Abandoned Amusement Parks in Florida
Visit one of these once-thriving amusement parks that are now abandoned in Florida.
Written by John Pickhaver
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Table of Contents
- The Aquatarium
- Pirates World
- Six Flags Atlantis
- Miracle Strip Amusement Park
- Cypress Gardens
- Bongoland
- Circus World
- Boardwalk Baseball
- Marco Polo Park
- Save on car insurance with Jerry
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We’ve put together a list of abandoned amusement parks in Florida, including The Aquatarium in St. Pete Beach and Miracle Strip Amusement Park in
Panama City
. While many of these wonderland destinations are long gone, curious travelers can still explore the eerie remains of a few that have long been left behind.Florida is home to sandy white beaches, juicy oranges, and, of course, amusement parks. Since its opening in 1971, Disney World has been one of the most popular attractions in the Sunshine State. Its popularity led to the creation of more amusement parks throughout Florida, all seeking to emulate the success of Mickey Mouse and his friends.
Some—like SeaWorld and Universal—have become must-visit parks in their own right, but others never quite found the magic to stick around.
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So while
Florida
may be home to the Theme Park Capital of the World, it’s a graveyard for them too. Now step right up to the Land of Abandonment and feast your eyes on these once-bustling sites of all things amusing and fun as Jerry
, the super app
, takes you on a tour from one defunct amusement park to the next. The Aquatarium
Location: St. Pete Beach, FL
Year Closed: 1977
Opened nearly ten years prior to SeaWorld, The Aquatarium enjoyed a decade run as one of the premier marine-life parks in the world, where some of the biggest stars of the sea performed in shows like the “World’s Largest Marine Attraction” and “The World’s Greatest Marine Show.” Floppy, the dolphin, was the Aquatarium's biggest draw, while other shows featured porpoises, sea lions, and pilot whales.
The 160-foot golden geodesic dome, built on 16-acres in St. Pete’s Beach, was home to the world’s largest circular watertank at 100 feet in diameter and 25 feet deep. It held over 1.2 million gallons of seawater.
But the Aquatarium couldn’t keep pace with the rapid success of the newcomers like SeaWorld and Disney World. In a last-ditch effort to stay afloat, the Aquatarium attempted to capitalize on the success of the blockbuster film, “Jaws,” by rebranding itself in 1976 as Shark World. It would close for good just one year later, and was eventually demolished to make way for what is now the Silver Sands Beach & Racquet Club condominiums.
Pirates World
Abandoned:1973
Before Disney came to Florida with Pirates of the Caribbean, there was Pirates World! Opening in 1967, this 100-acre pirate-themed park boasted 15 different rides. Included in the line-up were a pirate ship ride, a roller coaster, and a log flume, along with attractions like The Crow’s Nest. The Crow’s Nest was an observation tower that had originally been the Belgian Aerial Tower at the 1964/65 New York World's Fair.
But for many park-goers it wasn’t the rides that were the main attraction, it was the concerts. Some of the world’s greatest acts once took the stage at Pirates World, including David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, The Grateful Dead, and many more!
But not even these music legends could save Pirates World, which went under in 1973, just two years after Disney World opened. Today, condos sit atop the once-thriving park.
Six Flags Atlantis
Abandoned:1992
Six Flags is one of the most successful theme park corporations in the world. But even this mega company isn’t immune to abandoned amusement parks, which brings us to Six Flags Atlantis.
Originally set to be Atlantis the Water Kingdom, the site became a Six Flags property after the original backers ran out of funding. Six Flags Atlantis opened in 1983. The 65-acre park had a seven-story slide tower, a wave pool, and a lake with water ski shows.
Unlike a lot of other entries on our list, it wasn’t a lack of business that dried up this water park. Damage from Hurricane Andrew in 1992 left the park in disrepair and it never reopened. Today, a shopping center occupies the space of this former mythical-themed amusement park.
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Miracle Strip Amusement Park
Abandoned: 2004
Miracle Strip Amusement Park had an over 40-year ride before it shut down for good. Located just by the beach in Panama City, the park resembled a classic seaside boardwalk layout rather than a traditional amusement park. It was famous for its main attraction, the Starliner, an out-and-back wooden roller coaster.
In the late 1960s, as Panama City Beach’s popularity as a tourist location grew, so did Miracle Strip’s, and more rides and attractions were added. But later, once this family-oriented city became a hotspot for college spring-breakers, Miracle Strip’s crowds grew smaller.
In 2003, with expenses increasing and park-goers decreasing, Miracle Strip’s owner sold the amusement park to a real estate developer and it closed the following year. The Starliner would outlive the park, moving around to other amusement parks for a few years before its last ride in the summer of 2008.
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Cypress Gardens
Abandoned: 2010
Often considered to be Florida’s first tourist attraction, Cypress Gardens, originally founded as a botanical garden, opened in 1936. Beyond its gorgeous and artfully-manicured greenery, Cypress Gardens was famous around the globe for its water-ski shows. More than 50 water skiing-related world records were setout on Lake Eloise.
At the turn of the millennium, this revered tourist attraction added a number of rides and attractions to its green grounds, including The Starliner, the historic and world-famous wooden roller coaster acquired from Miracle Strip Amusement Park after it shut down.
But financial troubles led to a bankruptcy sale in 2007, and Cypress Gardens was ultimately replaced by Legoland Florida in 2010.
Bongoland
Abandoned: 1952
Unlike most of the amusement parks on our list, tourists can still check out the remains of Bongoland—named for a baboon that once lived on the property—when visiting Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens.
Bongoland wasn’t your typical amusement park. In the 1940s, a dermatologist with a heavy appreciation for dinosaurs leased a parcel of land in Port Orange, Florida and transformed it into a theme park adorned with massive replicas of the prehistoric reptiles. Made from chicken wire and concrete, these life-size dinosaur creations stood high above the curious few who strolled through Bongoland.
With little fanfare, however, Bongoland closed just five years after its opening. While Bongoland itself may be extinct, the concrete dinosaurs still exist. Now cloaked in Spanish moss, visitors can see these concrete wonders peeking through trees and greenery as they walk about Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens.
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Circus World
Abandoned: 1986
Circus World, a 27,000-square foot building designed to look like a massive circus tent, opened in 1974 and would briefly become one of Disney World’s most competitive challengers before folding in 1986.
When Circus World first opened, there was not much beyond an IMAX theater and circus memorabilia, along with an architectural model of what the amusement park would become.
Soon their vision became a reality as Circus World added rides like a Ferris wheel, a wooden roller coaster, and a carousel. It also added a theater, which was home to its most famous show: “The Day the Circus Came to Town,” which was well known for involving the audience in classic circus acts like tight-rope walking and trapeze—with extra safety measures in place, of course!
But Circus World began to struggle in its later years and was sold off before being transformed into another theme park called Boardwalk Baseball.
Boardwalk Baseball
Abandoned: 1990
The next theme park up to bat at the location of what was once Circus World was Boardwalk Baseball. Making its debut in the ‘87 season, Boardwalk Baseball kept a lot of the same rides and attractions from Circus World. But ithit it out of the park with its Baseball City Stadium, which was home to a number of baseball-related exhibits.
The stadium even became the spring training destination for the Kansas City Royals and was the filming location of a baseball game show on ESPN. But as time went on, Boardwalk Baseball, like its predecessor, could not draw enough tourists away from Disney World. After three years, Boardwalk Baseball had struck out (this is the last pun, we promise!).
No theme park operator dared to try their luck again, and the site was torn down and became a large retail complex.
Marco Polo Park
Abandoned: 1976
Opening in 1970 just before Disney World, Marco Polo Park took visitors along the famous explorer’s journeys through Europe and Asia.
The park featured an 82-foot-high Ferris wheel, a log flume, and bumper cars. Puppet shows and multimedia shows were other popular attractions—along with a number of other rides that may have played a bit too much into the stereotypes of countries to which they were an homage.
Despite its impressive recreations of exotic places around the world, Marco Polo Park never made a profit. After closing in 1974, it reopened as Passport to Fun World in 1975, but then closed permanently the following year.
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