mention poor reviews. It started with a death in 1964 and a memorable accident on the infamous “Comet” rollercoaster in 1986. This caused many safety concerns to appear in people’s minds.
By 1987 things got worse when an electrical contractor died due to faulty breaks on the Comet, causing the cart to derail! This left passengers hanging helplessly in the air and injured four people! The park finally closed in 1987 due to low attendance. In July 2012, the 3,000ft long wooden Comet was finally demolished as nostalgic fans stood by and watched to say farewell. All that’s left of the park these days are some vandalized and decrepit scraps.
At the abandoned Chippewa Lake Park, the concession stands are fallen masses of rotting timber. Trees disguise the Ferris wheel fixed with rust. A forsaken roller coaster stands in ghostly silence. This once Cotton Candy-filled park was opened back in 1878 and achieved decades of success before its glum end in 1978 due to poor attendance.
These days the trees and nature have enveloped the Rollercoasters and Ferris wheel in a very creepy way. Add in many decades of harsh weather, and it’s clear to see this is a shadow of its nostalgic Cotton Candy filled days.
Fun Fact: Due to its haunted and creepy look, it’s perfect for making a horror movie. The park has acted as a background for the film, Closed For the Season!
Located on a peninsula between Bridgeport and Stratford in Connecticut, the flourishing beachfront community around Pleasure Beach now houses more birds than humans. Settled in 1892, the land had served as local entertainment, but a fire in 1996 cut off the accessibility to the mainland, forcing its residents to relocate. Despite the changing climate brought on by the park’s failure, people continued to visit the beach. The long boardwalk and soft sand drew them.
Access was granted again when water taxis started operating in 2014. The city received $1.9 million in federal funding to purchase a few water taxis and bring the beach back to its glory. There are picnic tables, operable bathrooms, showers, and a concession stand. Parts of the community have been demolished, but there are still portions of the former life the area once called home.
You can now return to Pleasure Beach and see it for what it is, a serene oasis to watch the waves and take in the sun. The vandalized pavilion has been returned to its former glory, and the boardwalk to the beach has been restored. Where a large parking lot took up space, there are now grass and picnic tables. You won’t believe the transformation!
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