1. Dogpatch USA, Arkansas
If you ever read Li’l Abner, Dogpatch USA was its living, breathing version, complete with hillbillies, moonshine jokes, and log-flume rides. Opened in 1968, it attracted thousands of visitors charmed by its comic-strip whimsy. But changing tastes and poor maintenance led to its slow decline. “There’s something haunting about walking through a place that was made to be joyful,” said one urban explorer. Now, moss covers the buildings, and silence replaces the laughter. Locals still visit for nostalgia, but the once-vibrant hills of Arkansas have gone eerily still.
2. Frontier Town, New York
Set in the Adirondacks, Frontier Town was every kid’s Western fantasy, saloon brawls, horse chases, and cowboy gunfights staged daily. Opened in 1952, it thrived for decades but struggled as entertainment preferences shifted. Families now looked toward high-tech thrills, and the dusty showdowns just didn’t draw crowds anymore. By the 90s, the town had become a ghost of itself. “It was like stepping into a spaghetti western,” said one former guest. The buildings still stand, silent and fading, as if waiting for one more shootout.
3. Ghost Town in the Sky, North Carolina
Perched high on Buck Mountain, this mountaintop town gave visitors the feeling of walking through an old Western film set. Ghost Town in the Sky had wooden sidewalks, shootouts, and sweeping views. But operational costs and safety issues eventually brought the cowboy town to its knees. “It was literally on a cliff, beautiful, but risky,” a past employee shared. A few revival attempts came and went, but none stuck. Now, nature has taken over, reclaiming boardwalks and cabins with vines and rust.
4. Pioneer City, Florida
Pioneer City launched in 1966, hoping to be South Florida’s answer to the Wild West. With train rides, staged robberies, and prairie vibes, it drew quick attention. But it didn’t last. The attraction closed in less than two years, just 16 months, to be exact. Locals still scratch their heads. “It was ambitious, but too far ahead of its time,” one historian said. Today, the land has been redeveloped, but a few relics still sit buried beneath the soil, waiting for someone to remember them.
5. Santa’s Village, California
For decades, Santa’s Village in Skyforest felt like a North Pole fairytale with candy cane posts, elves, and reindeer. It opened in 1955, just six weeks before Disneyland. For a while, it thrived. But rising maintenance costs and competition dimmed the holiday glow. It closed in 1998, briefly reopened, and then shut again. “The whimsy was real,” said a former visitor. “It felt like you’d walked into a snow globe.” Parts of the park have been restored, but the original magic still feels tucked away in time.
6. Marineland, California
Long before SeaWorld became the go-to aquatic escape, there was Marineland. Opened in 1954, it was home to Orky and Corky, beloved performing whales. Perched on a seaside cliff in Palos Verdes, it offered panoramic ocean views and watery thrills. But when SeaWorld bought it out in 1987, Marineland closed almost overnight. “It felt like a betrayal,” said a former trainer. Today, only a few crumbling structures remain, slowly weathering under sea breezes. The ocean’s still there, but the whales are long gone.
7. The Mystery Spot, Michigan
Road trips in the 50s and 60s often included quirky roadside attractions, and Michigan’s Mystery Spot was one of the most beloved. With slanted cabins, strange gravitational pulls, and unexplainable phenomena, it sparked wonder and wide-eyed selfies before selfies were even a thing. But as science education improved and digital entertainment took hold, the novelty wore thin. “It was fun, but once you figured out the trick, it lost the charm,” a former visitor shared online. The site eventually closed, leaving behind tilted walls and tilted memories.
8. Borscht Belt Resorts, Catskills
Once called the Jewish Alps, these resorts were the go-to vacation spots for East Coast Jewish families from the 1920s through the 70s. Think Dirty Dancing, yes, it was set in the Catskills. Live music, dance classes, and comedy shows defined the Borscht Belt era. But with the rise of air travel and changing social patterns, attendance dipped. By the 90s, most resorts had closed. “You could feel the glamour even in the ruins,” said a visitor touring the crumbling Concord Hotel. Now, these grand halls stand empty, echoes of punchlines and polkas still hanging in the air.
9. Heritage USA, South Carolina
Heritage USA wasn’t your average park. Created by televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker in the 1980s, it blended theme park fun with Christian messaging. At its peak, it drew nearly six million visitors annually, more than Disneyland. But scandal and bankruptcy hit hard. “It was surreal, like Bible verses mixed with roller coasters,” recalled a past guest. After the fall of the PTL ministry, the park was abandoned. Nature crept in. Some sections were redeveloped, but the heart of the park remains eerily still.
10. Enchanted Forest, Maryland
Built in 1955, Enchanted Forest was a fairy tale come to life. Kids walked through giant storybook scenes, climbing Jack’s beanstalk or sitting in Cinderella’s pumpkin carriage. But as mega theme parks rose in the 80s, this low-tech wonderland couldn’t keep up. It closed in 1989. “It wasn’t flashy, but it felt like stepping into your bedtime stories,” one visitor reminisced. Some structures have been preserved in a shopping village nearby, but the original forest is now fenced, quiet, and slowly fading.
11. Pleasure Island, Massachusetts
When Pleasure Island opened in 1959, it was dubbed The Disneyland of the Northeast. With boat rides, a Moby Dick-themed lake monster, and celebrity guests like Ricky Nelson, it had big dreams. But poor weather and high costs led to a steady decline. It closed in 1969, barely a decade later. “It felt like they reached for the stars but forgot the umbrella,” joked a local historian. The land is now an office park, but parts of the whale ride machinery still rest underground, out of sight but not quite out of memory.
12. Cypress Gardens, Florida
Before Disney or Universal, Cypress Gardens was Florida’s pride. Opened in 1936, it featured elaborate gardens, Southern belles in hoop skirts, and dazzling water ski shows. It even hosted movie shoots and national competitions. But as newer parks popped up, its quaint charm felt dated. “It was graceful, like old Hollywood,” said one retired skier. After several closures and changes, it was absorbed into Legoland in 2011. A few gardens remain, but the lakes once filled with daring pyramids of skiers are now silent.
Still smiling from the past? There’s more magic ahead, just quieter now.
13. The Land of Makebelieve, New York
Nestled in Upper New York, The Land of Makebelieve was built in 1954 as a quiet escape where fairy tales came alive. It catered mostly to toddlers and young kids, with mini castles, talking animals, and soft rides that gently spun imaginations. “It was simple, sweet, and safe,” remembered one local mom who took her son there in the 70s. But over time, bigger parks with louder thrills took over family travel plans. It quietly closed in 1979. The park still sits there, rusting gently, like a toy left behind on a childhood bedroom shelf.
14. Six Gun Territory, Florida
Opened in 1963, Six Gun Territory in Ocala was a full-on Western town where kids watched staged robberies and rode trains through bandit country. Every corner had swinging saloon doors and dusty trails, and families came in droves. But just like many Wild West-themed parks, it couldn’t compete with the slicker, newer attractions rising in Orlando. It closed in 1984. “It felt like a place stuck between a spaghetti western and real Americana,” one fan recalled. Today, little remains except a few props and dusty memories of pistols and popcorn.
15. Lake Dolores Waterpark, California
Right in the middle of the Mojave Desert, Lake Dolores was an oasis of summer fun in the 1960s and 70s. With twisting slides, ATV tracks, and a DIY vibe, it was a rebellious teen’s paradise. “We came back sunburned and soaked every summer,” said one Californian who grew up nearby. But ownership changes and poor upkeep turned it into a liability. It closed permanently in the early 2000s, and today the place is tagged, cracked, and crumbling under the scorching sun. Like a mirage, it lingers, almost too unreal to have ever existed.
16. Boardwalk and Baseball, Florida
Boardwalk and Baseball had all the right ingredients, amusement rides, carnival games, and actual professional baseball games, thanks to a Kansas City Royals spring training tie-in. It opened in 1987, trying to merge sports with thrills. But poor marketing and a confusing identity made it hard to keep afloat. “People didn’t know if it was a ballpark or a fairground,” said one former employee. It folded in just three years. The stadium is long gone, and all that’s left are a few parking lot outlines where dreams once pitched.
17. Storybook Forest, Pennsylvania
Tucked in Ligonier, Storybook Forest was part of the Idlewild amusement park but had its own identity. Kids could walk into giant fairy tale books, meet Mother Goose, and play among story-inspired sculptures. It opened in 1956 and hung on for decades, but its popularity waned as newer, flashier attractions emerged. “It was peaceful, not noisy like the big parks,” said a grandmother recalling her visits in the 80s. Though parts of it still exist inside Idlewild, its standalone magic has long faded into the pages of Pennsylvania’s past.
18. The Poconos Honeymoon Resorts
The Poconos once promised newlyweds champagne towers, velvet heart-shaped bathtubs, and mirrored ceilings, peak 70s romance. Couples came in droves, drawn by the over-the-top love themes and cozy mountain settings. But times changed, and so did tastes. “It was tacky, but we loved it,” one man fondly shared in an online review. The resorts began to shutter in the 90s and early 2000s. Now, most stand abandoned, faded murals of Cupid, cracked tubs, and silence where violins once played. In some way, their quiet reminds us that even the most booming trends eventually settle into soft echoes.
This story 18 Once-Booming Tourist Spots That Are Now Forgotten Ghosts was first published on Daily FETCH
