As the summer winds down so too does amusement park and fair season (perhaps welcome news for many cronut-eaters). As the crowds slowly start to vacate their local fairgrounds, we’re taking a very Scooby-Doo-esque look at seven of the world’s creepiest, permanently abandoned amusement parks.
Nara Dreamland, Japan
Nara Dreamland was a Disneyland ripoff that opened near Nara, Japan in 1961. The park closed in 2006 due to low attendance, but so far, no private company or government entity has moved to knock down any of the park’s remaining rides or structures. Photos: imgur, Bram Dauw
Gulliver’s Kingdom Theme Park, Japan
Gulliver’s Kingdom is another failed Japanese theme park located two and a half hours outside Tokyo in the shadow of Mount Fuji. The park opened in 1997 and closed just four years later, again, due to poor ticket sales. Unfortunately for any intrepid urban explorers hoping to visit the abandoned site, crews did finally get around to demolishing the park in 2007. Photos: SleepCity, Old Creeper/Flickr
Spreepark, Berlin, Germany
The Spreepark in southeastern Berlin was open for three decades and has been abandoned for one. Originally constructed by the communist government in East Germany in 1969, a man by the name of Norbert Witte began running the show in the 1990s. When park attendance began dropping off, Witte found himself in serious financial trouble. To make some quick cash, Witte allegedly began using ride equipment to smuggle cocaine between Peru and Germany and was promptly arrested. His ensuing legal problems, coupled with the park’s poor ticket sales, forced the operation to shutter in 2002. Witte was convicted of smuggling and spent four years in prison. Photos: SpreePhoto, imgur
Chippewa Lake Park, Ohio
Chippewa Lake Park operated for 100 years in Ohio’s Medina County until it was forced to close in 1978 due to poor attendance. For 30 years the park was left untouched until a development project prompted the gradual dismantling of the decaying attractions. However, the development plans fell through and demolition was halted, leaving a few rides still standing today. Photos: TheYearOfHalloween, imgur
Six Flags, New Orleans
Six Flags New Orleans had to close down once Hurrican Katrina was forecast in late-August 2005. The historic devastation that followed ensured that the park was never able to reopen. Photos: lostlosangeles/Flickr, Keoni Cabral/Flickr, johnvoncurd/Flickr
Prypiat Amusement Park, Ukraine
The amusement park in Pripyat, Ukraine was to celebrate its grand opening on May 1st, 1986 but those plans were interrupted when on April 26th the nearby Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded. Today the parks stands as a symbol of the devastating Chernobyl disaster that killed dozens of people and forced all of Pripyat’s remaining 50,000 residents to flee. Photos: Barry Mangham/500px
Wonderland Amusement Park, China
The Wonderland Amusement Park located about 20 miles (30 kilometers) outside Bejing was supposed to be the largest amusement park in Asia. But before it was ever completed, construction was halted in 1998 due to financial problems with local officials. A 2008 attempt to reboot the park also failed, and in May 2013, the park was finally razed to the ground. Photos: The Atlantic
The Spreepark in southeastern Berlin was open for three decades and has been abandoned for one. Originally constructed by the communist government in East Germany in 1969, a man by the name of Norbert Witte began running the show in the 1990s. When park attendance began dropping off, Witte found himself in serious financial trouble. To make some quick cash, Witte allegedly began using ride equipment to smuggle cocaine between Peru and Germany and was promptly arrested. His ensuing legal problems, coupled with the park’s poor ticket sales, forced the operation to shutter in 2002. Witte was convicted of smuggling and spent four years in prison. Photos: SpreePhoto, imgur
