Everyone In Kansas Should See What’s Inside The Gates Of This Abandoned Theme Park
By Clarisa|Published March 13, 2018
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Clarisa
Author
Born and raised Kansan, Clarisa has lived in both tiny towns and cities during their time here in the Sunflower State. As a busy mother of one crazy kid, two cats, and two geckos, they write whenever there is spare time.
When’s the last time you really enjoyed a theme park or fair? Today, we thought we’d look back at a source of Kansas nostalgia, an abandoned theme park that’s been gone for a while, but never forgotten. Of course, you probably already know exactly what we’re going to check out today. Can you hear the Wurlitzer organ played by Louie as you enjoy your funnel cake and the faces of children laughing?
Disclaimer: Visiting the remnants of Joyland without permission is considered trespassing.
Joyland started as a wonderful amusement park that so many Kansans flocked to every summer.
It stood tall and brought children everywhere joy until it closed in 2004. Can you believe something that started as one train ended up so important to all of us?
However, no matter the importance, they still became bankrupt.
Everything today is broken, sun-bleached, and covered in graffiti. Signs were stolen, and slowly the park has become an empty shell of what it once was.
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Luckily, many of these rides have identical counterparts that make their way across Kansas for county fairs and other celebrations.
Slides like these where you slid down on burlap, tilt-a-whirls, and carousels are luckily still around for our children and grandchildren to enjoy today.
Dodgem was a great place for bumper cars, even if three of them were broken and two of them never got up to speed because the connectors up top weren't functioning too well. There's just something so fun about ramming mini cars into your friends while you race around an arena.
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Joyland will forever be in our hearts, but sadly it won't last here much longer.
There's nothing quite as sad as watching a place you loved in your childhood crumble and disappear. We've got plenty of memories of the fun had here, but we're sad to see you go.
Here's a nostalgic video uploaded by YouTuber DITTO57 of everyone's favorite Kansas coaster from 1990, not long before the park was officially done for good.
If you’re looking for a fair ride that isn’t broken down or decaying, you’ll find one in this special little Kansas town with a pleasant surprise.
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