10 Closed American Amusement Parks Thrill Seekers Still Get Nostalgic For

I proudly wear the title of "Disney adult." From growing up going to Walt Disney World to taking my own daughters today, theme parks have always been a cornerstone in my life. Beyond my love for Disney, I have a soft spot for all amusement parks, magical places where time seems to stand still, and summer memories that last a lifetime have been made for generations of families. For millions of Americans, closed theme parks are not mere relics, but places that shaped who they are to this day. These amusement parks held more than rides and souvenirs. They had dance halls, ballrooms, historical reenactments, lakeside retreats, and beach piers where impressionable minds and hearts grew up, summer after summer.

While many abandoned amusement parks are considered creepy or scary, in this roundup, we'll revisit some of the most nostalgic closed amusement parks across the United States, from Indiana's Rose Island to California's Pacific Ocean Park. Although these parks are no longer operational, they live on in photo albums, comment sections, and news stories around the web. Theme parks like these defined an entire era of American entertainment and gave rise, in many ways, to the Disney Parks subculture that has become a hot-button topic within modern pop culture. For now, let's get nostalgic.

Few places in the Midwest capture the glamour of the Roaring Twenties quite like Indiana's abandoned amusement park, Rose Island. Located in Charlestown, this riverfront escape was developed by businessman David Rose in 1923 and, according to APH.org, "visitors could arrive by automobile, ferry, or even one of the regular steamboat trips offered from ports in Louisville and as far away as Madison, IN." And come they did. In its heyday, families flocked to Rose Island for roller coasters, dance halls, a zoo, a swimming pool, and even a Ferris wheel with beautiful views of the Ohio River.

Sadly, nature had other plans for this vibrant amusement park. In 1937, the Great Flood devastated the Ohio River Valley, extensively damaging Rose Island and effectively leaving it in ruins. The park never reopened. What had been a local hotspot filled with laughter, jazz music, and thrill rides was literally swept away.

Today, the original site of Rose Island has experienced something of a resurgence, as it has been incorporated into the hiking paths at Charlestown State Park. Along Trail #7, signposts mark where rides, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, and the lively dance hall once stood. Guests who visit the site feel immense nostalgia for a bygone era, with one Redditor who took a photo with the pool ladder writing, "I get such a rush from touching things like this. Trees too that are smaller in old pictures. It's like time just swirled around those immovable objects." Rose Island may be gone, but even nearly 100 years later, it continues to leave its mark on the Hoosier State.

For over six decades, the Riverview Park amusement park was synonymous with summer in Chicago. Open from 1904 to 1967, and once billed as the "World's Largest Amusement Park," it sprawled across 140 acres on the city's North Side. One Facebook post fondly remembered the Midway as "the heart of the park, filled with colorful rides, carnival games, and live entertainment." What many locals remember most, though, are the coasters (20 in all over the course of its existence). The Bobs, a wooden roller coaster built in 1924, became a legend in its own right. "You had to get a little older in order to be able to have enough guts to go on The Bobs because, man, that thing was just brutal [and] so fast," Cale Carvell, whose family co-owned Chicago's Fun Town amusement park years ago, said in a Chicago Stories interview.

Riverview Park was undeniably known for its thrills. In addition to The Bobs, visitors still remember The Flying Turns, a trackless bobsled-inspired ride, and the Pair-O-Chutes, on which two people were launched into a free fall simultaneously. When the theme park closed in 1967, Chicagoans mourned its loss. Many, in fact, continue to today. Memories of Riverview Park have made an indelible mark on Chicagoland locals, with one telling WTTW, "My most vivid memory was when we rode the Wild Mouse ... roller coaster for the first time. The car chugged along a hundred feet above the park where it abruptly made a left-hand turn just as you thought you were going to plunge right off the track!" Another shared with the outlet, "My uncle got free tickets for all 12 of us from his workplace. Being from a farm in Indiana, it was the ultimate summer experience that year."

Although not New York's largest amusement park, Coney Island has long been known as "America's Playground." For a whole generation of New Yorkers, Astroland was the heartbeat of the amusement park. Opened in 1962 on 3 acres along the boardwalk, Astroland was conceived at the height of the Space Race. Families, spurred by America's collective Space Age optimism, flocked to the land, which featured futuristic theming, the Cape Canaveral Satellite Jet, and (in 1964) the 272-foot-tall Astrotower, which quickly became a fixture of the Brooklyn skyline. The sleek look of this theme park stood in stark contrast to the grit of Brooklyn during this era. History's Mirror notes that "the park by 1971 was a vibrant yet weathered haven amidst Brooklyn's broader urban decay." Although Astroland was small compared to other theme parks, it made a huge impression.

The park officially closed in 2008, much to the consternation of longtime fans. In a New York Times article, Manhattan lawyer and lifelong Astroland fan John Jeannopoulos expressed, "The city has decided that anything that makes a buck is a good thing. We're giving up everything that makes New York wonderful. Once you take down some something like Astroland, or Disneyfy Times Square, you never get it back." The Astrotower itself was left standing until 2013, when it was partially demolished due to structural concerns. Locals are still nostalgic for the Space Age park that shaped them. "I rode it [Astrotower] when I was a little boy. My father took my older brothers and me on it," local Michael Schwartz told CBS. "And it represents a lot of memories."

In the early 1960s, New Yorkers didn't need to fly across the country to experience a theme park similar to Disneyland. They had Freedomland U.S.A., a park that opened its gates in 1960 on marshland in the Bronx. This ambitious park — developed by C.W. Wood, who had helped to develop Disneyland before a falling out with Walt Disney — was marketed as the "Disneyland of the East." At 205 acres, it was larger than the original footprint of Walt's park (which occupied just 65 acres), and it pulled in millions of visitors during its short five-season existence.

Themed around American history, Freedomland featured its own version of Disney's iconic "lands." Yesterland described the seven areas as "Little Old New York of the late 1800s; Old Chicago of the 1871 fire; The Great Plains, with its fort and a farm; San Francisco of 1907 with Fisherman's Wharf, the Barbary Coast, the famous earthquake, and a boat trip through Lewis and Clark territory; The Old Southwest with its saloon, western stage shows, and mine caverns; New Orleans with carnival celebrations and the centennial commemoration of our Civil War; and Satellite City, which embraced the present and future space race."

Despite its incredible popularity when it opened, Freedomland struggled financially. The park closed in 1964, and the land was later redeveloped into Co-Op City, America's largest cooperative housing complex. For those who went, however, the memories of the Northeast's version of Disneyland still linger. Comments on a Facebook post remembering Freedomland include things like "It was a childhood dream long gone. thanks for these memories," "The best days of our life," and a reminder of the amusement park's jingle, "Mommy and Daddy take my hand, take me out to Freedomland."

For 85 years, Idora Park was the pride of Youngstown, affectionately called "Youngstown's Million Dollar Playground." Opened in 1899, it quickly became a place where generations of Ohio families celebrated milestones and made memories. One of the park's most iconic attractions was the Jack Rabbit, a wooden roller coaster designed by Edward Vettel that opened in 1910. It reached a thrilling 40 mph (quite fast for a historic coaster) and operated until the park closed its gates in 1984. There was much more to Idora than the rides, though. The park's ballroom hosted dances during the heyday of the big band era, bringing lively elegance to northeast Ohio. Then, there were the legendary French fries, a snack so beloved that former visitors still call them "famously irresistible".

In April 1984, a devastating fire destroyed much of Idora, including many concession stands and rides. In fact, very little of the theme park was salvageable. Although it managed to remain open for its final summer season, Idora Park closed forever on September 16, 1984. Yet the nostalgia has never wavered. Former employees have even held reunions in conjunction with local organizations, and Canfield Township hosted the "Idora Park Experience" in 2018. News outlet WKBN shared that people donated all sorts of items for the event.

In the years following World War II, America was finding its happiness again after the struggles of the conflict.  In 1949, Kansas's Joyland opened amid the economic boom. It quickly became the largest amusement park in the state and an inextricable part of Wichita, a city with one of America's lowest costs of living. Before television and air conditioning were found in every home, evenings at Joyland were the place to see and be seen. A story in the Wichita Eagle details how Margaret Heinzman, then 15, was fired from her job selling ice cream at Joyland because she attracted too many boys to loiter near the stand. Two years later, Heinzman met Stanley Nelson, a WWII veteran who also worked at the park. Within a few months, the duo married and ran the park from the 1970s until 2000.

For decades, the park offered all sorts of rides, including the Wacky Shack, the Log Jam, Dodge'm, the Sky Coaster, and a popular Tilt-A-Whirl. Its most iconic ride, though, was the wooden roller coaster, which was built when the park originally opened in the 1940s. Also memorable was the park's historic Wurlitzer Style 160 organ played by Louis the Clown, housed inside its carousel. It was one of only two produced.

Sadly, Joyland did not last long in the 21st century. It closed in 2004, but briefly reopened in 2006 under T-Rex Group's lease. However, it couldn't reclaim its former glory and permanently shut its gates that year. Thankfully, the carousel lives on at the Wichita Botanical Gardens, so Joyland fans can still experience a tiny sliver of the park they loved.

For well over a century, Geauga Lake was a beloved summer tradition in Ohio. It first welcomed guests in 1887 as a lakeside picnic ground at a train stop, but it eventually became the largest theme park (in area) on the planet, even swallowing neighboring SeaWorld in 2001. Families from the Cleveland and Akron areas still recall visiting this park over the years, with some Facebook commenters saying, "Great memories" and "This place holds a special place in my heart."

Over the years, Geauga Lake reinvented itself multiple times, adding new rides and attractions with each iteration. In 1925, the 2,580-foot Big Dipper roller coaster (the longest in the world at the time) opened, and a dance hall was constructed in 1939. Then, in 1977, the park welcomed The Double Loop, the first looping steel coaster in the Buckeye State.

In 2001, Six Flags purchased both SeaWorld and Geauga Lake, turning them into a single park called Six Flags Worlds of Adventure. Six Flags' tenure was short-lived, and the park was purchased by Cedar Point's parent company, Cedar Fair, in 2004, renaming it to Geauga Lake. The park finally closed in 2007, ending an astonishing 120-year run. Yet, the story isn't quite over. In 2024, the long-dormant property was purchased by the City of Aurora with plans to redevelop it into a huge public park with a beach, a pool, non-motorized boating, and other amenities that will once again draw people back to Geauga Lake. Watch this space.

For over 150 years, Rocky Point Park was a Rhode Island institution, where rides, the beautiful seaside, and delicious food came together to create a memorable amusement park experience. Founded in the 1840s, it was one of New England's most beloved summer traditions until its closure in 1995. Advertising brochures (available on the Warwick Rhode Island Digital History Project) in 1913 boasted, "Rocky Point is a park of eighty-nine acres bristling with attractions at every turn ... with a throng of 75,000 people on the grounds, there is still room for many thousands more." Generations of families remember swimming in the saltwater pool, riding the Herschell-Spillman carousel, and white-knuckling their way through the House of Horrors. However, what truly sets Rocky Point apart (even now) are its shore dinners and legendary clam cakes.

These meals became so famous that even National Geographic has written about them. In the outlet, author David Norton Stone (who worked at Rocky Point when he was young) shared that he "believes the park left a legacy of smaller clam cakes served along the northern reaches of Narragansett Bay." The Shore Dinner Hall was so popular that over a thousand bushels of clams per day were typically consumed! Rocky Point has never faded from the memories of locals. One Facebook user mentioned that they had "Great memories there growing up." Another said, "Great loss for the area. Loved the BBC Shore Dinner Hall & the chowder & clam cakes." In 2014, the grounds reopened as Rocky Point State Park, where walking paths allow today's visitors to see the remnants of what once was. If you're in the area and want to take in more nature, Rhode Island's Beavertail State Park is another regional gem.

Now known as the "Seafood Capital of the South," Panama City Beach was once known for another reason. For more than 40 years, from 1963 to 2004, Miracle Strip Amusement Park was the crown jewel of PCB. Opened with just one ride — the iconic Starliner wooden roller coaster — it didn't take long for Miracle Strip to become a full-fledged destination. With attractions like the Abominable Snowman, Dante's Inferno, and the Dungeon, it offered a particular brand of seaside kitsch that was right at home on the Gulf Coast. Former guests still reminisce on Facebook about some of the park's more unique offerings, with one sharing, "Outside of these amazing rides there were old school attractions like chickens who played the piano or tic-tac-toe for a quarter."

Miracle Strip was a place where locals made memories that have lasted a lifetime. One visitor told a harrowing tale, "It was a big deal to go there in my childhood, I got lost and left there when I was 7 and went with a church group I was found asleep on the merry go round at closing time cops took me home." Another said, "I loved this place!! Went often as a kid in the late 80s/early 90s. The swings and the Paratrooper were my favorites." When the park closed in 2004, it marked the end of an era for Panama City Beach. For many, Miracle Strip wasn't just an amusement park, but the soul of a beach town's long summer nights.

Known colloquially as "POP," Pacific Ocean Park offered a uniquely Californian blend of mid-century modernism and Hollywood spectacle. Opened in 1958 on the Santa Monica–Venice Beach border, near one of the most iconic beaches in the world, the park was designed to rival Disneyland, albeit with a distinct seaside twist. Hollywood set designers were brought in to craft many of the park's attractions, and the results were nothing short of spectacular. Rides like the Sea Serpent, the Flying Dutchman (heavily inspired by Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean), and the Flight to Mars added Tinseltown glamour to the beach town.

Pacific Ocean Park was kitschy, thrilling, and utterly perfect for its time and place, a spot where mid-century design met surf culture. Despite its popularity, financial struggles and growing competition eventually led to the park's decline. In October 1967, POP closed its gates, and its structures crumbled into decay. Still, for Californians who grew up visiting this theme park, the nostalgia is powerful. One Santa Monica local shared on Facebook, "My girlfriend and I rode the roller coaster 7 times in a row when we were 11. So fun!!" Another wrote, "I have such great, fun memories of the pier before POP and POP. saw Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper just before they died."

To compile this roundup, I focused on closed amusement parks that successfully blend nostalgia with cultural impact. The vast majority of these parks were open long enough to have a multigenerational impact, while those that were open for a shorter time still hold some sort of cultural significance. I also looked for parks that are often discussed online, as I wanted to remind people of the massive impact theme parks have on people's lives, and how they shape visitors' memories and worldviews even long after they close.