If you’ve ever driven down I-84 through Waterbury, the huge cross on top of Pine Hill has probably caught your eye. While traffic now just buzzes by, this once-popular destination in Connecticut used to draw thousands of visitors each year. While Holy Land USA hasn’t seen crowds in decades, it still quietly watches over the highway.

In its heyday during the 60s and 70s, Holy Land USA was home to more than 40,000 visitors each year. The biblical attraction opened in 1955 and closed in 1984.
Wikipedia/Unknown - postcard
Holy Land USA was conceived by John Baptist Greco. He wanted to create an attraction that replicated Jerusalem and Bethlehem of the Biblical era.
TripAdvisor/Athina L
The park was closed in 1984 by Greco for repairs and expansion. However his death in 1986 left the park shuttered and the work undone.
Flickr/Steven Isaacson
Over 200 structures dot the hillside. Buildings and dioramas depict key events and locales from the ministry of Jesus.
TripAdvisor/Athina L

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Since the closure of the park, weather, time, and vandalism has caused the displays to fall into disrepair.
Flickr/Shawn Robbins Photography
Many of the structures are being reclaimed by nature.
Flickr/Steven Isaacson
While it's difficult to imagine this park receiving thousands of visitors, it must have been quite a sight in its glory days.
Flickr/Steven Isaacson
While visitors have been few and far between recently, in 2013, Mayor Neil O'Leary and car dealer Fred "Fritz" Blasius purchased the property with plans for revitalization. The cross was replaced at that time.
Flickr/Steven Isaacson
It's unknown whether the gates to Holy Land USA will ever reopen to the pubic but the giant cross still shines through the night at the top of the hill as a reminder of the once-bustling park.
TripAdvisor/Athina L
Although over the past years there have been a few times when the park was reopened for a public religious mass, it has not seen regular use in decades.

Did you ever visit this once-popular destination before it closed? Share your memories in the comments section below. Take a look at another once-thriving tourist destination that was once a bustling attraction in Connecticut.

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