Abandoned Amusement Parks

Abandoned amusement parks are a fact of life in this competitive industry, but why do parks vanish and what becomes of their familiar rides and attractions? The answers are not always simple.

Dwindling profits cause many parks to close.

Just because a park is currently empty and silent does not mean it is necessarily abandoned. Many parks close temporarily because of new ownership, extensive renovations, or seasonal operating schedules. Generally speaking, however, a park is said to be abandoned when it is no longer operating under its normal schedule and there is no definitive plan to reopen the facility. These defunct amusement parks may stand empty for years, or they may be quickly removed to make way for new construction developments or other projects.

Another term frequently applied to abandoned amusement parks is “SBNO” – standing but not operating. While this term is more often used to describe a single ride at an operating park, it can be applied to an entire park that is no longer in service.

An amusement park may be closed for a number of reasons. An amusement park is a part of the entertainment industry and when guests’ preferences change, not every park can keep up with those changes to continue operating successfully. The most common reasons for parks to close include:

• Economics: If a park is no longer profitable, it cannot sustain its own financial needs. This may be due to rising ride maintenance costs, decreasing park attendance, or larger economic issues such as depressions or recessions that limit tourism and keep guests from enjoying a day at the park. This was the case with Miracle Strip Amusement Park in Panama City, Florida, which closed in 2004 due to declining attendance, and the MGM Amusement Park in Las Vegas, which gradually shrank and closed as attendance dwindled.
• Limited Expansion: If a park is unable to expand and add new attractions to entice more guests to visit, it may be forced to close. This could be due to limited land space, development limitations imposed by the city or state, or simply because a small park cannot compete with the newest high-tech attractions at larger, more profitable parks. One large roller coaster can cost millions of dollars, and that is not an investment every park can afford.

Parks without guests will eventually close.

• Family Ownership: If a park is family owned, the family may decide to retire or switch to a different business, which can result in the park’s closure if no other interested buyers are available. Many times, small family owned parks may be sold to housing developers or other corporations that opt to abandon the amusement park in favor of potentially more profitable projects.
• Corporate Purchases: A small amusement park may be purchased by a larger competitor who then decides to close the small park to decrease competition. In these instances, the small parks may be completely abandoned or they may be gradually dismantled as rides are sold or relocated. Geauga Lake, the former Six Flags Ohio park, for example, was purchased by the Cedar Fair Entertainment Company and closed so its rides could be relocated.
• Damage: A natural disaster can cause a profitable park to close unexpectedly if the rides, attractions, and other structures sustain heavy damage. This could be caused by an earthquake, tornado, amusement park ride fire, or any type of severe storm. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused such extensive damage to the Six Flags New Orleans location that the park has been abandoned while insurance claims are settled, a process which can take years. While amusement parks do carry insurance in case of property damage, the increased premiums after severe damage may be an economic reason for the park’s closure.
• Accidents: While most amusement parks sustain minor ride accidents each year, a severe accident resulting in extensive property damage, guest injuries, or multiple deaths may force the park to close while legal claims are sorted out and repairs are made. As with natural damage, if the effects are too severe, the park could remain closed permanently.

After an amusement park is abandoned, there are several things that may happen to its rides. In some cases, the rides may be left untended for years while a new buyer is sought or insurance claims are settled, and in that time they gradually decay, possibly beyond repair. If a park closes for economic reasons, the rides may be auctioned off to be relocated and reopened as new attractions elsewhere. If the rides cannot be sold or are too decrepit, they may simply be demolished and scrapped, though some parts – entrance signs, roller coaster trains, etc. – may end up as collectors’ items in museums or private collections. Sometimes rides and attractions may be removed from abandoned amusement parks to be put in storage to keep them from decaying while legal and financial concerns are sorted out. In this case, the rides may later be sold and reassembled at new locations.

If a park has been long abandoned, its rides, buildings, and other structures may fall victim to vandalism and arson, effectively demolishing the defunct rides. While this may be a tragic end for some amusement parks, it is no less tragic than the gradual decay that most abandoned amusement parks undergo. For years after the parks close, the rides stand empty and go without care or maintenance, gradually surrendering to rust, wood rot, overgrown plants, and other forces that destroy them as effectively as any bulldozer.

Amusement parks hold many fond memories for the guests who enjoy the excitement they offer, and abandoned amusement parks often live on with tributes, documentaries, and regional histories dedicated to their history. For more information on defunct amusement parks, visit DefunctParks.com or any of the hundreds of tribute websites available for the gone-but-not-forgotten parks of yesteryear.

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