Theme Parks you visited that no longer exist

[RangerPooh]

What reasonably populous areas are that far from a major amusement park?

OK - I did a little research of the west coast, and apparently there is no major amusement park in the Seattle area. Around Portland, Oregon I could only find some locals park with one looping roller coaster. And even then that ride (as with almost everything they've got) are really portable carnival-style rides that are used in permanent installations. The only major amusement park I could find in the Pacific Northwest was Silverwood in Northern Idaho.

Around Northern California we only have two major amusement parks (Discovery Kingdom and Great America) along with Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk which had a variety of carnival style rides with some major permanent rides. Southern California has a lot more - Magic Mountain, Disneyland, SeaWorld, Knott's Berry Farm, along with seaside parks like in Santa Monica and San Diego.

Near Seattle there's Wild Waves which has a theme park and water park. When we lived in WA we didn't bother driving there. Instead we'd make the two day drive to DLR. There's Silverwood Theme and Water Park near Sandpoint, ID (located on the Idaho panhandle). It's a small park, but clean and decent. Only open seasonally due to snow. For us it was a nice treat less than 2 hours away. Usually we'd only go for Girl Scout weekend or WSU Alumni Days.

 

[chartle]

It was my understanding that Geauga Lake in Aurora, Ohio was bought by Cedar Faire, who basically shut it down to eliminate competition with Cedar Point. Still sad it's no more .

I also think it was just in a bad area to get to. As I recall once off the highway it was a long trip down some 2 lane roads.

 

[soccerdad72]

I also think it was just in a bad area to get to. As I recall once off the highway it was a long trip down some 2 lane roads.

Yeah, it was a nice area, but not the most conducive to having a large theme park. Six Flags tried to make it a competitor to Cedar Point by adding a bunch of large coasters, but it never could compete. At its best, Geauga Lake was a nice, small, family-friendly local park. Trying to make it more than that was probably its ultimate downfall, IMO.

 

[chartle]

Why did so many of these close? What do families do nowadays for entertainment when they would have gone to amusement parks?

Stay home and play online games with your friends.

But just like traditional indoor malls, I think there were just too many parks to support the market and some of those parks while at the time where far outside the city are now prime development areas.

In our area we have Kennywood park that at least for now is holding its own among the major parks. But growing up we had 2 other local parks, West View and White Swan.

West view was also a Trolley Park but in an area that was a major suburb and the land was way too valuable to only make money for 5 months a year.

I had never been to white Swan but it appeared to be very small. It was in the way of the new traffic corridor to the then state of the art redeveloped airport.

West View did have a Danceland that was a major club venue for up and coming bands. Maybe you heard for them the Rolling Stones. But it burned down along with some other structures.

 

[bcla]

Near Seattle there's Wild Waves which has a theme park and water park. When we lived in WA we didn't bother driving there. Instead we'd make the two day drive to DLR. There's Silverwood Theme and Water Park near Sandpoint, ID (located on the Idaho panhandle). It's a small park, but clean and decent. Only open seasonally due to snow. For us it was a nice treat less than 2 hours away. Usually we'd only go for Girl Scout weekend or WSU Alumni Days.

I had a hard time finding anything. I looked at Yelp and I think when I saw the name it sounded like a water park.

Still - around here some of the issues are that during the summer these less expensive parks can be overrun with youth gangs. I know that was a huge problem at Magic Mountain. Great America in Santa Clara has a similar issue.

Sometimes there are parks that are teetering until someone bails them out. There's a current park named Gilroy Gardens. It's more like a kiddie park. However, the original owner created it as a nonprofit organization (originally Bonfante Gardens named for their family) for kids to enjoy. That didn't necessarily work so well. Eventually they brought in Paramount Parks (which was sold to Cedar Fair) to run the place. They sold it to the city of Gilroy later. I remember when an annual pass at Great America was valid at Gilroy Gardens, although I'm not sure that's the case now. I looked it up and it requires a gold or platinum pass.

The other major park around here is Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California. That originally started as a sea animal park similar to SeaWorld called Marine World Africa USA. They had orcas, dolphins, and other animals shows. They also had a great water ski show. It was actually owned and operated by a private nonprofit called the Marine World Foundation. They had a loan with the city and defaulted on it, and that's how it became property of the city, which brought in Six Flags and then sold it to them. I frankly haven't been there in a while. They still had a water ski show and orcas when I visited about 20 years ago. They eventually started adding thrill rides, the water ski show was gone, and a few years ago they sold their lone orca to SeaWorld. Something about USDA requirements to have a companion for large sea mammals. They had two orcas, but one died. Then they apparently brought in a dolphin as a companion, but it didn't get along well.

http://www.timesheraldonline.com/article/zz/20120820/NEWS/120826794

The weird thing I found was the character branding of these places. We all know that a Disney park will have mostly Disney characters. Still - they did the occasional stuff like deals with Lucasfilm for Star Wars and Indiana Jones rides. However, I remember under Mariott control, Great America had Warner Bros characters. Not sure if that was just for Santa Clara.

 

[RangerPooh]

Sometimes there are parks that are teetering until someone bails them out. There's a current park named Gilroy Gardens. It's more like a kiddie park. However, the original owner created it as a nonprofit organization (originally Bonfante Gardens named for their family) for kids to enjoy. That didn't necessarily work so well. Eventually they brought in Paramount Parks (which was sold to Cedar Fair) to run the place. They sold it to the city of Gilroy later. I remember when an annual pass at Great America was valid at Gilroy Gardens, although I'm not sure that's the case now. I looked it up and it requires a gold or platinum pass.

I'm originally from Gilroy so I know all about Gilroy Gardens, aka Bonfonte Gardens, aka Hecker Pass a Family Adventure.

My first job was actually working at Hecker Pass a Family Adventure in food/beverage back when it was only a corporate picnic park. It was a very nice place with well cared for facilities and grounds. We knew back then (early/mid 90s) that there was talk of expanding it, but didn't think it would succeed. As you can see, it's struggled. When the park first opened as Bonfonte Gardens they did have a miniature golf course that you paid a separate admission for, that wasn't connected to the park. It was nice, well treed, and not crowded. Due to low attendance it closed.

 

[bcla]

I'm originally from Gilroy so I know all about Gilroy Gardens, aka Bonfonte Gardens, aka Hecker Pass a Family Adventure.

My first job was actually working at Hecker Pass a Family Adventure in food/beverage back when it was only a corporate picnic park. It was a very nice place with well cared for facilities and grounds. We knew back then (early/mid 90s) that there was talk of expanding it, but didn't think it would succeed. As you can see, it's struggled. When the park first opened as Bonfonte Gardens they did have a miniature golf course that you paid a separate admission for, that wasn't connected to the park. It was nice, well treed, and not crowded. Due to low attendance it closed.

I've only been there once for a company picnic at one of their group picnic sites. I thought it was a cute little place, but mostly a place for families with small kids. Teens would get bored quickly. Over the years my mom's company had company picnic at Great America and the old Marine World site.

 

[doombuggy]

Another fan of Astroworld in Houston. Still have a glass I bought there and a pack of matches with the great Texas cyclone on it...I think that was the name of the awesome wooden foster they had. Gave me a headache but what a rush!

Went to Circus World in April of '83. When I came to fl each year to visit my grandparents we always came to mk, and usually some place else: weekie watchee, Cyprus gardens and....there was another one that I am blanking on.

In NE pa, we went to Angela Park, Harveys Lake, and Rocky Glenn in Moosic.

 

[bcla]

There was the theme park in the back area of the new MGM Grand in Las Vegas. I was staying there in 1999 and when bored I walked the grounds and their extensive underground mall. I walked past the MGM Grand Garden Arena and I think the theme park was closed except on weekends.

I'm not sure how they used the movie theme. I don't think they could have really licensed the MGM theme outside of the actual hotel and casino (which was really based on the Wizard of Oz).

 

[RangerPooh]

There was the theme park in the back area of the new MGM Grand in Las Vegas. I was staying there in 1999 and when bored I walked the grounds and their extensive underground mall. I walked past the MGM Grand Garden Arena and I think the theme park was closed except on weekends.

I remember passing that when DH and I took our first trip there in 2002. It was closed by then as they were heavily pushing the "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" mentality to deter families. DH spent vacations there as a teen while his parents played in the casinos.

I've only been there once for a company picnic at one of their group picnic sites. I thought it was a cute little place, but mostly a place for families with small kids. Teens would get bored quickly. Over the years my mom's company had company picnic at Great America and the old Marine World site.

I took DH there in 2002 because Garlic Festival volunteers had their thank you dinner there a month following the festival. DH agreed with me that if was for families with little kids and anyone over age 6 would be bored easily. The park has/had potential, but didn't grow to capture the teen/young adult audience.

This is what it looked like when I worked there (not my picture).

 

[amberpi]

I've been to a decent number of themeparks that are now gone:

Geuga Lake/6 Flags World of Adventure
River Country
Discovery Island
Opryland
MGM Grand Theme Park
Six Flags New Orleans (less than a month before Katrina)
Astroworld

Opryland still breaks my heart.

 

[kimmar067]

OK.. for the oldies around here. Circus World and Jungle Habitat.

....was that is West Milford, N. J.? I think I remember that place....

 

[kimmar067]

....I used to live right down the street from Palisades Amusement Park!

....it closed in 1971....

 

[RangerPooh]

In this thread I read about Libertyland which was a theme park located in Memphis, TN. I've seen the name somewhere in town but didn't know what it was about, considering the park closed 10+ years before I moved here. I see the sign below (and others) every day on my way home from work. Usually I just stare at it asking myself "what's Libertyland and where is it?" Then I remembered this thread. So thank you for answering that question!

Clearly replacing signage isn't important to the city of Memphis.