As a young kid in the 70's, I visited "Ghost Town In The Sky" several times during its time as a popular place to visit. They had can can girls doing shows in the saloon and shoot outs in the streets. When they shot off those pistols and shot guns, they used black powder and the "boom" would cause people to scream as the smell of that burned powder would float across the crowds which would be 3 or 4 deep on those boardwalks (sidewalks). My future husband and I rode that coaster and hoped it was safe. The scariest part of the coaster was the location....hanging on the side of this mountain over looking Maggie Valley was the scariest part. The first time I visited was around 1976. I was only a kid and it was super cool. The next time was 3 years later...still cool, fun and packed. That last time we were there in the 90's, I realized the park was destined for doom. The owner at that time was out and about and literally begged us to come back the next day as his guest. It was so sad. I suspect many things lead to GTITS demise was a) western shows were no longer as popular on tv b) the TN side of the mountain was becoming more popular with Dollywood and all the musical theaters opening in and around Pigeon Forge. It was such a magical and wonderful place in the 70's. When you used your left hand to open the door to the chapel, it brought back such wonderful memories. The view from the large window behind the pulpit was breathtaking to a youngster. Several tourists, along with my family, gathered in the chapel and I started singing a "church song"....everyone joined in and it was very special. You flew in and around "Ghost Town" and then landed in the parking lot and hiked up and did an excellent tour even though you had to hike back down in time for your flight home. Most excellent Mark. You took me down a precious memory lane from my childhood and combined this with my love of flying. Wishing you and your beautiful family a healthy, prosperous and happy New Year. Love your content.
I went there when I was little, and what I remember of it, it sure was amazing! I definitely remember going up the mountain on the chair lift, and my dad posing for a picture on a big rock on the mountain! I sure do miss those times! I also remember hearing the Mckammys live on stage singing that wonderful gospel music, and how glorious it was hearing it bounce off the mountains! It’s such a shame how this country has turned its back on God.😔 God bless you!✝️🧎🏼♂️
Went there as a kid too but you have a much better memory than me ! Maybe I was very young idk. Think I was 6 or 7 not sure. Sad to see these old places wasting awsy.
I went here as a kid in the late 90's with my little brother and Mom and Dad. It was the only vacation we ever took as a family. Thanks for posting this. Brought back a lot of memories.
We went to ghost town as a kid, now I’m 64. There was a train track with a car that pulled the cable car up the mountain and we were scared. They also had the chair lift I believe but we didn’t ride that. It was magical as a kid for us 3 kids with the dance hall girls and my favorite memory of Frosty Root beer in a mug. Gunfights in the streets, etc. How cool is that? We also went to frontier land but tgat wasn’t as good. Thanks
Took my son there when he was a kid. He's 50 now. It was a great place to visit with all the rides and gun fights in the streets every hour. Great video, Great memories!
@timburton9514.. Hi Tim, you are correct. In the early 60's, Burt worked at Ghost Town in the Sky as a stuntman falling off rooftops for $100 a week. Something else interesting is that Ghost Town is where Burt met fellow stuntman Herbert "Cowboy" Coward. He is the guy who played the toothless villain in Burt's 1972 movie, Deliverance whom Burt shot with the arrow. Herbert got his toothless grin when he was knocked with a pistol during a staged gunfight there at Ghost Town in the Sky. He came from a huge family having 8 brothers and sisters and being illiterate and not being able to read and write he was as much a hillbilly in real life as he was in the movie. Burt remembered him through the years and then recruited him for the movie knowing he would be perfect for the part. Sadly, Herbert "Cowboy" Coward passed away just 6 months ago in North Carolina at the age of 85 along with his girlfriend, a pet Chihuahua and a pet squirrel in a car accident after being struck by a 16 year old kid driving a truck. He stayed in regular contact with Burt over the years and before his death in 2018, Burt was quoted as saying, "I only had three real friends and Herbert was one of them because he never asked me for nothin."
@@90daysinvegas53 WOW !!! Thank you for the history !! First time hearing this and so glad I came across it ! Truly a shame it is deteriorating , so many many memories are there ! Truly sad !!!!!!!
When I was a kid back in the 70’s my family vacationed near Maggie Valley, NC and we spent a day at Ghost Town In The Sky. I definitely remember the gun fighting in the street and a guy falling from a 2nd story balcony right in front of me. It all seemed so real to a kid. I’m now 60 years old and I will always have memories of that cool place. Thanks for the great video.
I enjoyed this video so much. I never even knew that park existed. It’s sad to see what happened to it. It was someone’s dream once, so you hate to see a place like that fail, but I’ll bet it brought a lot of joy to a lot of people back then. Thanks for all the effort you went through to show us as much as you did.
Why would they close it? It looks like fun. Maybe ppl didn’t want to walk? It’s sad to see so much waste. They could have hosted weddings or parties or something. Who owned it? I knew a woman who owned a large carnival. She got sick n died and her children were young and had to go to relatives.Im not sure what they did with the carnival but it was already getting messed up when she was sick. This makes me wonder if the people who owned it died. ???
I went there several times as a kid and was fortunate enough to take my kids the last time they opened in 2007 or 2008. It’s truly sad to see what’s happened to it but your video brought back some great memories.
Mark, Great work...Than You! Beign a Gunfighter from 2007 to 2009, 2013 6 different Gunfights a day! This is truly a sad video to see the vandalism! I played Digger The Undertaker.. Thank You ! God Bless Community!
Hey Digger, truly some memories. I remember you! A friend or two that worked there used to sneak me in, and I would spend all day there. My late friend Forrest got a job driving the train a couple summers. Later in life, I made parts for the mechanical characters and parts for all the rides and roller coaster. Miss working with Perry Littrel. I remember when he passed. It is truly sad all the vandalism. And Yes, great work Mark! Took an old man back to a different time! Although I could see all the vandalism and degrading, I could also see and hear all the noise and excitement of yesteryear!
Question for you, you said you worked there as Digger starting in '07.....I've got to imagine that Digger was one of the most recurring members of the cast. Who was Digger before you? It feels like there's a lot of history to be had in this aspect of the park alone. I think the last visit I made to the park was probably in....'89? I'd have to check and verify that.
@@grumpyoldbiker1118 , I think was Chris T. He then became the Doctor when park reopened in 07. Once in awhile he would do Digger that Year when I Played Deputy. Yes Digger was a fun character weasel of the town and richest too! Digger. 💰🩺⚰🪦🎩
@@patrickdigger3177 The people and the timelines are interesting to me. I think it'd be cool if that info was documented somewhere. It makes for a pretty unusual addition to ones resume, doesn't it? Lol. Being from Clay County, we made the trip over a few times when I was a kid, and I was always enamored with the gunfights. I figured that had to be the best job in the world. Thanks for the history and the insight! I'd love to hear more.
@@grumpyoldbiker1118 , Won't you go to RUclips ghost Town in the sky gunfights 2007 ( then watch 2008, 2009) and see The skits/characters get better...I'm Digger in tall hat having Stephoscope around my neck(have to make sure their dead)! Digger. 💰🩺⚰🪦🎩
Was there when i was around 10 now at 72. I remember walking down the street and seeing the gunfights! Thanks for the memories. By the way I flew a powered parachute for about 6 years. Nothing like it.
It's really sad how much is left behind and forgotten in places like this abandoned park! You can almost hear the laughter and sounds of people having fun during the days gone by into the past.
At one time it was the attraction in that area. We made a trip every year. Stayed in a tent down on the strip so we could play in the creek. It was always a adventure for our family trip. Usually would rain and have to sleep in the old station wagon. Lol
Lived in the area when I was seven or eight until we moved to Florida I'm now 67 but this was just too cool to see thank you for that. On one trip I suddenly jerked away from my mother's hand as the chair lift seats circled down to pick you up, you had to be quick because it didn't stop, for some reason I just wanted to go solo to the top of the mountain this time, mom's still snap the picture of me from the seat behind me black and white of course ..still have it somewhere, still remember the old west train rides and such, would be great to see it revived
Thanks so much for the memories. As a kid growing up through the 60s &70s, my dad loved to go to Maggie Valley and Cherokee, NC. And either going up or coming back from south Alabama, we always stopped at Lookout Mountain. But I remember Ghost town with the old shootouts they performed in the streets, the blacksmith, the jail, and don't forget the saloon. That was my dad's favorite, I think, because of the cancan girls. Lol That was a time when vacations were cherished when the old roadside theme parks, small zoos, and other attractions were popular before all the Interstates were built. Now you really can't enjoy a good vacation because of all the traffic, the crowds and long lines to stand in for a two minute ride. Even going back to the Blueridge mountains and renting a cabin is like living in a sub division. They build so many up the side of the mountains that you can almost stick your hand out your window into the cabin window right next to you. Kids nowadays have absolutely no idea of a remembered layed back vacation. I truly miss my dad and mom and those wonderful vacations we took growing up. 😢❤😊
Precious memories! I remember as a kid in the 80s and early 90s every summer we would stop at the swinging bridge in Bryson city on the way to stay in Cherokee before the casino came to town. We'd go to ghost town every year. Now my dad and sister have passed on but thankful for the memories we had together like ghost town.
It was nice reading your memory you posted ! Yes, it's very sad to me could not keep the place going. Or turn it into something else to attract tourists. So many memories for so many tourists once there and to see it deteriorate. You are right about kids today have no ideal what a wholesome relaxing vacation today is like. Good awesome days are gone , nothing but stress now and too many people to do anything now ! It's truly sad when you look back how life was good compare to now . . . . God bless you !
Great content. As someone who frequented that park as a child, thank you for the memories. The old roller coaster, before being remodeled in the early 2000’s was known as “The Red Devil”
Believe it or not but I've been here back when I was about 13 yrs old. The Viking boat you walk past around the 16:00 min mark was terrifying! Awesome to see!
This makes me so sad to see this place in such a shape. We always took our four kids to Ghost Town in the Sky every summer in the 90s. We would stay all day. They loved it. I have pictures of all of us on those chairs you rode up on. I wish someone would open this back up. I have a lot of wonderful memories there with my kids. Enjoyed your video 👍
YT recommended this and when watching with my wife we both remember not only going there with our families when we were kids, but also she and I going when we got married. Great memories, great video and enjoyed the nostalgia. Stay safe.
Most under-appreciated content creator on the platform. That was an absolutely fantastic video, and the destination looked amazing. It’s got me wondering more and more about it, and what drove it to fail because it looks like a great place to have a tourist destination.
I had to do a little fiber work up there the last time they were open. It really was disappointing at what they were charging for basically a chairlift ride. You get to the town and there was a couple shops open, a couple little circle kid rides. A gun fight in the city and a saloon show. I literally saw everything they had to offer on a lunch break. Food like old gas station pizza and a canned drink. They said that roller coaster will never be ran again, something about it not being worth the work for it to pass inspections. If someone with crazy money wanted to buy it and then fix it up and take a loss by not overcharging to go there it could certainly be brought back to life.
We stopped there on a whim once back in the 90s. That place was really cool. I still have polaroids of my kids meeting the gunfighters out in the street.
I visited Ghost Town in the sky the summer of 1970. Our school patrol was given a trip to Lookout Mountain, and Maggie Valley N.C. as a reward for our service after graduating elementary school. I'm 66 now. In those days we had patrol uniforms with badges that had our rank on them. We stood inspections and were given demerits if anything was out of uniform specs. We had to maintain an A/B average to qualify and remain on the patrol. You didn't volunteer. You were invited to join.They don't even have school patrols in my hometown now. Kids don't learn anything about responsibility, service to the school and community without these type programs. I don't remember the roller coaster being there back then. I do remember the tram, ski lift and the shows and shootouts! It was a great time to be a kid. Hard to believe that was over half a century ago.
My family and I went there in the 80’s, I was maybe in 5th grade. I loved it, I was in Maggie Valley in 2017 tried to go back but found it was closed!!! What a disappointment. Thanks for the video brings back a lot of memories!!!
Went there many times in the 70s-80s. It was really nice then. The shows were great. Were still going there as it began to go down. I think it was the last time we were there the chair lift house caught fire and we had to ride the inclined railway down. The chair lift was not scary, the railway was. So sorry to see it in that condition. It really was a fun place.
I saw a video of Ghost town a year or two after it closed. It closed in 2014 for the final time, I think, so this was around 2015 or 2016, maybe even 2017. In that video, the park was in generally decent shape. Just in the past seven or eight years, this park has deteriorated so much that I do not think it will ever reopen. The owners had tried to sell it and one before the pandemic was going to buy it and fix it up, but I think that fell through.
My mother worked the payroll there back in the late 80s. I used to get off the school bus and ride the chairlift up (until the day a Karen complained and the owner, JB, asked me to please only ride the incline railway unless I had someone else to rode with). Then I’d get some coupons for food from the cantina (employee perk) and go watch a can-can show. The ladies loved having me there because often the hall was filled with smarmy old men, so when the soloist came out in the audience to sit on some married man’s lap she’d sometimes assess the room and come “sit” on mine. It usually generated huge laughs as I blushed and she serenaded me. Her final part of the act was to plant a big lipstick kiss on the cheek of the patron, so I’d be walking around Ghost Town (a second grader) with this big 💋 on my face for the rest of the afternoon. 😂 Thanks for the walk-thru. I’m glad you had time to hike it.
Omg! Best memory story!! I bet those can can girls loved u! That’s when a kid could be a kid! Can u imagine getting off the bus and hopping on a sky lift like that today? lol. This must have been awesome for u to see!!
That's amazing ! Thanks for that memory ! It was sad to see all of that on top of mtn. just aging away that holds so many memories to many. Terrible seeing it like that, so sad !!!
Thanks for the memories, I went there in the 60s with my parents, and took my kids there in the 90s. The gun fights and the Indian dances were my favorites. I also loved the flying swing that went out over the mountain when it got going.
I was there about 60 years ago ! I remember going from Fla to Ind before Interstates were completely built north to south, so we went past Ghost Town in the Sky. Parts of that trip was still on dirt/gravel roads and radiator shops were every where, for busted radiators from slung gravel. No A/C in car.
I'm 43 and I remember going a few months before it closed I was about 18 I think. We went every year before that. I loved that place. It will be missed
This is Craaazy! I was across the street snowtubing with my family when you shot this video. I was watching you fly around and land. I can see our SUV in the parking lot when you took off.
Wow! You just brought back a ton of memories! I got my private pilot in Asheville and spent hours flying in WNC, but never that low or slow. Thanks for the amazing video!
I went once but was too young to remember. I do remember seeing their commercials on the local news channel at 6am when I was getting ready for school as a child. Cool Video!
I'm 65 years old. We went to Ghost Town many times when we were kids. I have photos of my little brother and I when I was about 5 years old. Standing with cowboys and Indians. Every hour there would be a bank robbery or shoot out in the street. They used real colt revolvers with blanks. LOUD!!!! Thank you for the memories. Great video!
I remember that place used to be hopping. The last time I was there they had scheduled that roller coaster to be open by that October. They had some amazing shootouts with cowboys falling off the roofs and flying out the saloon doors. Great memories. That was when DollyWood was still Silver Dollar City......I think....We never went to either.
we have a park in Missouri, Silver Dollar City that is themed, like you're walking back into the 1890s with old-time craftspeople, Blacksmith a silversmith a steam engine sawmill making cedar shakes glass blowing and with several roller coasters. it has the same feel as this park, But it's still very much open. its in Branson Missouri Ozarks. I'm 62 and I still love going to that place.
When I was a kid in southern Illinois we would go to Silver Dollar City for vacations. Parents divorced and I went to Ca, then the service (ret), then a Ca LEO (retired again!!!), now moving back to the sane Mid West. I want to see Silver Dollar City again.
Ghost Town in the Sky. That is the Red Devil Roller Coater. The first coaster with a loop I ever rode. There was a tram and a ski lift type “ride” to get up to the park. Man this brings back memories! Thanks for the ride back in time!!!
Thats an amazing video. What a crazy spot to explore! Thanks for my cameo and shoutout! (I am the guy on the motorcycle). I actually drove up the backside after I saw you but got intimidated by all the no trespass and camera signs so didnt walk in from the road side..maybe I will hike up sometime. Great content.
My uncle worked there. Those chair lifts scared the crap out of me when i was little, but it was so exciting. I remember they had cowboy gun fights at certain times of the day. Memories❣
My family and I used to go every year in the 70s. I loved the sky lift and Wild West shootout. Time sure changes things. Thank you for showing it again!
I went here as a kid. Probably 40 years ago now. Such great memories. Sad to see that it has fallen into disrepair. Kids today will never know the thrill of the old west shootouts and carnival rides literally in the clouds that once happened here.
I am 62 as well and remember going to Ghost Town in the Sky and seeing dramatic Western Shoot outs and drank Sassparilla, (however you spell it) Which is like Root Beer. We wore Jeans and western Boots and Cowboy hats and people may have thought we were part of the cast. When I was there they didn't have all the rides. They had the chairlift to get you up there but no rollercoaster, no scrambler, no Rocking ship or anything else.
This was interesting! They have since put cameras on the property to catch trespassers and vandals. The park is currently co-owned by developer Frankie Wood and Jill McClure, the niece of the late Alaska Presley, who was the former Ghost Town owner. She tried to dissolve the partnership in order to sell the property, but a judge dismissed the lawsuit. It’ll be interesting to see what they do with it.
My sister said that Disney is purchasing the site and will put in a theme park with chalets, luxury hotels, ect ect. But that made my heart happy so that others can enjoy the Mountains in The Great Smokeys of Tennessee and North Carolina Thanks Mark
Thank you for that journey my friend. I used to go there as a kid. Takes me back. Kind of sad to see it in that condition. Makes me feel ancient (I’m 39).
My grandparents took my brother and me up to Ghost Town in The Sky back in the late 60's. The tram ride was cool, and the shootouts were fun. Great perspective from your paraglider. Tx!
This was randomly in my "recommended" feed and I'm so glad it was! I miss western North Carolina and enjoyed the awesome video of so many places I remember. Had to instantly subscribe. Thank you.
Great to see an update on this place it’s one of my favorite abandoned places it’s so fascinating I’m hoping one day soon to visit before it’s too late
Thank you so much for taking the time to visit Maggie valley. Ghost town in the sky. You definitely gave me some nostalgic feel. Gosh I remember this place. Thanks again sir
Thank You, it brings back childhood memories and I took my children and wife there while it was still in 0peration. I have a brother and a sister that was born in Sylva N.C.
I loved this video! I remember going to Ghost Town and thought it was the coolest thing ever!! I wish I could have taken my children and grandchildren. It was a blast. Thank you for sharing
Wow just seen this and man I sure do miss the Ghost town. It's been years or I was a little kid when I was there last sure does bring back memories. Now in my early 40s seeing it now it's so said that it's gone down. It's like Cherokee on up the road it's gone down also but thanks for sharing this walk down memory lane. God bless 🙏
I remember going up there 25 years ago with my husband, when we were just dating, and we rode an indoor scrambler in the dark with black lights and strobes. I found out the hard way that he has a sensitive stomach because he threw up popcorn and Dr. Pepper on his white jeans. I had to take the chairlift down to the gift shop and get him some shorts to put on, and bring them back up, while he waited in the restroom. He was so embarrassed, and I felt so bad for him. I could ride anything in the dark with flashing lights and beg for more, so it just didn’t occur to me that he might not be able to, or we would have skipped that one. I always enjoyed Ghost Town. Might not have had much to do, compared to other fun parks, but it was fun. Such a shame it failed, retried under different owners, and failed again.
Thanks for the memories I had when I went there with my parents when I was around 10. I'm now 72, you do the math. I can still picture that place and some of the things that were there, gun fights, etc. I heard they tried to fix the place up and reopen many years ago but never got off the ground. It's a shame that today's kids can't enjoy this kind of fun. Thanks again for bringing this wonderful place back into my life.
Went there and Frontierland growing up in western NC. I was under the impression from other videos that it was relatively secure with cameras, security, no trespassing signs, etc. I drive by a few times a year and will send the drone up some time.
Hey Mark; Really enjoyed your video, it sure brought a good memory! My wife and I were married in July of 1979 and Maggie Valley and Ghost town in the sky is where we went on our honeymoon!
I also went there as a kid in the late 60s and early 70s. This brought back great memories. I appreciate you sharing this with us. BTW, the chair lift getting up there terrified me. That is definitely my strongest memory.
ditto to the last comment. I was following your video because of interest in paramotoring but your trek around ghost town in the sky brought back some good memories. Thanks for filming it. It was special for me to see it again. Visited several times ages 8-11, sometime in the early 70's. :)
Someone should buy that property now before it degrades further. Would be much easier than starting a similar project from scratch, and it is in a great location. Thanks for sharing. And have fun paramotoring and exploring.
I was here as a kid in the early 1990’s. Warms the heart. Grandparents used to take us they passed away some 20 years now. Crazy. Thanks for the video.
I had so many good times there with my family as a kid. The anticipation of the chair lift ride to the top (that rail car never worked anytime I went there!), the shows in the theaters and the gunfights in the streets....Hurts to see her in such a sad state of disrepair. The story behind how the place got into that state is pretty interesting if you're into that sort of thing. It may not be the thriving park it once was, but the scenic views are still out of this world. And if ya think it was crazy on the ground, you can imagine what it was like on the coasters, or the chair ride that swung out over the ridge! At this point I think it's so far gone that it doesn't have a chance of being brought back, but you can never say never. I gotta admit, that's one helluva way to travel, Sir! "Go-around" takes on a whoooole new meaning!
there a good chance the rides will be sold for scalp metal and everthing else torn down. also running them park is expensive. 1 you going to need thounds and thounds of insurnace. because you will get sued. { all the insurnace alone will make you broke}. 2.financial people you have to deal with. 3 budget people. 4. marketing people. 5 office people. 6 creative people to design shows, pardes. rides, gift shp , restaurnts and hotel. and an other group to build them.
Hey Grumpy! Do you have the story of how it fell into closure and subsequent disrepair? I am into those sorts of things, and with all these comments, I'm sure many of the old-timers would also love to hear it. It would be great if it were added to the description of the video along with @PatrickDigger3177's story from above! Thanks!
@@CaptTony107 There are better accounts out there, but as I understand it the roller coaster there failed a couple.of safety inspections. Other rides may have as well. I think that was the beginning of the end. It was gonna take millions to get everything up to par, and I believe it was even reopened for a brief period of time. If I recall correctly Jacob The Carpetbagger did a pretty good video on the place. Possibly Adam The Woo as well back from his urbex days. There are quite a few vids on RUclips about it. I travel back to Western NC with the bikes every couple of years and would love to get permission to actually RIDE up to the lot, but the opportunity to do that is probably drying up pretty quickly.
Wow!! My parents took me there back in the 70's. It was cool watching you tour the place because it brought back memories and I had several moments where I realized that in some places that you were walking, that I had walked the same spot some 45 years ago! Thank you for sharing, sir! Blue skies!
Oh Mark, what a trip down memory lane. That was my first loop roller coaster I ever road, and the gunfight on the streets were a sight to see!!! good old Maggie Valley .
As a young kid in the 70's, I visited "Ghost Town In The Sky" several times during its time as a popular place to visit. They had can can girls doing shows in the saloon and shoot outs in the streets. When they shot off those pistols and shot guns, they used black powder and the "boom" would cause people to scream as the smell of that burned powder would float across the crowds which would be 3 or 4 deep on those boardwalks (sidewalks). My future husband and I rode that coaster and hoped it was safe. The scariest part of the coaster was the location....hanging on the side of this mountain over looking Maggie Valley was the scariest part. The first time I visited was around 1976. I was only a kid and it was super cool. The next time was 3 years later...still cool, fun and packed. That last time we were there in the 90's, I realized the park was destined for doom. The owner at that time was out and about and literally begged us to come back the next day as his guest. It was so sad. I suspect many things lead to GTITS demise was a) western shows were no longer as popular on tv b) the TN side of the mountain was becoming more popular with Dollywood and all the musical theaters opening in and around Pigeon Forge. It was such a magical and wonderful place in the 70's. When you used your left hand to open the door to the chapel, it brought back such wonderful memories. The view from the large window behind the pulpit was breathtaking to a youngster. Several tourists, along with my family, gathered in the chapel and I started singing a "church song"....everyone joined in and it was very special. You flew in and around "Ghost Town" and then landed in the parking lot and hiked up and did an excellent tour even though you had to hike back down in time for your flight home. Most excellent Mark. You took me down a precious memory lane from my childhood and combined this with my love of flying. Wishing you and your beautiful family a healthy, prosperous and happy New Year. Love your content.
This gave me chills. It's nice to hear about your memories of the place. It's incredible the things that come and go. Happy New Year!
I went there once as a kid in the 70s. Still looks familar.
I went there when I was little, and what I remember of it, it sure was amazing! I definitely remember going up the mountain on the chair lift, and my dad posing for a picture on a big rock on the mountain! I sure do miss those times! I also remember hearing the Mckammys live on stage singing that wonderful gospel music, and how glorious it was hearing it bounce off the mountains! It’s such a shame how this country has turned its back on God.😔 God bless you!✝️🧎🏼♂️
Went there as a kid too but you have a much better memory than me ! Maybe I was very young idk. Think I was 6 or 7 not sure. Sad to see these old places wasting awsy.
Yes I remember..
I'm 62 now and went several times as a kid Thanks for the memories
I’m 62 now. But when I was a young feller, our family went to that park. Enjoyed the train ride and the wild West show. Brought back memories.
It probably seemed pretty magical to kids years ago when it was newly opened
Me too ...my grandparents too my sister and me...i never forgot that day for sure!!!
Took
I went here as a kid in the late 90's with my little brother and Mom and Dad. It was the only vacation we ever took as a family. Thanks for posting this. Brought back a lot of memories.
We went to ghost town as a kid, now I’m 64. There was a train track with a car that pulled the cable car up the mountain and we were scared. They also had the chair lift I believe but we didn’t ride that. It was magical as a kid for us 3 kids with the dance hall girls and my favorite memory of Frosty Root beer in a mug. Gunfights in the streets, etc. How cool is that? We also went to frontier land but tgat wasn’t as good. Thanks
As a kid a trip to Ghost Town was a super treat. The chairlift to the top of the mountain was a thrill too.
Took my son there when he was a kid. He's 50 now. It was a great place to visit with all the rides and gun fights in the streets every hour. Great video, Great memories!
The summer camp I went to from 1979-1986 took us there every summer, loved the memories
Been there many times. Great memories. It was open for a long time. I was told Burt Reynolds worked there when he was younger
@timburton9514.. Hi Tim, you are correct. In the early 60's, Burt worked at Ghost Town in the Sky as a stuntman falling off rooftops for $100 a week.
Something else interesting is that Ghost Town is where Burt met fellow stuntman Herbert "Cowboy" Coward. He is the guy who played the toothless villain in Burt's 1972 movie, Deliverance whom Burt shot with the arrow. Herbert got his toothless grin when he was knocked with a pistol during a staged gunfight there at Ghost Town in the Sky. He came from a huge family having 8 brothers and sisters and being illiterate and not being able to read and write he was as much a hillbilly in real life as he was in the movie.
Burt remembered him through the years and then recruited him for the movie knowing he would be perfect for the part.
Sadly, Herbert "Cowboy" Coward passed away just 6 months ago in North Carolina at the age of 85 along with his girlfriend, a pet Chihuahua and a pet squirrel in a car accident after being struck by a 16 year old kid driving a truck.
He stayed in regular contact with Burt over the years and before his death in 2018, Burt was quoted as saying, "I only had three real friends and Herbert was one of them because he never asked me for nothin."
@@90daysinvegas53 WOW !!! Thank you for the history !! First time hearing this and so glad I came across it ! Truly a shame it is deteriorating , so many many memories are there ! Truly sad !!!!!!!
When I was a kid back in the 70’s my family vacationed near Maggie Valley, NC and we spent a day at Ghost Town In The Sky. I definitely remember the gun fighting in the street and a guy falling from a 2nd story balcony right in front of me. It all seemed so real to a kid. I’m now 60 years old and I will always have memories of that cool place.
Thanks for the great video.
I'm turning 60 in a couple months and share the very same memories of Ghost Town as you do. That fall!
I enjoyed this video so much. I never even knew that park existed. It’s sad to see what happened to it. It was someone’s dream once, so you hate to see a place like that fail, but I’ll bet it brought a lot of joy to a lot of people back then.
Thanks for all the effort you went through to show us as much as you did.
One of the most entertaining videos I’ve seen on RUclips! Thank you so much for taking us along on a great adventure.
It's shocking how much valuable equipment was just left there to rot.
You would be shocked to find out how much it would cost to remove anything from a mountain...
@@bobgomez9481 There's a road.
And that road is the steepest in North Carolina
@@jarrettlunsford672 Buck Mountain Rd.?
Why would they close it? It looks like fun. Maybe ppl didn’t want to walk? It’s sad to see so much waste. They could have hosted weddings or parties or something.
Who owned it?
I knew a woman who owned a large carnival. She got sick n died and her children were young and had to go to relatives.Im not sure what they did with the carnival but it was already getting messed up when she was sick.
This makes me wonder if the people who owned it died. ???
I went there several times as a kid and was fortunate enough to take my kids the last time they opened in 2007 or 2008. It’s truly sad to see what’s happened to it but your video brought back some great memories.
Mark,
Great work...Than You!
Beign a Gunfighter from 2007 to 2009, 2013
6 different Gunfights a day!
This is truly a sad video to see the vandalism!
I played Digger The Undertaker..
Thank You !
God Bless Community!
Hey Digger, truly some memories. I remember you! A friend or two that worked there used to sneak me in, and I would spend all day there. My late friend Forrest got a job driving the train a couple summers. Later in life, I made parts for the mechanical characters and parts for all the rides and roller coaster.
Miss working with Perry Littrel. I remember when he passed. It is truly sad all the vandalism.
And Yes, great work Mark! Took an old man back to a different time! Although I could see all the vandalism and degrading, I could also see and hear all the noise and excitement of yesteryear!
Question for you, you said you worked there as Digger starting in '07.....I've got to imagine that Digger was one of the most recurring members of the cast. Who was Digger before you? It feels like there's a lot of history to be had in this aspect of the park alone. I think the last visit I made to the park was probably in....'89? I'd have to check and verify that.
@@grumpyoldbiker1118 ,
I think was Chris T.
He then became the Doctor when park reopened in 07.
Once in awhile he would do Digger that Year when I Played Deputy. Yes Digger was a fun character weasel of the town and richest too!
Digger.
💰🩺⚰🪦🎩
@@patrickdigger3177 The people and the timelines are interesting to me. I think it'd be cool if that info was documented somewhere. It makes for a pretty unusual addition to ones resume, doesn't it? Lol. Being from Clay County, we made the trip over a few times when I was a kid, and I was always enamored with the gunfights. I figured that had to be the best job in the world. Thanks for the history and the insight! I'd love to hear more.
@@grumpyoldbiker1118 ,
Won't you go to RUclips ghost Town in the sky gunfights 2007 ( then watch 2008, 2009) and see The skits/characters get better...I'm Digger in tall hat having Stephoscope around my neck(have to make sure their dead)!
Digger.
💰🩺⚰🪦🎩
Growing up in Greenville SC, I remember going there with my parents, grandparents and great aunt and uncle. Very nostalgic.
Was there when i was around 10 now at 72. I remember walking down the street and seeing the gunfights! Thanks for the memories. By the way I flew a powered parachute for about 6 years. Nothing like it.
This place rocked. The gunfights were fantastic.
I went there in the 70's & 80's... I recall the building as you get on the top, That had the best fudge around.
It's really sad how much is left behind and forgotten in places like this abandoned park! You can almost hear the laughter and sounds of people having fun during the days gone by into the past.
At one time it was the attraction in that area. We made a trip every year. Stayed in a tent down on the strip so we could play in the creek. It was always a adventure for our family trip. Usually would rain and have to sleep in the old station wagon. Lol
So fascinating. America has so many examples of this that if you don’t live in or around you would never know. Thanks for the video.
Lived in the area when I was seven or eight until we moved to Florida I'm now 67 but this was just too cool to see thank you for that. On one trip I suddenly jerked away from my mother's hand as the chair lift seats circled down to pick you up, you had to be quick because it didn't stop, for some reason I just wanted to go solo to the top of the mountain this time, mom's still snap the picture of me from the seat behind me black and white of course ..still have it somewhere, still remember the old west train rides and such, would be great to see it revived
Thanks so much for the memories. As a kid growing up through the 60s &70s, my dad loved to go to Maggie Valley and Cherokee, NC. And either going up or coming back from south Alabama, we always stopped at Lookout Mountain. But I remember Ghost town with the old shootouts they performed in the streets, the blacksmith, the jail, and don't forget the saloon. That was my dad's favorite, I think, because of the cancan girls. Lol
That was a time when vacations were cherished when the old roadside theme parks, small zoos, and other attractions were popular before all the Interstates were built. Now you really can't enjoy a good vacation because of all the traffic, the crowds and long lines to stand in for a two minute ride. Even going back to the Blueridge mountains and renting a cabin is like living in a sub division. They build so many up the side of the mountains that you can almost stick your hand out your window into the cabin window right next to you.
Kids nowadays have absolutely no idea of a remembered layed back vacation.
I truly miss my dad and mom and those wonderful vacations we took growing up. 😢❤😊
Precious memories! I remember as a kid in the 80s and early 90s every summer we would stop at the swinging bridge in Bryson city on the way to stay in Cherokee before the casino came to town. We'd go to ghost town every year. Now my dad and sister have passed on but thankful for the memories we had together like ghost town.
Must have been nice to be able to afford to go on trios. I can only imagine what that's like
It was nice reading your memory you posted ! Yes, it's very sad to me could not keep the place going. Or turn it into something else to attract tourists. So many memories for so many tourists once there and to see it deteriorate. You are right about kids today have no ideal what a wholesome relaxing vacation today is like. Good awesome days are gone , nothing but stress now and too many people to do anything now !
It's truly sad when you look back how life was good compare to now . . . .
God bless you !
I remember going in the late 60's as a kid. Was a great entertainment venue at it heyday
Remember going here as a kid in the 90’s.. still have the photo of me and my dad riding the chair lift up the Mountain! Used to be a cool place to go!
Great content. As someone who frequented that park as a child, thank you for the memories. The old roller coaster, before being remodeled in the early 2000’s was known as “The Red Devil”
Support beams stress cracks everywere condemned ride.
It was our "Go To amusement park. There and Tweetsie.
Believe it or not but I've been here back when I was about 13 yrs old. The Viking boat you walk past around the 16:00 min mark was terrifying!
Awesome to see!
This makes me so sad to see this place in such a shape. We always took our four kids to Ghost Town in the Sky every summer in the 90s. We would stay all day. They loved it. I have pictures of all of us on those chairs you rode up on. I wish someone would open this back up. I have a lot of wonderful memories there with my kids. Enjoyed your video 👍
YT recommended this and when watching with my wife we both remember not only going there with our families when we were kids, but also she and I going when we got married. Great memories, great video and enjoyed the nostalgia. Stay safe.
i did?
Most under-appreciated content creator on the platform. That was an absolutely fantastic video, and the destination looked amazing. It’s got me wondering more and more about it, and what drove it to fail because it looks like a great place to have a tourist destination.
I appreciate it!
That story has MULTIPLE layers going back decades. Still being worked out with lawyers
There's a few documentaries/ youtube videos about the place. Pretty neat wish I made it there looked fun
Burt Reynolds was a gunfighter there when he was in college at FSU.
I had to do a little fiber work up there the last time they were open. It really was disappointing at what they were charging for basically a chairlift ride. You get to the town and there was a couple shops open, a couple little circle kid rides. A gun fight in the city and a saloon show. I literally saw everything they had to offer on a lunch break. Food like old gas station pizza and a canned drink. They said that roller coaster will never be ran again, something about it not being worth the work for it to pass inspections. If someone with crazy money wanted to buy it and then fix it up and take a loss by not overcharging to go there it could certainly be brought back to life.
Went there as a kid in the 60s. Also went to Tweetsie and Frontier Land, which later became ground zero for Dollywood.
We stopped there on a whim once back in the 90s. That place was really cool. I still have polaroids of my kids meeting the gunfighters out in the street.
Sad that this amazing plsce has closed.
A man's hopes and dreams are now a distant memory.
I visited Ghost Town in the sky the summer of 1970. Our school patrol was given a trip to Lookout Mountain, and Maggie Valley N.C. as a reward for our service after graduating elementary school. I'm 66 now. In those days we had patrol uniforms with badges that had our rank on them. We stood inspections and were given demerits if anything was out of uniform specs. We had to maintain an A/B average to qualify and remain on the patrol. You didn't volunteer. You were invited to join.They don't even have school patrols in my hometown now. Kids don't learn anything about responsibility, service to the school and community without these type programs. I don't remember the roller coaster being there back then. I do remember the tram, ski lift and the shows and shootouts! It was a great time to be a kid. Hard to believe that was over half a century ago.
The coaster was built around 88. Last time I was there in 95 I think it was closed down for safety reasons.
I still have my School Safety Patrol Badge from 6th grade!
Who currently owns this property?
12-year old me is remembering so much from the sights in this video. Thank you for sharing!
My family and I went there in the 80’s, I was maybe in 5th grade. I loved it, I was in Maggie Valley in 2017 tried to go back but found it was closed!!! What a disappointment. Thanks for the video brings back a lot of memories!!!
Went there many times in the 70s-80s. It was really nice then. The shows were great. Were still going there as it began to go down. I think it was the last time we were there the chair lift house caught fire and we had to ride the inclined railway down. The chair lift was not scary, the railway was. So sorry to see it in that condition. It really was a fun place.
I saw a video of Ghost town a year or two after it closed. It closed in 2014 for the final time, I think, so this was around 2015 or 2016, maybe even 2017. In that video, the park was in generally decent shape. Just in the past seven or eight years, this park has deteriorated so much that I do not think it will ever reopen. The owners had tried to sell it and one before the pandemic was going to buy it and fix it up, but I think that fell through.
My mother worked the payroll there back in the late 80s. I used to get off the school bus and ride the chairlift up (until the day a Karen complained and the owner, JB, asked me to please only ride the incline railway unless I had someone else to rode with). Then I’d get some coupons for food from the cantina (employee perk) and go watch a can-can show. The ladies loved having me there because often the hall was filled with smarmy old men, so when the soloist came out in the audience to sit on some married man’s lap she’d sometimes assess the room and come “sit” on mine. It usually generated huge laughs as I blushed and she serenaded me. Her final part of the act was to plant a big lipstick kiss on the cheek of the patron, so I’d be walking around Ghost Town (a second grader) with this big 💋 on my face for the rest of the afternoon. 😂
Thanks for the walk-thru. I’m glad you had time to hike it.
Omg! Best memory story!! I bet those can can girls loved u! That’s when a kid could be a kid! Can u imagine getting off the bus and hopping on a sky lift like that today? lol. This must have been awesome for u to see!!
That's amazing ! Thanks for that memory ! It was sad to see all of that on top of mtn. just aging away that holds so many memories to many. Terrible seeing it like that, so sad !!!
Thanks for the memories, I went there in the 60s with my parents, and took my kids there in the 90s. The gun fights and the Indian dances were my favorites. I also loved the flying swing that went out over the mountain when it got going.
I was there about 60 years ago ! I remember going from Fla to Ind before Interstates were completely built north to south, so we went past Ghost Town in the Sky. Parts of that trip was still on dirt/gravel roads and radiator shops were every where, for busted radiators from slung gravel. No A/C in car.
I'm 43 and I remember going a few months before it closed I was about 18 I think. We went every year before that. I loved that place. It will be missed
This is Craaazy! I was across the street snowtubing with my family when you shot this video. I was watching you fly around and land. I can see our SUV in the parking lot when you took off.
That is pretty awesome. How did you find this random video?
Wow! You just brought back a ton of memories! I got my private pilot in Asheville and spent hours flying in WNC, but never that low or slow. Thanks for the amazing video!
I went once but was too young to remember. I do remember seeing their commercials on the local news channel at 6am when I was getting ready for school as a child. Cool Video!
Thanks for the memories. Went there as a kid and took my children when they were little
I'm 65 years old. We went to Ghost Town many times when we were kids. I have photos of my little brother and I when I was about 5 years old. Standing with cowboys and Indians. Every hour there would be a bank robbery or shoot out in the street. They used real colt revolvers with blanks. LOUD!!!! Thank you for the memories. Great video!
Yes, you're right ! Guns were so very loud !! Sad the place is fading away , many memories !!!!
I remember that place used to be hopping. The last time I was there they had scheduled that roller coaster to be open by that October. They had some amazing shootouts with cowboys falling off the roofs and flying out the saloon doors. Great memories. That was when DollyWood was still Silver Dollar City......I think....We never went to either.
My new wife and I were there in 1977 or 1978. Got our old time pic taken at the old tyme pic shop 👍🏻 thanks from east ky 👍🏻
When I say “new” i mean then, we’ve been married 47 years now 👍🏻
we have a park in Missouri, Silver Dollar City that is themed, like you're walking back into the 1890s with old-time craftspeople, Blacksmith a silversmith a steam engine sawmill making cedar shakes glass blowing and with several roller coasters. it has the same feel as this park, But it's still very much open. its in Branson Missouri Ozarks.
I'm 62 and I still love going to that place.
When I was a kid in southern Illinois we would go to Silver Dollar City for vacations. Parents divorced and I went to Ca, then the service (ret), then a Ca LEO (retired again!!!), now moving back to the sane Mid West. I want to see Silver Dollar City again.
Ghost Town in the Sky. That is the Red Devil Roller Coater. The first coaster with a loop I ever rode. There was a tram and a ski lift type “ride” to get up to the park. Man this brings back memories! Thanks for the ride back in time!!!
Thats an amazing video. What a crazy spot to explore! Thanks for my cameo and shoutout! (I am the guy on the motorcycle). I actually drove up the backside after I saw you but got intimidated by all the no trespass and camera signs so didnt walk in from the road side..maybe I will hike up sometime. Great content.
Thanks for the pictures and video! It was nice to meet you.
Nice GS ..you need a Sargent seat for those long hauls!
No trespassing signs….
What do those mean,
My uncle worked there. Those chair lifts scared the crap out of me when i was little, but it was so exciting. I remember they had cowboy gun fights at certain times of the day. Memories❣
I remember Ghost town in sky. We went there in the 80's and again in the 90's. We loved it.
That ending with the airliner as you passed each other was awesome man!
My family and I used to go every year in the 70s. I loved the sky lift and Wild West shootout. Time sure changes things. Thank you for showing it again!
I went here as a kid. Probably 40 years ago now. Such great memories. Sad to see that it has fallen into disrepair. Kids today will never know the thrill of the old west shootouts and carnival rides literally in the clouds that once happened here.
Thanks for the memories! I believe our church youth group attending Maggie Valley in 1982. It was great to see the place again. Good memories.
I am 62 as well and remember going to Ghost Town in the Sky and seeing dramatic Western Shoot outs and drank Sassparilla, (however you spell it) Which is like Root Beer. We wore Jeans and western Boots and Cowboy hats and people may have thought we were part of the cast. When I was there they didn't have all the rides. They had the chairlift to get you up there but no rollercoaster, no scrambler, no Rocking ship or anything else.
I used to go there as a kid in the early 60s. Thanks for the tour. 👍🏻
Went there back in the 90's. That coaster was pretty cool. Good live bluegrass music too. Thanks for showing it off.
This was interesting! They have since put cameras on the property to catch trespassers and vandals.
The park is currently co-owned by developer Frankie Wood and Jill McClure, the niece of the late Alaska Presley, who was the former Ghost Town owner.
She tried to dissolve the partnership in order to sell the property, but a judge dismissed the lawsuit. It’ll be interesting to see what they do with it.
I’d be interested in purchasing it, if it was available and for sale.
Stayed in a cabin in Maggie Valley July 4th weekend 1995, spent a day at Ghost Town with my family and had a blast! The shows were awesome.
My sister said that Disney is purchasing the site and will put in a theme park with chalets, luxury hotels, ect ect. But that made my heart happy so that others can enjoy the Mountains in The Great Smokeys of Tennessee and North Carolina Thanks Mark
Disney?no hard no. Wokenbroke
@@daleolson3506 go woke go broke! Screw Disney, a bunch of pedophiles
@@daleolson3506child sniffers moving in……..yay…….sounds great…….. yay
Thank you for that journey my friend. I used to go there as a kid. Takes me back. Kind of sad to see it in that condition. Makes me feel ancient (I’m 39).
My grandparents took my brother and me up to Ghost Town in The Sky back in the late 60's. The tram ride was cool, and the shootouts were fun. Great perspective from your paraglider. Tx!
This was randomly in my "recommended" feed and I'm so glad it was! I miss western North Carolina and enjoyed the awesome video of so many places I remember. Had to instantly subscribe. Thank you.
Oh my goodness. First time watching the channel. I feel a binge coming. Wow.
This sweet little place has seriously deteriorated since I saw it.
SO glad I was able to take my wife and son here in the 90s just before it was permanently gone. Ski lift up, bus back down.
Great to see an update on this place it’s one of my favorite abandoned places it’s so fascinating
I’m hoping one day soon to visit before it’s too late
do it!
Thank you so much for taking the time to visit Maggie valley. Ghost town in the sky. You definitely gave me some nostalgic feel. Gosh I remember this place. Thanks again sir
Thank You, it brings back childhood memories and I took my children and wife there while it was still in 0peration. I have a brother and a sister that was born in Sylva N.C.
I love Sylva, vacation there often.
I remember riding up that chair lift when i was a kid it was so fun to watch the western show/play
I've been here back in the early 90s also. I went here with a friend and his mom and dad. What a cool place.
I loved this video! I remember going to Ghost Town and thought it was the coolest thing ever!! I wish I could have taken my children and grandchildren. It was a blast. Thank you for sharing
I spent so many years as a kid up there... sad to see it in such disrepair. But it was so cool to see it too. Thanks for sharing your adventure!
Wow just seen this and man I sure do miss the Ghost town. It's been years or I was a little kid when I was there last sure does bring back memories. Now in my early 40s seeing it now it's so said that it's gone down. It's like Cherokee on up the road it's gone down also but thanks for sharing this walk down memory lane. God bless 🙏
I remember going up there 25 years ago with my husband, when we were just dating, and we rode an indoor scrambler in the dark with black lights and strobes. I found out the hard way that he has a sensitive stomach because he threw up popcorn and Dr. Pepper on his white jeans. I had to take the chairlift down to the gift shop and get him some shorts to put on, and bring them back up, while he waited in the restroom. He was so embarrassed, and I felt so bad for him. I could ride anything in the dark with flashing lights and beg for more, so it just didn’t occur to me that he might not be able to, or we would have skipped that one. I always enjoyed Ghost Town. Might not have had much to do, compared to other fun parks, but it was fun. Such a shame it failed, retried under different owners, and failed again.
Been there several times as a kid, used to have some of the blank cartridges they used for the gunfights..awesome memories
🤘😎🤘
Went there quite a few times when I was a kid. I remember the chair lift going up the mountain and I remember the gun fight shows. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the memories I had when I went there with my parents when I was around 10. I'm now 72, you do the math. I can still picture that place and some of the things that were there, gun fights, etc. I heard they tried to fix the place up and reopen many years ago but never got off the ground. It's a shame that today's kids can't enjoy this kind of fun. Thanks again for bringing this wonderful place back into my life.
My aunt used to take me to ghost town when I was a kid and I loved it.
I grew up going there. A friends mom was a manager so was up there all the time. Wish somebody could rebuild it.
I used to go to Ghost Town when I was a kid. It was great. I'll never understand what is inside of people that makes them want to destroy things.
Went there and Frontierland growing up in western NC. I was under the impression from other videos that it was relatively secure with cameras, security, no trespassing signs, etc. I drive by a few times a year and will send the drone up some time.
I went there as a child, it was my 1st time on a chair lift. Being from Florida, I thought it was the coolest thing ever!
Hey Mark; Really enjoyed your video, it sure brought a good memory! My wife and I were married in July of 1979 and Maggie Valley and Ghost town in the sky is where we
went on our honeymoon!
Loved that ghost town in the sky ,remember buying whips and souvenirs, watching a diver from over hundreds ft into a 14vinch deep baby pool
I also went there as a kid in the late 60s and early 70s. This brought back great memories. I appreciate you sharing this with us. BTW, the chair lift getting up there terrified me. That is definitely my strongest memory.
Great adventure...I went there as a school kid....65 now! Good adventure...good memories
ditto to the last comment. I was following your video because of interest in paramotoring but your trek around ghost town in the sky brought back some good memories. Thanks for filming it. It was special for me to see it again. Visited several times ages 8-11, sometime in the early 70's. :)
Someone should buy that property now before it degrades further. Would be much easier than starting a similar project from scratch, and it is in a great location. Thanks for sharing. And have fun paramotoring and exploring.
Somebody owns it.
@@richardcranium3579 And they've tried countless times to do something with it I heard they had some erosion issues and dhec got involved.
I am 68 now. Have photos from 1965 of my family at Ghost Town. We rode up and back on a chairlift that seemed real sketchy.
Absolutely loved this video. So many memories. I was born in 1973 and my parents took us every summer.
I was here as a kid in the early 1990’s. Warms the heart. Grandparents used to take us they passed away some 20 years now. Crazy. Thanks for the video.
I had so many good times there with my family as a kid. The anticipation of the chair lift ride to the top (that rail car never worked anytime I went there!), the shows in the theaters and the gunfights in the streets....Hurts to see her in such a sad state of disrepair. The story behind how the place got into that state is pretty interesting if you're into that sort of thing. It may not be the thriving park it once was, but the scenic views are still out of this world. And if ya think it was crazy on the ground, you can imagine what it was like on the coasters, or the chair ride that swung out over the ridge! At this point I think it's so far gone that it doesn't have a chance of being brought back, but you can never say never. I gotta admit, that's one helluva way to travel, Sir! "Go-around" takes on a whoooole new meaning!
there a good chance the rides will be sold for scalp metal and everthing else torn down.
also running them park is expensive.
1 you going to need thounds and thounds of insurnace. because you will get sued. { all the insurnace alone will make you broke}.
2.financial people you have to deal with.
3 budget people.
4. marketing people.
5 office people.
6 creative people to design shows, pardes. rides, gift shp , restaurnts and hotel. and an other group to build them.
Hey Grumpy! Do you have the story of how it fell into closure and subsequent disrepair? I am into those sorts of things, and with all these comments, I'm sure many of the old-timers would also love to hear it. It would be great if it were added to the description of the video along with @PatrickDigger3177's story from above! Thanks!
@@CaptTony107 There are better accounts out there, but as I understand it the roller coaster there failed a couple.of safety inspections. Other rides may have as well. I think that was the beginning of the end. It was gonna take millions to get everything up to par, and I believe it was even reopened for a brief period of time. If I recall correctly Jacob The Carpetbagger did a pretty good video on the place. Possibly Adam The Woo as well back from his urbex days. There are quite a few vids on RUclips about it. I travel back to Western NC with the bikes every couple of years and would love to get permission to actually RIDE up to the lot, but the opportunity to do that is probably drying up pretty quickly.
Wow!! My parents took me there back in the 70's.
It was cool watching you tour the place because it brought back memories and I had several moments where I realized that in some places that you were walking, that I had walked the same spot some 45 years ago!
Thank you for sharing, sir!
Blue skies!
I can remember taking the sky lift up in 1974 at age 12. It was also the first time to ever see a white buffalo that happened to be down below.
It was great back in its day. I have rode the roller coaster. been there for my senior party and went every summer as a kid . Great memories ty
Oh Mark, what a trip down memory lane. That was my first loop roller coaster I ever road, and the gunfight on the streets were a sight to see!!! good old Maggie Valley .
and the story on why it didn't make it was due to water.