"The Cars of Stars Planes of Fame" in Buena Park, California was a wierd one for me now that I look back. I wonder what they did with all those Hollywood movie props. I recently purchased DVDs of "land of the giants" and "lost in space". I think there were some things of those TV shows in the museum. I also remember the Japanese Deer park. But that was not so cool for a 13 year-old kid in the late 70s.

There was a park here in WI called Dandelion Park. It was in Muskego. Every day you bought a pass for $1.00 and rode the rides all day!

They were the old rides, roller coaster, tilt-a-whirl, etc. We always had a blast. I think it closed in some time in the 80's.

My grandfather used to tell us stories about a place called Zapp's Park in Fresno, California. Long before my time - the place closed down in 1920 - but it sure looked fun. A bar is now named for it, very near the original site of the park at Blackstone and Olive Avenue.

I have never been to any defunct park but I am fasinated by them and feel them through books and DVDS. If I were ever to be able to time travel back to see one of them, it would be difficult for me to choose. It would have to be either Steeplechase Park, Palisades, Riverview in Chicago, Westview or Eucild Beach in Ohio. Saltair too. Saltair was built over the great Salt Lake and had a huge coaster called The Giant Racer. My folks went there as did other relatives.My mom told me the coaster was a monster, but the pavilion was gande and held around 2000 dancers with thousands of lights that glittered over the water. You rode the ole open air train called the Bandberger to get there. Bob-l sounds great too. Anyone ever hear of Lotus Isle in Portland. Didnt last long, but it was huge.

Palisades Park, NJ! The haunted house!

I'd love to see the book of defunt parks that another postee mentioned!

For those of you missing your Santa's Village, there is still one in northern NH.

Ponchartrain Park in New Orleans was a popular amusement park for 55 years before it closed for good in 1983. Visitors could ride the Zephyr, an enormous wooden rollercoaster which was reproduced in the modern-day Jazzland. Ironically, Jazzland is now also defunct due to damage by floodwater during the park's maiden year under the "Six Flags" banner.

Come to New Orleans anyway!

Palisades Amusement Park, NJ. It was open when I was a kid. We could only afford to go once or twice a season, but we would visit my grandparents in NYC every Sunday; from the drive home on the Westside Highway you could see the park lights and especially the big wooden roller coaster.

Santa's Village, Lake Arrowhead, California.

Storybook Land, in Northern Virginia. It was full of storybook characters (not surprising, right?) and had lots of fun games and rides for the "under 10" group in a wooded setting - definately not like the adrenaline loaded parks of today, but I loved it.

To hauntedheadnc

The park you said used to be at Chimney Rock. Could this be an old amusement park that opened up in the late 60 or very early 70's Called something like "Gold City and or Lost Mine?" It did have the western theme of panning and mining for gold.

This amusement park was similar to Ghost Town in the sky, in Maggie Valley, NC, and just like Ghost Town, you rode a chairlift to the top of the mountain to the park.

They had a cartoonish mule mascot similar to the one on Hee-Haw, and you could pan for gold at the bottom of the mountain, to the right of the entrance to the chair lifts.

The problem is, I'm not sure of the name of the park. I'm thinking it was Gold City, and or Lost Mine, but not so sure now. I once thought the park was in either KY or TN, but my parents said it was in NC.

My family and I went there several time after they opened and were planning on going back while I was in Junior High School, but maybe a month or two before we planned our next visit, we learned it burned down. This had to have been either 1974 or maybe 1975.

I know there is a place called Gold City now in NC, but It doesn't sound like the place I'm looking for.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Sandra

defunctparks.com also left off a park from the Atlanta, GA area in Marietta, called Storyland.

It wasn't far from I75, on Storybook or Storyland Rd? or Ln?, Behind Acres Mill Rd. Since it was directly behind my granfather's house who lived on Acres Mill Rd, I visited there several time in the early to mid 60's.

When Six Flags Over Georgia opened up in the late 60's, interest in the place dwindled, and it was closed for good sometime in the early 70's, and I was sad to see the place close down. It was just like the name said, a land of mother goose and nursery rhymes for young children. There were a few rides, but the only one I can vividly remember, is the water boats.

The area is now a shopping center.

Sandra,

I think I remember Gold City. Was it a frontier town, with either a stage coach or train ride, complete with a hold-up? If it is the same place, my parents have pictures. I remember the saloon and a candy store, gunfights in the streets. Pretty sure it was in Franklin, NC. We were there in maybe '71-'72? I'll ask my mom if she can find that photo album.

Franklin does sound about right, but the only thing I can really remember about the place is the mule mascot, the chairlifts and the panning for gold at the base of the mountain.

We've got a lot of newly defunct parks thanks to Six Flags. RIP, Geauga Lake (Ohio) and others.

Another defunct park I remember well was Magic World in Pigeon Forge. The location is now site of a large mini-golf attraction (imagine that). Magic World was a couple doors down from the indoor skydiving place. They did a lot of tv advertising when I was a kid and it really worked on us. I was there twice, I guess. Pigeon Forge wasn't exactly an easy drive from where we lived in Virginia, no direct highways. And on our first attempt to visit the park our VW bus broke down on I-81. My uncle had to come rescue us with his pickup truck. There were at least five kids and four adults in the back for the two-hour drive home. He had cattle guards on the back, a little "safer" (relatively speaking) than going without. Redneck mini-van!

Pigeon Forge was also home to Porpoise Island, which was located where the big indoor Belz Factory World mall is now. Porpoise Island also did a lot of tv advertising but I was never able to persuade my dad to visit that park. It had a Polynesian theme.

And finally, Ogle's Water Park held down the corner by Wears Valley Road for many years. It's now a mall too.

I was in Carlsbad, CA last month and and saw an add for the Flower Gardens. They have acquired some of the houses and mushrooms (?) from the Santa's Village that was in the mountains above San Bernadino.

Santa's Village near Running Springs - now that brings back memories. It was closed and sat vacant for years and years it seems?

Playland at the beach (SF)

Such a beautiful history and stories from a magical time.

Ditto on Santa's Village and Playland. Yes, and Frontier Village.

Somebody needs to write a book about this - "Yesterday's Kiddylands Alive in our Childhood Memories"