When you think of amusement parks, you probably picture bright lights, screaming roller coasters, and cotton‑candy clouds. Yet there’s a shadowy side to these places of joy—some have been left to rot, haunted by grim events that still echo through their rusted rides. In this roundup of 10 abandoned amusement parks, we’ll dive into the unsettling histories that turned once‑thrilling venues into eerie relics.
10 Lake Shawnee Amusement Park
The once‑gleaming rides of Lake Shawnee now sit rusted and tangled in vines, a stark reminder of a West Virginia dream that turned sour. The park’s very foundation sits atop a Native American burial ground, where archaeologists unearthed thirteen interments—most of them children.
But the graveyard isn’t the only dark chapter of this land.
Back in 1783, Mitchell Clay became the first European settler to claim the area, which was then home to the Shawnee tribe.
While Clay was away in town, Shawnee warriors surrounded three of his children working in the fields. Bartley was shot first. When his sister Tabitha heard the gunfire, she rushed to him, only to be slashed with a knife and dismembered; both of their scalps were taken. Their brother Ezekiel was captured and burned at the stake.
A historical marker now stands on the road leading to the site, commemorating the tragic fate of the Clay children.
Some wonder whether this grim past contributed to the six deaths that occurred at the park, ultimately forcing its closure in 1966. Locals, including former owner Gaylord White, still claim the grounds are haunted.
9 Holy Land, USA
Dominated by a Hollywood‑style sign and a towering cross, Holy Land in Waterbury, Connecticut is hard to miss from Interstate 84.
Opened in 1960, the park featured biblical replicas such as the Last Supper, the Garden of Eden, and an inn with a flashing “no vacancy” sign. It attracted over 50,000 visitors each year until owner John Baptist Greco shut it down in 1984 to expand. Before the expansion could happen, Greco passed away, and the park was bequeathed to a group of nuns who kept the grounds but never reopened them.
Even after closure, trespassers and vandals roamed the site, destroying many statues and attractions.
In 2010, friends Chloe Ottman and Francisco Cruz decided to explore the abandoned park for a night of spooky fun. After Chloe rejected Cruz’s advances, he brutally raped and murdered her, stabbing her in the neck beneath the massive cross before dumping her body and belongings into the surrounding woods.
Cruz initially helped search for Chloe, but later confessed, leading police to her remains. He was charged with capital felony, murder, and sexual assault, receiving a 55‑year sentence, further darkening the park’s reputation.
8 Gulliver’s Kingdom
Japan is famed for quirky architecture, and Gulliver’s Kingdom—nestled at the foot of Mount Fuji—stands as a spectacular flop.
Inspired by Jonathan Swift’s novel, the park cost $350 million to build and boasted a 45‑meter‑tall statue of Gulliver, with a bobsled ride as its centerpiece—far from a typical amusement experience.
The park’s location adds another layer of creepiness.
It sits adjacent to Aokigahara Forest, notorious as the “suicide forest,” the world’s second‑most frequented site for self‑harm after the Golden Gate Bridge.
Nearby, the doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo—responsible for the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack—maintained its headquarters and nerve‑gas production in the village of Kamikuishiki. Park visitors claimed they could smell chemicals wafting from the area.
In 2007, Gulliver’s Kingdom was completely demolished, leaving only photographs and lingering questions about why anyone thought such a massive project would succeed.
7 Rocky Point Amusement Park
Rocky Point Amusement Park in Warwick, Rhode Island, was once a beloved state attraction, offering over twenty‑five rides, the iconic Shore Dinner Hall, and the Palladium Ballroom. Generations of Rhode Islanders recall joyous visits.
Yet, beneath the merriment lay a tragic episode.
In August 1893, five‑year‑old Maggie Sheffield was murdered by her own father, Frank. Frank, who had suffered a head injury shortly before Maggie’s birth, was deemed mentally unstable. After a meal at the Shore Dinner Hall, he dragged his daughter to the shoreline and bludgeoned her head with a rock, killing her.
Frank was found not guilty by reason of insanity, making Maggie’s death the sole homicide in the park’s long history.
Despite the horror, the park continued to thrive for over a century, delighting families.
Financial difficulties eventually forced a foreclosure, and the park closed its gates in 1995, ending more than 150 years of Rhode Island fun.
6 Joyland Amusement Park
When Joyland opened in 1942, it boasted the title of the Southwest’s largest amusement park, featuring a train, Ferris wheel, merry‑go‑round, Tilt‑a‑Whirl, and a flagship roller coaster.
The park later expanded to include a log flume, a haunted ride, swings, bumper cars, and even hosted concerts and outdoor festivals.
Although Joyland endured a few ride‑related fatalities, the murder of employee Michael King in 1982 cast a dark shadow. King was stabbed to death after confronting four men—aged 17 to 21—who had broken in after hours. Two teenage boys were released, while Dwight Sayles and Victor C. Walker faced charges.
Sayles pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and received a sentence of five to twenty years, with parole eligibility after eight years.
Later, a maintenance worker was killed by a roller coaster, and in 2004 a thirteen‑year‑old girl suffered a thirty‑foot fall from the Ferris wheel, prompting a series of lawsuits and financial woes that ultimately led to the park’s closure.
In 2018, the 57‑acre site was purchased by Gregory and Tina Dunnegan, tent‑company owners who aim to revitalize the area as an outdoor venue for weddings, concerts, and traveling carnivals.
5 Kejonuma Leisure Land
Kejonuma Leisure Land once thrived in Tohoku, Japan, offering classic rides—train, Ferris wheel, carousel—alongside a driving range and campsite. Today, nature has reclaimed the structures, turning the site into a ghostly tableau whispered about for its hauntings.
The legend begins with a beautiful woman who lived near the lake that now hosts the park. The lake was infamous for its abundance of snakes. When she gave birth, the child emerged as a serpent that slipped into the water. Night after night, the woman heard the baby’s eerie cries, driving her to madness, and she eventually drowned herself in the lake. Locals claim the woman’s and the serpent‑baby’s wails can still be heard after dark.
“Kejonuma” literally translates to “ghost woman,” a name that fuels the park’s eerie reputation.
Despite the chilling folklore, the park attracted nearly 200,000 visitors annually while it operated, prompting skeptics to question the curse’s validity.
The park officially shuttered in 2000, citing declining birthrates and an economic downturn. Yet the legend persists, and the property remains on the market, inviting daring buyers.
4 Dreamland Park
Dreamland Park opened in the 1930s, but its promising start quickly soured. After less than two decades, authorities shut it down due to rampant gambling and ties to organized crime.
The park’s notoriety deepened in 1969 when two decomposing bodies were discovered in the woods surrounding the grounds.
On the night of August 12, 1969, 18‑year‑old Marilyn Sheckler and 20‑year‑old Glenn Eckert set out for a romantic drive to Dreamland, never to be seen again. Their bodies were found two months later, placed feet‑to‑feet in shallow graves.
Autopsies revealed Marilyn had been repeatedly raped, beaten, and suffered a severe head fracture, while Glenn had been shot in the forehead and side of the head and also beaten.
Investigators quickly suspected members of the Pagan motorcycle gang, noting that ten gang members had been arrested that same night for beating and stabbing three men in Dreamland’s parking lot.
Robert Martinolich (22) and Leroy Stoltzfus (24) were ultimately convicted of first‑degree murder and sentenced to life without parole, maintaining their innocence until death behind bars.
3 Magic Harbor
Just four miles south of Myrtle Beach, Magic Harbor Amusement Park seemed poised for success, boasting a roller coaster, bumper cars, Tilt‑a‑Whirl, arcade, hedge maze, Ferris wheel, and rides for all ages.
After closing on Labor Day 1976, tragedy struck. Carpenter Franklin Loftis shot and killed park owner Harry Koch and his sixteen‑year‑old stepson Carl Derk outside their trailer on the premises. Koch’s wife, Carol, survived by hiding under the trailer.
The case lingered as Horry County’s longest‑standing cold case until Loftis was finally charged. Motive: a dispute over wages and workers’ compensation after Loftis was injured on the job.
Loftis received two life sentences and has been denied parole repeatedly. Koch’s surviving wife declined to continue his expansion plans, leading the park into foreclosure, bank ownership, and multiple resales until European amusement‑park magnate Geoffrey Thompson acquired it.Thompson’s tenure seemed hopeful, but in 1984 another tragedy unfolded. Thirteen‑year‑old Sherri Lynn Depew was ejected from the Black Witch roller coaster, sustaining fatal injuries. Her father sued for $12 million, alleging negligence. Thompson argued the girl failed to stay seated, but the negative publicity crippled the park’s reputation.
By the mid‑1990s, the park was shuttered, its structures demolished after the neighboring campground purchased the land.
2 Brandywine Springs
Brandywine Springs Amusement Parks operated in Wilmington, Delaware from 1886 to 1923, epitomizing early‑twentieth‑century leisure.
The park featured a castle house, train, wooden roller coaster, restaurants, pavilion, and a grand archway welcoming guests.
In 1916, tragedy struck when waitress Catherine Bouidecki was shot dead, and Areti Nichols was also shot by Samuel Gongas, who then set fire to the restaurant, railway, photography gallery, and several concession stands. Gongas, infatuated with Catherine, snapped after she rejected his advances, committing the murders before the blaze.
The park closed in 1923 as automobiles made travel easier and attendance dwindled. Today, only concrete slabs and muddy pools remain, while local historians work to excavate and mark the locations of former attractions, installing signs and photographs for visitors.
1 Pripyat Amusement Park
Perhaps the most harrowing tale belongs to a park that never truly opened. Pripyat Amusement Park in Pripyat, Ukraine, was slated to debut on May 1, 1986, but five days before its grand opening, the Chernobyl disaster struck, resulting in thirty deaths in the following months.
The site housed bumper cars, swing boats, a swing‑carousel, and a towering Ferris wheel. The wheel still stands today, unfinished and looming over the desolate landscape, while the bumper‑car area remains the park’s most radioactive zone, overrun by dense vegetation.
It is believed the park briefly opened on April 27 to offer a brief distraction before authorities forced residents to evacuate, never to return.
Now, the entire ghost town of Pripyat, including the eerie, unfinished amusement park, draws “dark tourism” enthusiasts who join guided tours of the Chernobyl exclusion zone.
Why This 10 Abandoned Amusement Site Is So Haunting
The common thread weaving through these ten abandoned amusement parks is a blend of tragedy, mystery, and misfortune that turns places of laughter into lingering legends. From burial grounds and cursed folklore to cold‑blooded murders and nuclear disaster, each site offers a chilling reminder that fun can sometimes mask a darker reality.