America has endless attractions – from relic-packed museums and luxurious hotels to ornate theatres – but not all of them have stood the test of the time. And, sometimes, that makes them all the more arresting. Here, we go in search of America's most unusual abandoned attractions, discovering quirky deserted theme parks choked with greenery and abandoned castles.
Beginning life as a plantation for sugarcane, cotton and rice, part of this site was eventually leased by Dr Perry Sperber, a dermatologist and dinosaur buff who populated the land with concrete sculptures of the prehistoric beasts. Sperber intended the park to be a tourist attraction, also adding a miniature railway and live animal exhibits. But this curious mix of amusements failed to pull in the crowds and the park shuttered in 1952, just five years after opening. The mouldering dinosaurs still lurk in what's now a garden open to the public.
The cracked remains of the Jungle Park Speedway lurk in Indiana's forested Wabash River valley, evoking the deadly history of this former race ground. It was constructed back in 1926 and drew some of racing's biggest names to its track, including Wilbur Shaw, a three-time winner of the famous Indy 500 (still going strong today). However, tragically, the track became known for its deadly accidents and it was eventually shut for good in 1960. Now a wooden grandstand is nearly all that remains.
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It's pretty rare to find an almost entirely abandoned shopping district in the middle of a city, but Baltimore's Old Town Mall, close to the buzzing Inner Harbor area, is exactly that. It was once a thriving retail hub, with more than 60 shops plus well-heeled residences – but the population started to decline after the Second World War. Despite a big revitalisation effort following the Baltimore Riot of 1968, the area never bounced back and is now a labyrinth of boarded-up buildings and empty streets.
A quirky amusement park based on satirical comic strip Li'l Abner by Al Capp, this site opened in 1968 as a motley collection of attractions – a giant slide, a sweet shop and concrete statues of the cartoon's main characters. However, the owners wildly overestimated the potential for visitors, and the park never really got off the ground. After changing hands multiple times, it finally shut in the early 1990s. Now parts of the abandoned park remain, including those hulking sculptures and some creaking old play equipment – it's possible to contact the owners for a tour. There are also plans afoot for the place to be transformed into a nature park.
Backed by thrusting, snow-capped mountains in the boondocks of southeastern Alaska, this domed, white-washed building is quite a sight. As its name suggests, it was modelled on an igloo and was originally supposed to open as a hotel – however, its failure to meet building codes meant the project was halted and visitors never came through the doors. It sits just off Parks Highway near Denali National Park, smack bang in the middle of Fairbanks and Anchorage, and has been ultimately left to the whims of Alaska's wild weather.
When it was up and running, this curious site might have been in the conversation for America's strangest park. The brainchild of devout Catholic John Greco, the site was modelled on Bethlehem and included a soaring steel cross and detailed biblical dioramas. It was a quick hit when it opened in the 1960s, drawing tens of thousands of visitors – however, Greco died in 1986 and his plans to renovate the site were forgotten. It fell into disrepair in the decades that followed, though it's had a more recent spruce up and the public can wander the park once more.
Movie buffs will love this atmospheric abandoned film set, which spreads out on Jackson Lake Island in the Alabama River. It was built for Tim Burton's Big Fish – released in 2003 and starring Ewan McGregor as Will Bloom – and stands in for Spectre, a whimsical fictional town that features in the movie. Today you can join the roaming goats in exploring the string of wooden houses and the neat A-frame church.
America has its fair share of abandoned theme parks, but this one stands out for its macabre history. Bloody clashes between Indigenous peoples and white settlers played out on this land in the 18th century, and when the amusement park was built in the 1920s, it bore witness to a string of tragic accidents. It's now been abandoned since the 1960s and the creaking Ferris wheel and chair swing ride look haunting indeed. Visit the park during the annual Dark Carnival event for extra chills.
Visitors would have been whisked back to the Old West at this family-focused attraction, which opened in the Adirondack Mountains back in 1952. Highlights included a 'Pioneer Village', which saw folks in traditional period dress, plus a narrow-gauge railway and an arena for rodeos. However, as the decades passed, the theme park faced fierce competition from bigger, flashier operations, and visitor numbers slowed. The park eventually shut in 1998. The site has since been developed into a campground, though the bones of the old park remain.
Once the grande dame of the automotive industry – and having suffered bankruptcy, riots and a series of devastating fires – Detroit became known for its abandoned buildings (though many have been revitalised in recent years). One deserted site that remains is the original Belle Isle Zoo, which opened in 1895, and was home to species including bears and monkeys. However, the zoo closed in the early 2000s due to sinking visitor numbers and now it stands decrepit as a brand new facility on the other side of the island draws in the crowds.
Architecture lovers will surely be enamoured by this bold Art Deco confection – with its octagonal turrets and glowing red brick – even in its faded glory. It once served as a bathhouse at Rockaway Beach, a public beach in the New York City borough of Queens. However, the bathhouse suffered neglect over the decades and though some funds were pumped into its restoration, the place was eventually abandoned. However, new restoration plans are now afoot and the revamped property is set to feature everything from restaurants to a pool.
The sun-baked Mojave Desert might seem like an unlikely place for a waterpark, and sure enough the colourful attraction did not stand the test of time. Spiralling slides and giant pools drew fun-seekers through the 1960s and 70s, but visitation petered out in the 1980s and the attraction closed down. It was eventually bought and renovated and enjoyed a short-lived stint as retro-themed Rock-A-Hoola Waterpark, but that too failed after a tragic accident involving an employee. Now the scorched remains of the waterpark linger in the desert.
Another of Motor City's once glittering, now deserted attractions, the Grande Ballroom began life as a jazz dancehall in the Roaring Twenties, before earning its stripes as one of the greatest venues for rock and roll sets in the Midwest. It was a sumptuous Art Deco building with plenty of eye-catching Moorish accents, but it was sadly closed in the early 1970s. The ballroom fell into ruin with a deserted stage and cracked walls and ceilings. It remains abandoned and off-limits, though that doesn't stop curious urban explorers.
The mountainous Catskills are best known for their holiday resorts and hiking trails – but the region was also once home to one of America's top-rated zoos. More than 2,000 creatures and critters once lived at the Catskill Game Farm and millions of visitors poured through its gates. However, the zoo suffered when visitor numbers started to decline and it was closed by 2006. Today the site operates as a campground, but visitors can still explore the remains of the abandoned zoo, which was left to ruin.
One of Georgia's idyllic Golden Isles, Jekyll Island is famous for its driftwood-strewn beaches and its world-class turtle rehabilitation centre. Its hauntingly deserted amphitheatre is a lesser-known attraction. It was built in the 1970s and drew culture vultures from the region for musical performances and plays. However, due to funding issues, the site was largely abandoned by 2005 and was left to the elements. Though there have been reports that the venue might be restored, it remains deserted for now.
America is littered with once-glittering abandoned theatres, and this is one of the finest. The glorious Beaux Arts-style building was opened in 1912 and encompassed a club and ballroom, as well as a theatre, which hosted everything from plays to opera. However, the venue closed in 1958 and, despite changing hands multiple times and community efforts to save the property, it still remains an abandoned shell of its former self.