South Carolina's Once-Thriving Theme Park Now Has Only An Abandoned Hotel Left Of Its Legacy

Near the northern edge of South Carolina stands an abandoned hotel tower in ruins, one of the last original remnants of one of America's most infamous rise-and-fall stories. Fort Mill, the former home of Heritage USA, a Christian theme park built by pioneering televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, who were known for their wildly successful TV network PTL (Praise the Lord). Although it had traditional theme park elements like a water park, Heritage USA was more like a Christian Disneyland. 

When it opened in 1978, it was a one-of-a-kind vacation destination. Offerings included a chapel modeled after a church in Jerusalem believed to be where the last supper was held and an amphitheater showing performances of Jesus' crucifixion. As The Washington Post wrote in 1986, it was a "place somewhere between the Land of Oz and a strait-laced Club Med," an alcohol-free park filled with friendly Christians whose smiles masked an undercurrent of pain and trauma. It was the country's third-largest theme park by attendance with 4.9 million people annually, behind only Disneyland and Disney World.

But everything soon came crashing down amidst Jim Bakker's financial and sexual scandals, leading the park to close in 1989, following further damage caused by Hurricane Hugo. While much of Heritage USA has been demolished or repurposed, the crumbling, unfinished 21-story Heritage Tower still stands as the most prominent ruin from this once-thriving theme park. Not only that, it was the construction of this now-ruined hotel that instigated Bakker's downfall and the closing of the park. So, the Heritage Tower has become not just an interesting abandoned building, but also a provocative symbol of a quintessentially American story of the greed-fueled marriage of religion and capitalism.  

The Bakkers always appealed directly to their viewers to donate to their projects, and so they did with Heritage USA. After it opened, Jim Bakker wanted to build a new 500-room high-rise hotel. But during the construction of the Heritage Tower in 1987, Bakker was embroiled in a financial scandal that bankrupted the park. For years, he had offered incentives to viewers: If they donated $1000 to PTL, they would get a free room at the Heritage Tower for life. There weren't enough rooms for all who donated, and Bakker used the money to support his lavish lifestyle. Ultimately, this fraud initiated the investigation that sent him to jail. The incomplete tower was left abandoned, a reminder of what brought Bakker down (literally and figuratively, if Freud has anything to say about it). 

In 2004, Rick Joyner, head of MorningStar Ministries (an organization currently implicated in a sexual abuse investigation), bought the hotel. He planned to turn it into a Christian residential living space, but 11 years of litigation left the hotel deteriorating into an eyesore for locals. Bricks are falling off, windows remain broken, and the roof is a home for birds. 

In 2024, the lawsuits were dropped and MorningStar was given a deadline to show that the building can be renovated under current building codes. If that deadline isn't met, it'll be demolished. So if you want to see the Heritage Tower in its decaying state, check it out soon, as it could be gone or renovated within three years. Note that you can only view this private property from outside. While it's not one of the creepiest abandoned amusement parks you can visit in America, it's definitely one of the most unique thanks to its cultural significance.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

While you can find other remnants of the theme park, most of it has been demolished and replaced by a suburban housing development. One of the most emblematic ones is the Upper Room Chapel, which was the main attraction of Heritage USA. This replica of a church where people believe the last supper was held was abandoned for years, making it one of South Carolina's most interesting abandoned chapels. When Heritage USA was open, this chapel was the beating heart of the theme park, where people sought spiritual guidance. After years of being left empty, it was renovated and reopened in 2011. Now, it hosts services a few days a week and events, which you can find on its Facebook page.

Joyner bought up a few of the old Heritage USA properties and repurposed them for MorningStar use. The Heritage Grand, the theme park's finished hotel, was turned into a MorningStar headquarters. It's now used as a church, school, conference center, and publishing house. The old Main Street, an indoor mall that sold Christian-themed items – like "praise dolls" who declared "God is love" and "Jesus is Lord" when you squeezed them — remain in use by the dozens of MorningStar residents living on the premises. Heritage USA is just 30 minutes from the artsy shopping mecca of Rock Hill, and it's the same distance from Charlotte, which makes it an easy trip for both visitors and locals in the Carolinas.