Summary

• Nara Dreamland in Japan is an often-photographed abandoned amusement park, with rotting roller coasters and preserved coffee shops.
• Crinkley Bottom Theme Park in England, which was part of Noel Edmond's amusement park, is now haunted and visited by ghost hunters.
• Pripyat Amusement Park in Ukraine was forced to close before its grand opening due to the Chernobyl Disaster, and radioactive particles still persist in the area.

If you’re a thrill seeker or general roller coaster enthusiast, there’s a good chance you’ve been to a theme park or two in your lifetime. However, what would it take for you to visit a theme park that’s been abandoned? You wouldn’t find any food stands or operating rollercoasters, but you would have an unforgettable experience.

It should be noted that not every abandoned amusement park in this article is necessarily haunted by ghosts—sorry to disappoint. However, their eerie visuals and spooky stories are guaranteed to haunt any visitor. Indeed, in this article, we’ll go through twelve former amusement parks where resounding screams have been replaced with numbing silence, enchanting colors with unsettling paleness, and feelings of comfort with a sense of cold dread.

So, sit back and keep a pen and paper close, as any of these could be a contender for your next travel destination.

UPDATE: 2023/11/07 17:19 EST BY MARIA BOU INK

14 Haunted Theme Parks That Were Abandoned

Whenever theme park is mentioned, a bundle of joy fills our spirits! However, this is not always the case. Harsh circumstances may force them to close, and after a while, these abandoned theme parks become a sought-after attraction for ghost hunters and people who love creepy places. Therefore, this list was updated to include additional haunted abandoned amusement parks.

14 Nara Dreamland

One of the most often photographed abandoned theme parks worldwide is Nara Dreamland. Constructed in the 1960s, the park was deserted in 2006 as a result of a decline in visitors. It was built in a Disneyland-inspired manner, contrasting the vibrantly colored fantasy rides and the now-rotting roller coasters. Even the coffee shops still have chairs, and everything has been preserved just as it was on the park's last day.

• Location: Nara, Japan

13 Crinkley Bottom Theme Park

As a component of Noel Edmond's Mr. Blobby-themed amusement park, Crinkley Bottom Park, Dunblobbin was designed to resemble the iconic figure from the 1990s television series. When the remainder of the park was refurbished and made into a hotel, the amusement park was allowed to degrade and was abandoned. Ghost hunters frequently visit this place in the hopes of recording anything otherworldly because there are current allegations that it is haunted, making it one of the creepiest haunted amusement parks.

• Location: Dunblobbin, England

12 Spreepark

This abandoned amusement park, located in Berlin, Germany, was first opened in 1969. Although Spreepark prospered following the reunification of Germany, mounting debts forced the park to close down in 2002. Today, old rides that once provided entertainment and thrills, such as the iconic red Ferris wheel, now stand as eery oxidized structures fit to frighten any trespassers after sunset.

• Location: Berlin, Germany

11 Atlantis Marine Park

Opened in 1981, the Atlantis Marine Park attracted tourists from around the world to a small town called Two Rocks in Perth, Australia. The park enticed visitors with water-based features, including live dolphin shows and pedal boat rides. However, financial difficulties following the 1987 stock market crash forced the park to close after nine years. Once home to cetaceans and transfixed tourists, the abandoned park now serves as a home for vandals and plant life.

• Location: Two Rocks, Australia

10 Pripyat Amusement Park

The Pripyat Amusement Park in Ukraine was on course to kick the summer of 1986 off with a bang. The park featured a 26-meter-high Ferris wheel, bumper carts, swing boats, and more. However, although there was indeed a bang, it wasn’t the kind the Soviet Union was planning for. The Chernobyl Disaster struck just a few kilometers away and forced the park to close before the grand opening. The park exists today as a dark symbol of the nuclear disaster. Those daring to sneak into the ghost park should be warned that radioactive particles are reported to still persist around the area to this day.

• Location: Pripyat, Ukraine

9 Six Flags New Orleans

This theme park in New Orleans was at one time world-renowned for its rides, including the Mega Zeph rollercoaster and SpongeBob SquarePants ride. Unfortunately, the park was forced to close in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Today, the surreal setting is something out of a post-apocalyptic nightmare. Rumour has it people still sneak into the park to feast their eyes on decapitated clown heads floating in the mud and fantasize about zombie invasions.

• Location: New Orleans, USA

8 Chippewa Lake Amusement Park

Located in Ohio, the Chippewa Lake Amusement Park entertained guests with a number of rides, including rollercoasters, flying cafes, a carousel, and a Ferris wheel. However, exactly 100 years after opening, the park was forced to close in 1978 due to poor management and lack of attendance. Forty years on, the desolate park is a spooky jungle of overgrown shrubs feeding on moribund wood and scrap metal.

• Location: Ohio, USA

7 Dadipark

Located in Antwerp, Belgium, Dadipark aimed to provide experiences for families that were affordable and unforgettable. Unfortunately for one young boy, his unforgettable experience involved him losing an arm while riding on the Nautic Jet Ride. Following fierce backlash from visitors, including complaints about other safety concerns, the park closed in 2002. Not much is left at the abandoned park besides ruined equipment and a chilling atmosphere today. Plans are reportedly underway to transform the park into a new recreation area. However, will any renovations be enough to eradicate the horrific memories of the past?

• Location: Antwerp, Belgium

6 Williams Grove Amusement Park

The Williams Grove Amusement Park in Pennsylvania boasts a long history, having operated for over a century from 1850 to 2005. Despite closing, plenty of aged equipment continues to haunt the abandoned property. In fact, the desolate park was considered so creepy that the owners decided to re-open it for one night only in 2016 on Halloween.

• Location: Pennsylvania, USA

5 Boblo Island

It was once normal to hear spine-chilling shrieks at the Boblo Island Amusement Park. Guests would fly up and down the tall Space Needle ride and be flung from side to side on the Screamer. Today, however, all you can hear is the eery whispers of the wind as it brushes past tattered metal. Indeed, all that’s left at the abandoned park on Bois Blanc Island are the scattered remains of rides that were left behind after its closure in 1993.

• Location: Boblo Island, Canada

4 Gulliver's Kingdom Amusement Park

Located in the shadow of Mount Fiji in Japan, this unique theme park was designed drawing inspiration from the 18th-century story Gulliver's Travels. The park is famous for featuring a 147-foot-long statue of Lemuel Gulliver, the main character from the novel, tied down to the ground. The park shut down in 2001 after four years due to poor ticket sales. It’s expected one of the reasons for the closure is due to the park’s close proximity to the Aokigarah Forest, Japan’s infamous “suicide forest.” Despite being demolished in 2007, the grounds still feature odd structures that give trespassers the feeling that they’re not alone in the park.

• Location: Mount Fiji, Japan

3 River Country Waterpark

Opened in Orlando in 1976, River Country was Walt Disney’s first waterpark. At one time, the amusement was one of Florida's top summer vacation spots. However, due to a lack of demand, the park closed in 2001 and never reopened. For 19 years, the site has been abandoned, with many rides left to battle corrosion and plant life. The park won’t be vacant forever, though, as it was announced earlier this year that the grounds will be redeveloped into a new nature-themed resort to be complete by 2020. If you want to explore the spooky mess before it’s too late, you better act quickly.

• Location: Florida, USA

2 Renaissance Faire

One abandoned theme park not far from Washington D.C. in Virginia is the Renaissance Faire. It is known as Virginia's "Medieval Ghost Town" and is a theme park replica of a medieval town (complete with a replica pirate ship). The project failed (the humid summer temperatures didn't help), and the structures and pirate ship were left to decay.

• Location: 60 Miles From Washington D.C., USA

Unfortunately, it is located on private property just off King's Highway in Virginia - so people are not permitted to visit. It was a star that, while it may have burned brightly, was short indeed. It was only open between 1996 and 1999.

These historic haunts in the Upstate New York mountains are extra spooky.

1 The Catskills Game Farm

The Catskills is full of abandoned attractions and resorts. Before cheap flights made more accessible destinations viable, it was the destination of choice for wealthy New Yorkers. One of the abandoned parks that people can actually visit is the Catskills Game Farm.

• Opened: 1933
• Closed: 2006

At its peak, the Catskills Game Farm was home to around 2,000 animals before it went into decline and was eventually abandoned. But in 2012, it was reanimated as an attraction - the old giraffe barn was rejuvenated as a boutique hotel. The whole sight is now an upscale campsite and inn.

• Location: New York, USA