Old Indiana

[DJSkyFoxx]

So as you can see, the topic for this thread is about a former amusement park in Thornton, IN called Old Indiana. I was curious to see how many of you out there that are old enough to remember this park?

I used to go quite often as a young child with my mom, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. We always had a lot of fun. I have specific memories of sitting on a blanket at the picnic grounds across from what I believe was a Himalaya type ride and I would always stare at it in fascination. I also remember the Paratrooper ride ( or the "umbrella ride" as I called it ) and loving that ride the best. I remember my mom telling me her nerve wracking experience on the parks wild mouse coaster, "Mad Mouse", and how it made all kinds of awful sounds. She thought she wouldn't get off it alive! I can also remember there was some kind of exotic animal show and how the man doing the show brought out a ball python and I was the only kid brave enough to walk up and pet it. I was given a small stuffed heart window cling that was a reward for being "brave" that I still have today! Another memory was when my mom played the hoops game where you had to get so many baskets and my mom got all of them. She won me an inflatable lollipop that yes, I still have My uncle tried to win my cousin one too, but ended up not doing as well as my mom, but the games person was nice enough that he still gave my cousin a lollipop too so she wouldn't feel left out.

Granted I know the park had a lot of problems that ended up leading to its demise in a terrible way ( my heart goes out to the grandmother who lost her life and the little girl who was left paralyzed from the miniature train accident back in 1997...there is simply no excuse for such a tragedy of this caliber to be allowed to happen ) I still have fond memories and pictures ( somewhere, my mom has them ) of going there as a young child and wanted to know if any of you had any memories of the place to share?

I know that the property is now a nature preserve, which I think is great, but I would be lying if I didn't still wish there was some kind of amusement park there again. As a resident of Indianapolis, I often wish there was a park that was less than an hours drive to go to. Not that I don't find the parks in neighboring states not worth the drive, but I think the idea of being closer to a park is nice.

[Voicetek]

Is there any way you could post some of your pictures? I'd love to see them!

[SupremoSteveo]

I remember seeing the commercials for Old Indiana Fun Park as a kid and it looked awesome, but I never got to go. Glad you had great memories there!

On another note, after it closed down for good, I remember hearing rumors of a Garfield amusement park being built in Mooresville. I wish that would've become a reality.

[Gabe]

The Garfield park was proposed for plainfield, which is just west of the Indy airport. The park never made it past the planning stages, due to a lack of interest from the local community and government to pour resources into what would have been a disaster.

[SupremoSteveo]

Ahh, my mistake. Pretty much same area though, they're right next to each other.

[Gabe]

Sad to say, but even in the 90s when this park was being floated, Garfield was 10 years past his prime. Jim Davis has little day to day oversight of the comic and hasn't for a long time. Unike topical comics like Doonesbury, Garfield is written and inked nearly a year in advance of publication.

[The Interpreter]

I went to Old Indiana Fun Park many, many times. It was among my favorite parks. I've reminisced about the place in previous threads here, including relatively recently.

[MantisMan]

Ahhh....Old Indiana Fun Park.

I have nothing but great memories of my many visits to the park.

[Dieseltech20]

Once the park closed it became a Roller Coaster graveyard of sorts. Premier Parks was planning on reopening the park and prepared it for over expansion. The Coasters from Opryland were moved to the site as well as 2 from what is now Six Flags New England. Once Premier was bought by Six Flags the plans were scrapped and most of the Coasters were left to rot.

Upsetting to think that my first Coaster ended up sitting in this field for years before being scrapped

[The Interpreter]

And before someone asks, Six Flags no longer owns or has any interest in the property.

[IndyGuy4KI]

And before someone asks, Six Flags no longer owns or has any interest in the property.

I had no idea Six had thought about that property, I knew someone (I guess premier) had ideas...

[The Interpreter]

Premier owned and became Six Flags.

[Dieseltech20]

Yes, once Premier acquired Six Flags they abandoned any ideas of reopening this park and sold it to Sunshine Properties. The land is now home to the largest private Nature Preserve in Indiana.

[DJSkyFoxx]

Is there any way you could post some of your pictures? I'd love to see them!

I will try very hard to find them! I will have to ask my mom and rummage through the thousands of pictures there are haha.

And I do remember reading about the once had idea of turning it into the "Heartland Festival Entertainment Complex" (if I may be correct?) I think that could have been a really cool place to have experienced by the sounds of what all it was going to entail. I will say however sad that the place became a ride graveyard and a place of possibilty to bring a major amusement park to Indiana, I am glad at least it is a place of peace and beauty now.