There used to be a 35-acre amusement park in Historic South-Central, just south of Downtown LA. Here are the lost locations of 18 of LA’s most spectacular lost amusement parks. In the early 20th century, several amusement parks sprang up (and eventually burned down) on piers along what were then the resort towns of Venice and Ocean Park-where, unlike Los Angeles, drinking and dancing were allowed on Sundays-but the theme parks of the old days were scattered as far as Thousand Oaks, the San Bernardino Mountains, and the Palos Verdes Peninsula, and there was even a park just south of Downtown LA. New attractions were added every season, and you could ride an alligator, see a macaw on rollerskates, descend into Dante’s hell, watch a Civil War sea battle reenactment, drink free beer, and even get medical care for your baby, in between riding the rollercoasters and eating cotton candy. But once upon a time, from the early days of the city until as late as the 1970s and ’80s, Los Angeles was home to dozens of more freewheeling amusement parks. Disneyland, Universal Studios, and even Knott’s Berry Farm are fun enough, but also uptightly engineered to minimize their owners’ exposure to lawsuits and maximize their visitors’ exposure to a whirling menagerie of brands and advertising and intellectual property.Įvery once in a while, they’ll take a few years to replace old favorites with new lands to feature new brands ( Harry Potter or Cars or Star Wars). Licensed under CC.Los Angeles is known for its enormous but sterile corporate amusement parks. Photographs by Abandoned Explorers / Flickr. Aerial of the remains of the defunct Joyland Theme Park. Where are the abandoned ruins of Joyland Amusement Park located? You can find it with these coordinates. Some of the roller coasters and rides at this park included: a carousel, Tilt-A-Whirl, bumper cars, Log Jam, Skycoaster, Round Up, Paratrooper, the Roller Coaster (later named Nightmare), Zumur, Scrambler, Whacky Shack and more. Nature takes over, the bushes and trees devour what’s left of this park. What remains inside the burnt Whacky Shack. Boat shaped rides remain behind in the track and scattered on the ground around. The 1976 movie King Kung Fu, has shots filmed on the now dismantled wooden roller coaster of Joyland Amusement Park. The carousel was donated to the Botanica Wichita Gardens and the iconic entrance sign was sold to the Historic Preservation Alliance of Wichita. The land and what little remains was sold in November 2018, for a price of $198,000 USD. Slowly being demolished the Whacky Shack was damaged by fire in August 2018. Enclosed by Chisholm Creek and Gypsum Creek it is no wonder why the undergrowth is so strong. Now, it stands completely overgrown and isolated by nature. However, the owners state that they try and try with fences and signs to keep people out but nothing seems to work. The mother complained of no fences or signs being posted up to prevent children from going. In 2017, a 14 year old fell from 15 feet from Log Jam roller coaster. Damage from a bad windstorm in 2015 led to the beginning process of demolition for the park. By 2009, more items had been stolen from the park including various signs, items and equipment. However, these endeavors did not assist in the park getting to reopen. In 2006, some renovations were made at $10,000 USD but with the plan to revamp the park. Some park employees were noted to have had items from the park much later including Louie the Clown who played the park organ which was found in 2015. From here it was very quickly looted, vandalized and destroyed within the same year. In 2004, a young teenager fell 30 feet from the Ferris wheel and sustained serious injuries. In the 2000’s, the luck of the park would begin to change. The Nelson’s operated the park until its closure. Later in 1970, the Ottoway family sold it to Stanley and Margaret Nelson. The site was initially established for an operating miniature 12-inch gauge steam locomotive. It was built in 1949, by Lester Ottoway and his sons. A place once giving the state of Kansas the largest theme park consisting of 25 roller coasters and rides. Time is running out for the Joyland Amusement Park. The Joyland Theme Park can be found at 2801 South Hillside Street, along E Wassall Street, the city of Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |