Boblo Island Amusement Park, Amherstburg, Ontario
Boblo Island Amusement Park opened in Ontario all the way back in 1898. 18 miles away from Detroit, thousands of people used to climb onto 2 excursion boats – the SS Ste Claire and the SS Columbia, to island for a day of family fun.
But in the early ’90s, the boats were sold, and the park closed just a few years later in 1993. Before it’s closure, it held a host of fun rides, including the standard carousel and Ferris wheel, along with some thrill rides like the Nightmare and the Falling Star.
Consonno
This quiet little town in Italy only had a population of a few hundred people, despite its location about an hour outside of bustling Milan. But in the early 1960s, the town was purchased by Count Mario Bagno, who wanted to turn Consonno into a lavish resort town. The plans were so elaborate, in fact, that he had a name for his vision: City of Toys. He had plans for all kinds of entertainment venues, a racetrack, casinos, hotels, and arcades.
It was a popular area throughout the late ’60s, along with the ’70s and ’80s. But the area was never quite finished, and the owner lost interest (and money,) leaving an interesting ghost town behind.
Pyramiden, Norway
Pyramiden is a little coal mining settlement in Norway that has been abandoned for several years. It was originally discovered by Sweden in 1910 and sold to the Soviet Union in 27’. Since it was a popular area for mining, there were around 1,000 people living in the town at one point.
Residents and anyone passing through could enjoy a local theater, library, art studios, and a 24/hour cantina. In 1998, the last bit of coal was pulled from the mines and the last resident packed it up and left. Since 2007, the trust company that owns the area has been renovating it in hopes to turn it into a new tourist center.
Camelot Theme Park, Lancashire
This theme park was medieval themed and based on the legend of Sir Lancelot, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The park opened in 1983 and was popular among families with young children. Owned by a group known as Knights Leisure, the park announced it would be closing its doors in 2012.
Since 2014, 2 attempts have been made by someone attempting to purchase the land to develop it for real estate, but both have failed. Many of the rides are still standing, but they are crumbling away and have not been operational for years.
Pabst Hotel, NYC
Pabst Brewing Company went on a buying spree in the 1890’s where they purchased multiple hotels and restaurants to incorporate their brand into the local nightlife. And so was born the luxurious Pabst Hotel in New York City.
The hotel was centrally located between 7th Avenue and Broadway and sat there for a few years until 1902, when the New York Times had it demolished to make room for their offices. Another one of the Pabst hotels, Frank Clayton’s Pabst Loop Hotel on Coney Island, burned down in 1908. Well, at least they’ve still got their beer, right?