Abandoned Amusement Parks (ft. Wichita)

[steve dave]

 

[chum1]

I went to this place about 3 weeks ago.  These photos were taken in 2007. Now, it is totally overgrown and impassable beyond the outer edges.  Disappointing.

http://queencitydiscovery.blogspot.com/2010/08/surf-cincinnati.html

[steve dave]

damn, I love looking at this stuff

[Ditzyblonde68]

I know this topic is a fairly old post but I just had to throw my 2 cents in for whatever they're worth! If you grew up on the south/southeast side of Wichita or in the lgbt community you called it Barnacle Bill's or Barnacle Bill's fantasea. Why? Well, if you called it just fantasea people were liable to confuse it or joke that you were talking about Fantasy... a gay bar at 31st on Hillside, which is still open.

Joyland- oh how I miss that place! We used to walk over and hang out all day but that clown was quite the creepy feature!

On the topic of wild west world... my husband worked on the electrical there. That place wasn't even paying their contractors to finish the jobs and some of the rides were pretty shoddy. He refused to even let our family set foot in that place.

[Tobias]

Why? Well, if you called it just fantasea people were liable to confuse it or joke that you were talking about Fantasy... a gay bar at 31st on Hillside, which is still open.

this has all the ingredients for a fantastic arrested development episode

[HELLHAMMER]

How dirty of a blonde are you?

[puniraptor]

does wichita have the most per capita abandoned amusement parks in the world?

[Dr Rick Daris]

I know this topic is a fairly old post but I just had to throw my 2 cents in for whatever they're worth! If you grew up on the south/southeast side of Wichita or in the lgbt community you called it Barnacle Bill's or Barnacle Bill's fantasea. Why? Well, if you called it just fantasea people were liable to confuse it or joke that you were talking about Fantasy... a gay bar at 31st on Hillside, which is still open.

yes! sweet, sweet confirmation that rick daris is always right. 

[Ditzyblonde68]

this has all the ingredients for a fantastic arrested development episode

It sure does.

How dirty of a blonde are you?

Ummm that actually says ditzy... but only dirty in the sense that I raise chickens, drive a jeep and would much prefer to play in the mud as opposed to going to the mall...

[HELLHAMMER]

Dammit. Reading this crap on my Nokia flip phone is difficult.  Running over muddy children in a Jeep sounds horrible.

[hemmy]

I visited all 3 wichita parks mentioned in this thread. Wild West World was by far the worst.

[Ditzyblonde68]

On another Joyland note...

I really hope this works out for this kid. It would be amazing to see Joyland running again. The closest thing we have to an amusement park these days is the water park Rock River Rapids in Derby. Its just a swimming pool compared to the likes of Barnacle Bill's and has no rides like Joyland. I would rather spend all day on the logjam than waste my money in Derby.
https://m.facebook.com/joylandrestorationproject

On the question of home depot. They were sold a plot of Barnacle Bill's land to help keep the park open. Although with the construction of the home depot they lost out considerably that season but had great hopes for the next. Ultimately though, they were just too far under. I dont think they stayed open but a couple more seasons.

[Ditzyblonde68]

Dammit. Reading this crap on my Nokia flip phone is difficult.  Running over muddy children in a Jeep sounds horrible.

 
Well I wouldn't know but I could only imagine it would sound horrible with their little bones crushing and their poor terrified screams... why would you do such a thing?

[HELLHAMMER]

A 6th grade HH saw his first, real life set of fake cans in a bikini at Fantasea.  It was one of the defining moments of my youth.

[MakeItRain]

A 6th grade HH saw his first, real life set of fake cans in a bikini at Fantasea.  It was one of the defining moments of my youth.

People had fake tits in the 50s?

[Bloodfart]

Got you good rough rider!

[HELLHAMMER]

1982 or so.  It was the first year that shithole was open.

[XocolateThundarr]

A 6th grade HH saw his first, real life set of fake cans in a bikini at Fantasea.  It was one of the defining moments of my youth.

People had fake tits in the 50s?

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[Headinjun]

I know this topic is a fairly old post but I just had to throw my 2 cents in for whatever they're worth! If you grew up on the south/southeast side of Wichita or in the lgbt community you called it Barnacle Bill's or Barnacle Bill's fantasea. Why? Well, if you called it just fantasea people were liable to confuse it or joke that you were talking about Fantasy... a gay bar at 31st on Hillside, which is still open.

yes! sweet, sweet confirmation that rick daris is always right. 

Cut this crap out, it was called Fantasea and everybody knows it. I grew up in the Wichita area pretty much all my life, nobody called it Barnacle Bills except for the radio voice over in the commercials. 

Barnacle Bill was the name of the dog character that was marketed with the park I believe. 

By the way is anybody else just giddy inside thinking about the pirate ships with the water guns and cannons? That was just heaven to a kid to play on that thing.

[Headinjun]

I visited all 3 wichita parks mentioned in this thread. Wild West World was by far the worst.

The guy who developed Wild West World went to prison over the thing.. He failed to provide adequate information to the investors he dealt with.

The whole fiasco just pisses me off because it confirms how much of a bunch of Mayberry hayseeds this place can be.  The public officials should have never done business with a crook.

[Ditzyblonde68]

I know this topic is a fairly old post but I just had to throw my 2 cents in for whatever they're worth! If you grew up on the south/southeast side of Wichita or in the lgbt community you called it Barnacle Bill's or Barnacle Bill's fantasea. Why? Well, if you called it just fantasea people were liable to confuse it or joke that you were talking about Fantasy... a gay bar at 31st on Hillside, which is still open.

yes! sweet, sweet confirmation that rick daris is always right. 

Cut this crap out, it was called Fantasea and everybody knows it. I grew up in the Wichita area pretty much all my life, nobody called it Barnacle Bills except for the radio voice over in the commercials. 

Barnacle Bill was the name of the dog character that was marketed with the park I believe. 

By the way is anybody else just giddy inside thinking about the pirate ships with the water guns and cannons? That was just heaven to a kid to play on that thing.

Well there's no pretty much about me. I was born in Wichita to a mother and father who were raised in Wichita as well. My grandfather graduated hs in wichita. I grew up there and I've never lived more than 10 miles away just prefer to stick to the outskirts of Wichita. My dad lived lived next door to the aforementioned Fantasy. Trust me, if you lived on that side of town, FantaSea was called Barnacle Bill's but I'm sure this will always be an argument. Its like people saying mcdonalds isn't called mcd's or Walmart isn't called Wally world...or that Watson park isn't actually o j Watson park... So I say to each their own. 

[XocolateThundarr]

I know this topic is a fairly old post but I just had to throw my 2 cents in for whatever they're worth! If you grew up on the south/southeast side of Wichita or in the lgbt community you called it Barnacle Bill's or Barnacle Bill's fantasea. Why? Well, if you called it just fantasea people were liable to confuse it or joke that you were talking about Fantasy... a gay bar at 31st on Hillside, which is still open.

yes! sweet, sweet confirmation that rick daris is always right. 

Cut this crap out, it was called Fantasea and everybody knows it. I grew up in the Wichita area pretty much all my life, nobody called it Barnacle Bills except for the radio voice over in the commercials. 

Barnacle Bill was the name of the dog character that was marketed with the park I believe. 

By the way is anybody else just giddy inside thinking about the pirate ships with the water guns and cannons? That was just heaven to a kid to play on that thing.

Well there's no pretty much about me. I was born in Wichita to a mother and father who were raised in Wichita as well. My grandfather graduated hs in wichita. I grew up there and I've never lived more than 10 miles away just prefer to stick to the outskirts of Wichita. My dad lived lived next door to the aforementioned Fantasy. Trust me, if you lived on that side of town, FantaSea was called Barnacle Bill's but I'm sure this will always be an argument. Its like people saying mcdonalds isn't called mcd's or Walmart isn't called Wally world...or that Watson park isn't actually o j Watson park... So I say to each their own. 

[Ditzyblonde68]

I visited all 3 wichita parks mentioned in this thread. Wild West World was by far the worst.

The guy who developed Wild West World went to prison over the thing.. He failed to provide adequate information to the investors he dealt with.

The whole fiasco just pisses me off because it confirms how much of a bunch of Mayberry hayseeds this place can be.  The public officials should have never done business with a crook.

Seriously! That whole wild west world BS helped put my husband out of a job. So many contractors were screwed 6 ways to Sunday.

[Dr Rick Daris]

I know this topic is a fairly old post but I just had to throw my 2 cents in for whatever they're worth! If you grew up on the south/southeast side of Wichita or in the lgbt community you called it Barnacle Bill's or Barnacle Bill's fantasea. Why? Well, if you called it just fantasea people were liable to confuse it or joke that you were talking about Fantasy... a gay bar at 31st on Hillside, which is still open.

yes! sweet, sweet confirmation that rick daris is always right. 

Cut this crap out, it was called Fantasea and everybody knows it. I grew up in the Wichita area pretty much all my life, nobody called it Barnacle Bills except for the radio voice over in the commercials. 

Barnacle Bill was the name of the dog character that was marketed with the park I believe. 

By the way is anybody else just giddy inside thinking about the pirate ships with the water guns and cannons? That was just heaven to a kid to play on that thing.

Well there's no pretty much about me. I was born in Wichita to a mother and father who were raised in Wichita as well. My grandfather graduated hs in wichita. I grew up there and I've never lived more than 10 miles away just prefer to stick to the outskirts of Wichita. My dad lived lived next door to the aforementioned Fantasy. Trust me, if you lived on that side of town, FantaSea was called Barnacle Bill's but I'm sure this will always be an argument. Its like people saying mcdonalds isn't called mcd's or Walmart isn't called Wally world...or that Watson park isn't actually o j Watson park... So I say to each their own. 

well there you have it. people that lived across the street called it fantaseas and other people in wichita called it barnacle bills. seems like we might have a "aggieville" vs "ville" type thing brewing, be sure to stay tuned in for the latest developments.

don't worry ditzyblonde. sometimes it's like trying to play canasta or spades with your sisters little kids in this place. it's just how it is. sometimes pretty madening but they're family so i mean hey, what can you do?

[hemmy]

I visited all 3 wichita parks mentioned in this thread. Wild West World was by far the worst.

The guy who developed Wild West World went to prison over the thing.. He failed to provide adequate information to the investors he dealt with.

The whole fiasco just pisses me off because it confirms how much of a bunch of Mayberry hayseeds this place can be.  The public officials should have never done business with a crook.

Only about 50% of their rides were open. Also, there were so many cars on the bumper cars that you couldn't even drive around, you just bumped around back and forth amongst the sea of cars.