Celebration City is a defunct amusement park in Missouri
that ceased operations in 2008. Although the park saw moderate success at first, it was unable to sustain itself and remains abandoned to this day. Whether you’re a historian or a thrill-seeker, the concept of an abandoned amusement park is probably something that piques your interest. Although Celebration City may not have the mysterious reputation of other abandoned parks, it still has a background worth learning about.
For the inside scoop on Celebration City and abandoned amusement parks in Missouri, stick with this breakdown from the car insurance comparison super app
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. Where is there an abandoned amusement park in Missouri?
There are a number of different amusement parks to choose from if you’re looking for a day of fun, such as Silver Dollar City in southern Missouri or Six Flags in St. Louis. What you may not know is that Missouri is also home to some amusement parks that are no longer in operation, with the most prominent being Celebration City.
Celebration City is located in southern Missouri near the border with Arkansas. The park is about an hour's drive from Springfield, MO, and is located in the town of Branson.
What’s the deal with Celebration City?
Although the idea of an abandoned amusement park might conjure up the idea of creaky roller coasters and haunted carousels, the actual story behind Celebration City is quite tame. The park opened in 1999 and ceased operation in 2008, meaning there were only nine years between its grand opening and finals days.
The park operated as “Branson USA” for only three years before it was purchased by the Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation, a group that operates many other parks in the surrounding area. After being renamed Celebration City, the park was intended to complement the popular Silver Dollar City, which is just a 10-minute drive away.
Silver Dollar City has an 1880s theme, with rides based around hot air balloons and wagons and restaurants that offer a classic twist
on their menus. Celebration City took parkgoers further into the future and was themed around American culture in the 20th century. Why did Celebration City close down?
Although it's hard to say exactly what led to Celebration City’s 2008 shutdown, some easy conclusions can be made. Although Celebration City may have been intended to complement other parks in the Branson area, it still had to compete with them to bring in crowds.
With the success of Silver Dollar City both at the time and still today, it’s possible that the Herschend Entertainment Family Corporation thought that they were better off investing their money in the more successful theme park.
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What does Celebration City look like now?
Unlike other abandoned amusement parks which closed decades ago and have become lost to time, 2008 wasn’t all that long ago. Amateur historians can easily find photos of videos taken when the park was still in operation, and if you do you’ll find what you’d expect out of a theme park from the aughts.
As for how the park looks in its abandoned state, there are multiple videos online that include drone footage
of the park. Most of what you’ll see is expected: roller coasters, carousels, and other rides that have remained without use for years on end. In some videos, you can pretty clearly see small animals
such as cats which live or at least spend some of their time at the park. Can I visit?
The short answer is, no—unfortunately, you cannot visit Celebration City. The park remains private property owned by the Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation and you can’t enter the park without specific permission to do so.
There is, however, nothing stopping you from driving past the park—even from the road, you should be able to get a decent look at some of the park’s taller rides. Consider making a quick detour to look at the abandoned park after you finish up a day at Silver Dollar City
. How to save money on car insurance in Missouri
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