Failed amusement parks (those that were & those that never were)

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Destined to be destitute

Not every theme park can be as well-received as Disney World and Disneyland (there’s even been a Disney fail, too). Some ideas are too colossal to ever actually create. Some fizzle out before plans can be made. And some make it all the way to the big reveal before ultimately crumbling. Here are some of the biggest failures of the amusement park world, including some parks that never came to be.

Yellow Submarine
King Features

The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine Park

Full steam ahead, Mister Boatswain, full steam ahead! Imagine floating along on a submarine, set in a psychedelic world filled with Blue Meanies and groovy music. Sounds like a trip, right? Or a blast from the past, perhaps. It was actually a proposed theme park meant to emulate the Fab Four’s animated film, “Yellow Submarine.” Sadly, this trippy theme park never took off, probably because nobody wanted to have “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” stuck in their head for eternity. Or perhaps, they just couldn’t get the walrus to sign a contract.

patriotic mickey
Steven Miller / flickr

Disney’s America

If you thought Splash Mountain and its “Song of the South” characters were controversial, buckle up. In the early ’90s, there was a proposed theme park dubbed Disney’s America that was supposed to be brought to life in Virginia. The park was slated to feature nine different themed areas dedicated the the history of the United States, including Civil War Fort, Native America, and We the People, among others. The public did not receive the idea well, though, and when protests citing historical insensitivity eventually sank the project, the theme park proved that even Mickey Mouse couldn’t make the Civil War whimsical.

Napoleon Bonaparte
Wiki Commons

Napoleonland

French politician Yves Jégo proposed a theme park dedicated to — you guessed it — Napoleon Bonaparte. Because nothing screams family fun like a ride through the disastrous Russian Campaign of 1812, complete with frozen corpses. Thankfully, the cries of “Vive la France!” fell on deaf ears, and Napoleonland never made it past its Waterloo.

hard rock park myrtle beach
Mike Kalasnik / flickr

Hard Rock Park

With a name that might as well have been “Middle Aged Man’s Midlife Crisis: The Park”, Hard Rock Park was the place for those who had, indeed, rocked and rolled all night, and now just wanted to sit down. Launched in 2008 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the park closed its doors within six months, probably because nobody wants to ride a rollercoaster named after a moody Led Zeppelin song. It was later reopened under the name Freestyle Music Park in 2009 and apparently, its mini-hiatus was (obviously) not long enough to get the public pining, because it closed again (permanently this time) at the end of the season. At least they finally got the memo.

land of oz theme park
Bambi Pig / flickr

Land of Oz

“The Wizard of Oz” is as timeless as it is whimsical, so it made perfect sense to transcend the film into a theme park. Rainbows, munchkins, and a yellow brick road: sounds delightful, right? Land of Oz, nestled in North Carolina, opened in 1970. Unfortunately, the magic was as fleeting as Dorothy’s trip to Oz, and the park closed in 1980. If only they’d clicked their heels together three times and wished for more visitors.

heritage usa theme park sign
Joe Nitz / flickr

Heritage USA

Televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker weren’t content with just TV preaching. Oh no, they wanted a full-blown Christian-themed amusement park. A Christian Disneyland, so to speak. Heritage USA opened in South Carolina in 1978 and was actually the third most-visited theme park in the US for a while. Unfortunately, like a biblical plague, financial scandals and bankruptcy struck the Bakkers, and by 1989, Heritage USA shuttered its doors for good.

Tennessee: Titanic Replica in Pigeon Forge
Madison Berndt / Flickr

Titanic: The Experience

Did you love James Cameron’s “Titanic” but felt it was missing a few water slides? Well, “Titanic: The Experience” was just for you! Planned in the late 1990s, this park was supposed to immerse guests in the luxurious (and ill-fated) journey of the famous ship. It sank faster than the real Titanic, though, when the public deemed the concept distasteful. You know, because before it was an award-winning, romanticized film, it was a historic tragedy where 1,500 people died. That sort of thing.

Dickens fair
dickensfair.com

Dickens World

The Brits tried to pull a fast one with this venture. Charles Dickens meets amusement park? More like, “Please, sir, I don’t want any more!” Dickens World, in Chatham, Kent, debuted in 2007, offering Victorian-themed adventures like ‘Great Expectations Boat Ride.’ Turns out the attraction couldn’t even reach passable expectations, since the park closed in 2016.

Jungala
James Albright / flickr

Jungala

Welcome to the … Jungala? This park in Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, was touted as an exotic encounter with the wild. Or as wild as one can get in Florida, barring the ever-present alligator in your backyard. Opened in 2008, it promised interactive experiences with animals, climbing nets, a Bengal tiger exhibit, and a three-story family play area. Alas, the park closed in 2019, just over a decade after it first roared to life.

neverland
Eden, Janine and Jim / flickr

Michael Jackson’s Peter Pan Park

Second star to the right and straight on ’til morning. Michael Jackson, ever the fan of childhood whimsy, once planned to build a Peter Pan-themed amusement park. However, legal and financial troubles ensured Neverland remained as elusive as its fictional counterpart.

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