If you’ve ever seen movies about shut down amusement parks and what all danger lurks behind, this is the time to take a look at what happened to 5 such amusement parks in the US after they had to be shut down.
Photographer and documenter Seph Lawless travelled across the US to capture what happens to an amusement park once it stops amusing people and has to shut down.
1. The Enchanted Forest Playland in Ohio
Image Credit: flickr
In the year 2000, an amateur builder called R W Bishop purchased about 14 acres of land in North Toledo in Ohio and used it to build a big amusement park, which he named as the Enchanted Forest Playland. Even though Bishop brought in a host of fun and thrilling rides that were aimed at entertaining people from different age groups, it never really picked up and had to shut down after a run of five years.
2. The Fun Spot Amusement Park in Indiana
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The Fun Spot Amusement Park in Indiana was a comparatively smaller park that opened before the major theme parks came in. The park that opened in the year 1956 was mainly aimed at the tourists who came to visit the nearby lakes. The family owned park grew in popularity and was known for its different rides and the faraway location. Finally, in 2008, it shut down after entertaining people for 52 years.
3. The Six Flags Theme Park in New Orleans, Lousiana
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Originally built in 2000 and known as Jazzland, the park was taken over by Six Flags in 2002 but took a huge hit when Hurricane Katrina hit it in the year 2005. Even now, after almost 13 years that it was hit by the storm, the entrance of the park still holds a sign that says ‘Closed for Storm.’ Movies such as Jurassic Park and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes have been shot here.
4. The Joyland Amusement Park, Central Kansas
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Once upon a time this used to be the biggest theme park in Central Kansas and also had the wooden coasters that were kind of unique to the place. Started in 1949, it was doing well until an unfortunate accident happened at the Ferris Wheel in the park, which eventually led to its being shut down. When a 13 year old girl fell down from a height of 30 feet, the park was closed for investigation in 2004, but permanently shut down in 2006.
5. The first Walt Disney Water Park in Orlando, Florida
Image Credit: tripnstay.com
Known as the Disney River Country, the park closed its operation in 2001 after the other two water parks by Disney became much more popular. As the number of tourists grew less and less, Disney decided it was time to close the curtains on this one.
The next time you’re in the US, try and take a peek at what you may find at the deserted spots here. All the best.
Read Also: 7 Amusement Parks Strictly For The Grownups
