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With summer in full swing, theme parks make for popular vacation destinations unto themselves. However, the heat, noise, crowds and lines don’t deter devout ghost enthusiasts from turning theme park excursions into Haunt Jaunts.
Take Jessica from Ghost Stories and Haunted Places, for instance. She’s a perfect example. She’s definitely a Haunt Jaunter at heart. She’s down in Orlando looking for ghosts. On a visit to Islands of Adventure she ended up finding an unexpected haunted attraction in Posiedon’s Temple.
Posiedon’s Temple is an awesome haunted attraction. However, I’m not sure there are any claims of actual paranormal activity of the non-FX variety.
If you’re searching for a haunted theme park, though, I do know there have been claims of activity in the following:
- Disneyland – Julie at Above the Norm wrote a great post called “The Happiest Haunted Place on Earth” detailing the paranormal activity in Mickey’s Kingdom. (I have to add, I just loved that title. I thought it was so clever!)
- Disney World – According to an article posted on Unexplainable.net, there have been reports of apparitions hanging around attractions in EPCOT Center (Spaceship Earth) and haunting Disney’s MGM Studios Tower of Terror. People have died on some of the rides, so I see how it’s possible they might still be sticking around.
- Six Flags Over Georgia – Shawdowlands lists not one, not two, but three alleged ghosts within the park: one at the gas station in the parking lot, another at the Crystal Pistol Music Hall, and also at the railroad running within the park. Paranormalknowledge.com also shared a creepy story about the park. If you see a little girl following after you who gets you to follow her into the woods but then disappears, congratulations. You’ve met one of the park’s ghosts!
- Six Flags over Texas – According to a list of haunted locations in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, an apparition of a girl has been seen near the candy store by the park’s entrance. It is thought to be the ghost of a girl who drowned in Johnson’s Creek in the early 1900s.
- Kings Island – I found a couple of great articles about Kings Island’s haunted history, including one by Jennifer Eblin about the ghosts of Kings Island and a more detailed one by Scary for Kids about two of the park’s more legendary ghosts, Tower Johnny and Tram Girl. Eblin’s article also referenced a little known cemetery within the park’s property with markers dating back to the 1830s. Something you gravers out there might like to search for if you hadn’t already previously found it.
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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If only I had the cash to travel right now. These would be awesome to go to. Why couldn’t my local six flags be haunted! Hmmm, maybe it is. I used to be called Elitch Gardens. They had orchestra,big band, swing concerts and dances from way back. I’m gonna have to look into it!
Thanks for the post!
Mommy D
You know, the only park I ever felt that in was Busch Gardens in VA and Kings Dominion in VA. I don’t know what it is about amusement parks in that state, but they always feel uber haunted and have a weird feeling to them, especially King’s Dominion around the Rebel Yell ride… I actually would make my friends meet me somewhere else so I didn’t have to loiter there. Wonder if they’re haunted? They should be!
Mommy D: I LOVED the old Elitch’s!!!! What a big deal that was to get to go there. I have super fond memories of that place. I was crushed when I heard they were closing it down and then moved it. That old location was awesome. Lots of atmosphere and charm. I would not be one bit surprised if it had some ghost stories. Is Lakeside still going? Growing up there were rumors about it. (Someone being decapitated on the roller coaster, the head falling in the water, and them roaming the grounds looking for it.) But that was back when I was a kid, in the 70s. And you know how kids are with their tall tales to try and scare/gross each other out!
Sharon: OOOO! I’d love to go to Busch Gardens in VA! I didn’t see it come up on any lists right away. That’s one to look into. And you actually made me drop my mouth. I can’t see you being too scared to wait somewhere else!!!!!!
Jason: HI! Thanks for the comment. I agree with you about Disney World. Some of the people you mentioned having died there were kids. Many of the ghost sightings are kids. Makes sense. Imagine how confused their souls must be. There they were at the happiest place on earth not expecting it to be their last day on earth. Can see how they’d get trapped there. A little boy died on one of the Epcot rides shortly after we first moved to FL. I always thought that was so sad and thought of him every time we’d go visit. I liked you’re assessment of maybe why they might invoke those feelings if there was not an actual ghost to explain it.
Agreed! Well said, Jason!
Fun! I’ll look at 6 flags over Georgia. I’m doing the hauntes of Disney this week at my blog! Great list.
How fun, Jessica! I’ll look forward to that. Thanks for the FYI advanced preview!