What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the words amusement park? Happy screams of riders on the roller coaster? The sound of the roller coaster traveling down the tracks? Or, maybe the smell of all of the goodies? If you’ve ever been to Missouri’s Celebration City before it closed, you might still have those memories. The following footage will give you a glimpse into the park during its heyday and what it looks like abandoned.
Wikipedia Commons/Branson03 Celebration City, once known as Branson USA, had a brief history, compared to other amusement parks, open for a mere decade before shuttering for good in 2008. Since it’s closed, the once-vibrant amusement park has sat empty and abandoned, attracting curiosity seekers to its hallowed grounds. However, the park is on private property, so do not trespass on the grounds.
Flickr/Moose Winans During its heyday, Celebration City opened in the mid-afternoon, considerably later than its rivals, hoping to attract the evening crowds. However, that wasn’t all that set Celebration City apart from the competition. Instead of an all-day pass, riders would purchase tickets to ride the rides, like in the old days. It was perhaps best well-known for the Ozark Wildcat, an epic wooden coaster.
Wikipedia/Branson03 Despite the fireworks show that ended each evening and the more than a dozen different rides, an assortment of games, and food, Celebration City just didn’t take off and permanently shut down in 2008.
Today, it’s simply a part of Missouri history. Although the public isn’t allowed to visit the grounds on which this celebrated amusement park sits, we can get a glimpse of it through photos and video.
Check out the video below of an abandoned Celebration City in drone footage captured in 2015.
Wikipedia Commons/Branson03
Celebration City, once known as Branson USA, had a brief history, compared to other amusement parks, open for a mere decade before shuttering for good in 2008. Since it’s closed, the once-vibrant amusement park has sat empty and abandoned, attracting curiosity seekers to its hallowed grounds. However, the park is on private property, so do not trespass on the grounds.
Flickr/Moose Winans
During its heyday, Celebration City opened in the mid-afternoon, considerably later than its rivals, hoping to attract the evening crowds. However, that wasn’t all that set Celebration City apart from the competition. Instead of an all-day pass, riders would purchase tickets to ride the rides, like in the old days. It was perhaps best well-known for the Ozark Wildcat, an epic wooden coaster.
Wikipedia/Branson03
Despite the fireworks show that ended each evening and the more than a dozen different rides, an assortment of games, and food, Celebration City just didn’t take off and permanently shut down in 2008.
Today, it’s simply a part of Missouri history. Although the public isn’t allowed to visit the grounds on which this celebrated amusement park sits, we can get a glimpse of it through photos and video.
If you’d like to relive a little of the happy days, click below to watch footage that includes images from Celebration City’s early days as well as an in-depth park of the tour just a few years ago.
Were you in Celebration City in Missouri before it closed? What was it like? Share your experience in the comments! Next time you’re suffering from wanderlust, follow this thrilling road trip to the six most abandoned places in Missouri.
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Address: 1383 MO-376, Branson, MO 65616, USA
The OIYS Visitor Center
Abandoned Places In Missouri February 03, 2023 Beth Price-Williams Are there any other abandoned places in Missouri? Celebration City is just one of the many abandoned places in Missouri. Some you can visit and some you can’t. Here are a few more abandoned places in Missouri:
Like Celebration City, you can’t visit Indian Ridge Resort near Branson. However, you can catch a glimpse of this abandoned resort in Missouri from the nearby highway. Building began on this luxury condo complex, but a series of unfortunate events meant it was simply abandoned before it was finished. Get a glimpse of Renz Penitentiary, which has been left abandoned and to decay since it closed in the early 1990s. You can’t explore the grounds of this abandoned prison in Missouri, but you can marvel at it from the nearby road. Once a thriving town, Times Beach’s happy days quickly ended when hazardous material was discovered in the town. Residents fled, and the town was abandoned. The abandoned town in Missouri, however, was destined to become a popular Missouri state park years later. Slip on your hiking boots and follow a picturesque path to an abandoned fort in Missouri. The Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City permanently closed in 2004, but some residents never left. One of the most haunted places in Missouri, this abandoned prison draws ghost hunters from near and far with its ghost tours.
There are plenty of abandoned places you can visit in Missouri too. When you’re up for an adventure, take this road trip to the six most abandoned places in Missouri.
The OIYS Visitor Center
Abandoned Places In Missouri
February 03, 2023
Beth Price-Williams
Are there any other abandoned places in Missouri? Celebration City is just one of the many abandoned places in Missouri. Some you can visit and some you can’t. Here are a few more abandoned places in Missouri:
Like Celebration City, you can’t visit Indian Ridge Resort near Branson. However, you can catch a glimpse of this abandoned resort in Missouri from the nearby highway. Building began on this luxury condo complex, but a series of unfortunate events meant it was simply abandoned before it was finished. Get a glimpse of Renz Penitentiary, which has been left abandoned and to decay since it closed in the early 1990s. You can’t explore the grounds of this abandoned prison in Missouri, but you can marvel at it from the nearby road. Once a thriving town, Times Beach’s happy days quickly ended when hazardous material was discovered in the town. Residents fled, and the town was abandoned. The abandoned town in Missouri, however, was destined to become a popular Missouri state park years later. Slip on your hiking boots and follow a picturesque path to an abandoned fort in Missouri. The Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City permanently closed in 2004, but some residents never left. One of the most haunted places in Missouri, this abandoned prison draws ghost hunters from near and far with its ghost tours.
There are plenty of abandoned places you can visit in Missouri too. When you’re up for an adventure, take this road trip to the six most abandoned places in Missouri.
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
Celebration City is just one of the many abandoned places in Missouri. Some you can visit and some you can’t. Here are a few more abandoned places in Missouri:
- Like Celebration City, you can’t visit Indian Ridge Resort near Branson. However, you can catch a glimpse of this abandoned resort in Missouri from the nearby highway. Building began on this luxury condo complex, but a series of unfortunate events meant it was simply abandoned before it was finished.
- Get a glimpse of Renz Penitentiary, which has been left abandoned and to decay since it closed in the early 1990s. You can’t explore the grounds of this abandoned prison in Missouri, but you can marvel at it from the nearby road.
- Once a thriving town, Times Beach’s happy days quickly ended when hazardous material was discovered in the town. Residents fled, and the town was abandoned. The abandoned town in Missouri, however, was destined to become a popular Missouri state park years later.
- Slip on your hiking boots and follow a picturesque path to an abandoned fort in Missouri.
- The Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City permanently closed in 2004, but some residents never left. One of the most haunted places in Missouri, this abandoned prison draws ghost hunters from near and far with its ghost tours.
There are plenty of abandoned places you can visit in Missouri too. When you’re up for an adventure, take this road trip to the six most abandoned places in Missouri.
