Fav. Defunct Park/Waterpark

[vortexdemon05]

Over the years many Parks/Waterpark were closed down for some odd reason so if you ever been to a park that has been closed down what was your top 5 parks/Waterparks that you just loved to go to (even when you were real young) which is closed now . If there is no other park you have been to that you enjoyed that is now closed put a N/A.

Mine whould be...

1. Surf Cincinnati

2. N/A

3. N/A

4. N/A

5. N/A

[PhantomTheater]

1. Wildwood Waterpark

2. n/a

3. n/a

4. n/a

5. n/a

[The Interpreter]

Neither of you mentioned Americana?

Anyway, in alphabetical order:

1. Americana

2. Astroworld

3. Ghost Town In The Sky

4. Whalom Park

5. Williams Grove

[PKIVortex]

1. Americana

2. Fanasty Farm (went a few times when I really young)

3. Opryland

4. Boardwalk and Baseball

5. N/A

[Gordon Bombay]

I remember going to Surf Cincinnati many times when I was a kid, it was a fun place and I have lots of good memories there, same with Americana. However, looking back on it now, I could see The Beach and Kings Island having far better waterparks at the time, although Surf Cincinnati was never as crowded and still a blast. Most of Surf Cincinnati still stands although a lot of the structures have been torn down, such as the stairs for the slides, the slides are still standing. Heres a look at probably the most impressive structure still standing...

...The wave pool. Today Surf Cincinnati's only guests are skunks, birds, racoons, and hobos (no joke). I wonder what Americana looks like right now...have they started tearing it down....I hear Al Couch has a security team guarding it.

[PKIVortex]

Wow pretty interesting picture. It's sad that things have to close down. What happend to shut down Surf Cincinnati? Was The Beach and Kings Island some of the blame?

[PhantomTheater]

I was going to go to americana, but it had already ceased operations. Same with ghost town, i actually was in the parking lot looking at it two years ago and looking at the coaster on top of the mountin, it was heartbreaking but i was able to go to nearby santa land.

[Gordon Bombay]

Wow pretty interesting picture. It's sad that things have to close down. What happend to shut down Surf Cincinnati? Was The Beach and Kings Island some of the blame? Phantom Theatre whats this ghost town park you speak of?

Partially, they were both just bigger and better attractions that offered more, but Surf Cincinnati had more reasonable prices. I think the problem Surf Cincinnati had was that it wasnt in a very good area, it was back in some corner of forest park right off of I-275 surrounded by a bunch of industrial warehouses, factories, and businesses. Its a good business area but not good for a water park, the park changed hands somewhere around 2001 I think and sold for like 2 million dollars but the new owner I guess just didnt like how it was doing and just closed it along with Caddy's out front. THe banquet center around it though seems to still be operating, the past few times I've drive to Surf's parking lot one of the banquet centers has had a different event listed on the front every tiem I've been there.

[vortexdemon05]

I remember going to Surf Cincinnati many times when I was a kid, it was a fun place and I have lots of good memories there, same with Americana. However, looking back on it now, I could see The Beach and Kings Island having far better waterparks at the time, although Surf Cincinnati was never as crowded and still a blast. Most of Surf Cincinnati still stands although a lot of the structures have been torn down, such as the stairs for the slides, the slides are still standing. Heres a look at probably the most impressive structure still standing...

...The wave pool. Today Surf Cincinnati's only guests are skunks, birds, racoons, and hobos (no joke). I wonder what Americana looks like right now...have they started tearing it down....I hear Al Couch has a security team guarding it.

Where did you get this Picture? internet own Photo? what? lol

if it was you who took it are you still able to sneakin and get photos?

[wickedv6]

never heard of ghost town.. whatr was it.. anyone have photo's?

my favorite defunct park has to be Camden park..

I used to love going there as a kid...

[Gordon Bombay]

^Camden Park in Virgina that now has the screaming demon? Its closed? Wow, hadnt heard that yet.

[CoastersNSich]

Camden Park, in Huntington, West Virginia, is still in business today, operating since 1903.

In 2004, they dismantled and scrapped its Arrow shuttle looper, Thunderbolt Express, formerly the Screamin' Demon at Kings Island. It last ran around 2000, when necessary repairs to keep it running were too costly.

You can still see the footers from the old coaster. I last went last year. From what I've heard and seen, things are getting a little better. A lot of the overgrowth has been removed, some new rides put in recently. This year's addition is a set of Flying Scooters.

If you ride the Big Dipper in the very back seat, you will probably get the most violent bout of airtime that I have ever experienced on a coaster!

[Gordon Bombay]

^What repairs did it require?

[CoastersNSich]

So far, I've only been to two parks that are now defunct.

1) Surf Cincinnati:

My only visit came in 1994 (or '95). I live(d) not too far away from there, just about 10 minutes. Yes, it wasn't in a tourist-oriented area, though very visible from I-275. That year, it looked very worn yet clean. Some of the slides required mats to lay down on because of the bad seams. (The Down Under Thunder at KI-BB is getting that way). When compared to other parks, yes, it was affordable, but the other places were running deals and simply offering more for the money. Other than the go-kart track and bumper boats, there hadn't been any investments there since the early-to-mid 1980s.

2) Americana/LeSourdsville Lake

The place had several things that I'll miss, and others that I don't. Besides the Screechin' Eagle, I enjoyed that log flume, the sky ride, and Fascination.

On the other hand, there weren't many "new" things. In '02, they brought in a carnival company to bring in portable rides, as well as to operate the permanant rides. Let's just say this was the lowest-quality operation of any fixed site amusement park I've visited. (And that year, PKI wasn't having its best year either for me, but still leaps and bounds better!) I'd rather not rant anymore.

[CoastersNSich]

^What repairs did it require?

Probably essential items like a launch cable/mechanisms, restraint systems, electrical stuff. I don't remember exactly what, but looking at the state of the park then (and maybe even today), there was practically no way they would come up with the money.

Just a few years later they finally managed to tear it down, while costly, it brought finality to the thing.

I'd be surprised if Fun Spot's Arrow shuttle is running way too much longer either. It's about as old as Demon (it opened at now defunct Circus World in FL) - and it got stuck, upside down, earlier this month. I got to do it in 2002 - I liked it more for sentimental reasons than for the quality of the ride itself.

[wickedv6]

I knew Camden Park was still open.. I was being sarcastic.. but it' good to hear that it's getting better..

I have often wanted to do a recreation of Camden park in RCT 3 as a scenario.. and try to put some life back in the ol park...

[PhantomTheater]

never heard of ghost town.. whatr was it.. anyone have photo's?

It's in Maggie Valley, NC and still stands. From an observation tower up the road you can see parts of the coaster. I have pics somewhere, but dont expect them to be found.

[Gordon Bombay]

Are people able to get into it?

[westcoaster]

well easy:

love that picture of surf cincinnati:

so heres my list:

1) Wet n Wild Las Vegas Nevada (great water park gone)

2) MGM amusement park at MGM CASINO (gone park great it was)

3) Americana/Lesourdsville lake

4) Ghost town in the sky

5) Surf Cincinnati:

and I had been to all of the above loved them!

overall Coney CInciinati I would have loved to have ridden half or more of the rides my parents and Grandparents Had rode:

At least I'm going to Strickers grove this year to ride Teddy Bear COaster (was originally at COney Island CIncinnati)

[The Interpreter]

Camden Park, in Huntington, West Virginia, ****

A lot of the overgrowth has been removed, some new rides put in recently.  This year's addition is a set of Flying Scooters.

If you ride the Big Dipper in the very back seat, you will probably get the most violent bout of airtime that I have ever experienced on a coaster!

Hmmm.

Yeah, a lot of the "overgrowth" has been removed. They cut down nearly every tree in the park, and the place is now hot on all but the mildest days. Their schedule is also inane. Most days, if they are open at all (and June is a perfect example of a crazy schedule), they close at 7:30. This in a park that was open 10-10 every summer day but Mondays for years and years. If you go, be SURE to check their schedule at: http://www.camdenpark.com/calendar.html

They also now charge $3 for parking, which has irritated the adjacent homeowners in the nearby neighborhoods to no end, I hear.

They do put on a nice little Spooktacular, and I hear that it is included for passholders this year at no extra charge. They even tried their own little version of Winterfest, but it failed miserably and hasn't been repeated (they sold passes, had Santa for kids, and gave out dollar store cookies and Swiss Miss-type hot chocolate...)

The Flying Scooters are like Indiana Beach's, but they didn't get the brake, apparently. They take a verrrry long time to stop.

And if you ride in the very back of the Big Dipper, I'd say you would get a violent ride. The back seat has been missing for some time now...or if you ride in the very back SEAT, you will be riding in the middle of the back car...

I recommend the back seat of the first car...as I do on most wood coasters. . .

[KIBeast]

^If crowds are not that good, then there's no need to stay open later when there's no one in the park. It's probably got more to do with them trying to cut back operations a little to save some money since they aren't exactly raking in the money hand over fist. I know an employee there and they pretty much run on a shoe string budget.

[Gordon Bombay]

love that picture of surf cincinnati

I'll get some more up soon (around 200) and the documentary up too.

[Captain Nemo]

The only defunct park I have ever been to is "lotte World Sky Plaza" in Pusan. It was a fun little park, and it was all at the top of a building. It had two rollercoasters, one of which was my first looping.

[s10ryan]

camden park is the most poorly ran park i have ever seen...i worked there and its just sad.

they dont take care of their rides properly.

ive seen them use duct tape to repair parts of the big dipper.

the reason teh Demon got pulled is because thet didnt take care of it.....there was lots of rust holes in it and chopped it up and sold it for scrap metal.

camden park is more less a childrens park

[The Interpreter]

<about Camden Park.^If crowds are not that good, then there's no need to stay open later when there's no one in the park.  It's probably got more to do with them trying to cut back operations a little to save some money since they aren't exactly raking in the money hand over fist.  I know an employee there and they pretty much run on a shoe string budget.

Sure, but why not open at, say, 2 and close at 10?

The way they are doing it now is really, really upsetting a lot of people. People who get to the park to find it closed for the entire day in June (when it had been open before) or people who get there at 5 and are LIVID when the park closes at 7:30...

Staffing would cost no more, and the crowds would quickly adopt. Being a community park, many if not most of the attendees are local, and work during the weekdays. . .Camden is hardly a destination park for all but a very few people.

And mechanically, the rides at Camden ARE kept in good repair. I have NEVER seen duct tape on the Big Dipper, and the state of West Virginia would never allow such a thing.

[CoastersRZ]

I`d imagine Americana is guarded pretty well since they are trying to sell some of those rides. I`m sure they don`t want people coming through and damaging the rides that are sold and haven`t been shipped yet. Besides Stricker`s Grove getting one of the rides from Americana (Electric Rainbow), another local park might just salvage a ride from the park.

The Tilt A Whurl that used to run at Fantasy Farm now runs at Coney Island. Also, the Tempest at Coney used to run up at Americana.

[Racer06]

Part of Americana is being torn down in the near future as Couch wants to expand his RV business by building a showroom and stuff like that. I have heard that he intends to keep the Screechin Eagle there (ride is fully fuctionable from what I here). They are removing the front of the park. I believe the back of the park will remain there.

At the moment you are able to walk along the fence that is in front of the park and look at it. You are not allowed in or anything but you can view it from the fence.

[Vortex]

Water Works

Americana

Old Coney Island before it reopend.

Opryland

Edited July 18, 2006 by Vortex

[s10ryan]

<about Camden Park.^If crowds are not that good, then there's no need to stay open later when there's no one in the park.  It's probably got more to do with them trying to cut back operations a little to save some money since they aren't exactly raking in the money hand over fist.  I know an employee there and they pretty much run on a shoe string budget.

Sure, but why not open at, say, 2 and close at 10?

The way they are doing it now is really, really upsetting a lot of people. People who get to the park to find it closed for the entire day in June (when it had been open before) or people who get there at 5 and are LIVID when the park closes at 7:30...

Staffing would cost no more, and the crowds would quickly adopt. Being a community park, many if not most of the attendees are local, and work during the weekdays. . .Camden is hardly a destination park for all but a very few people.

And mechanically, the rides at Camden ARE kept in good repair. I have NEVER seen duct tape on the Big Dipper, and the state of West Virginia would never allow such a thing.

working there i saw alot of shocking things.....if you only knew what really went on

[RailRider]

OpryLand, I miss you

Biggest mistake I have ever seen. Tear down a gorgeous and fun park and put in a stupid crappy mall.

Sidenote, Camden park is one of the worst smelling parks I have ever been to. Guess the location of the city dump next to the park on a hot August day wasn't really well planned out huh? Shocked that it still opperates.