5 Abandoned Amusement Parks

Wonderland, Chenhuang Village, China – Seemingly based on Disney World, though also filled with tributes to Alice in Wonderland, this amusement park was set to be the largest of its kind in Asia. Construction was started, skeletal frames were put into place, and all was going well until disputes arose between developers, local farmers, and the local government. Construction halted in 1998, and ten years later building was briefly restarted in 2008 before being halted once more. Today, the park remains abandoned, with local farmers often caught in urban explorers photographs, who have resuming their crop planting on the outskirts of Wonderland.

Okpo Land, Geoje Island, South Korea (Demolished) – Once upon a Time, the streets of Okpo Land were filled with laughing children and smiling adults, until two deaths due to poor maintenance closed this once-popular park. The first death happened in the early 1990s, and the park continued to operate. However, after a second death in 1999 – in which a young girl sitting in one of the above duck carts was tragically killed when it derailed and threw her to her death – the park finally closed. Her family received no apology, the owner disappeared overnight, and the park sat and rusted as nature slowly reclaimed it. Up until 2011, you could visit and see the suspended, half-tipped cart which killed the girl.

Six Flags, New Orleans, United States of America – Locally dubbed “Zomieland”, this theme park was closed just before Hurricane Katrina swept through the area in 2005, and is unlikely to be re-opened. Graffiti adorns the walls, buildings, statues, and signs, attracting urban explorers who often visit for the sheer adrenaline rush. Since it’s in a low-lying area, the flood of 2005 covered a large section of the park and rising waters from the nearby swamp may cause everything to slowly sink in to the slime. Visit it while you can as it will either be reclaimed by nature, or fall to corporations who plan to turn the area into a mall.

Prypiat Amusement Park, Prypiat, Ukraine – The empty theme park found in the abandoned city of Prypiat, Ukraine is likely the saddest on this list – having closed due to the Chernobyl incident. The amusement park was to open on 1st May 1986 for May Day celebrations, but was opened early on 27 April for a few hours to keep people occupied, before announcements to evacuate the city were made. The grounds here still carry trace amounts of radiation, so short visits can be done, but (as with all of the others) done at your own risk.

Spreepark Kulturpark Plänterwald, Berlin, Germany – Having opened its doors to visitors in 1969, Spreepark had a good run of things with millions of visitors a year, until the Berlin wall fell. It was still visited by locals now and again, but in 2001 it was shut down for good. The owner, faced with bankruptcy and debt, decided to pack up the few rides he could, and high-tailed it to Peru with his family where his second attempt at an amusement park failed dismally. He was then caught trying to smuggle cocaine into Germany, inside one of his rides, in a last, desperate attempt to raise funds to re-open his beloved park. This as you can see, unfortunately, never came to pass. Now, you can visit and walk through the remains of the park and see crumbling dinosaurs, overgrown rollercoasters, and decaying boats.