Crusader

Arguably one of the most photographed abandoned amusement parks of all time, Six Flags New Orleans has captured the imaginations of people around the world.

There is something about amusement parks that speaks to the inner child in all of us, and seeing one left to rot is always emotionally touching. But on the rare occasion that an amusement park is not closed due to low attendance or because something bigger and better just moved in, but instead is cut down in an instant at the height of its glory, the remains become truly haunting.

It happened with the Pripyat amusement park in Ukraine, opened for only a couple of hours before closing forever due to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. And it happened with Six Flags New Orleans, which closed its gates ahead of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, never to reopen. As tragic as Pripyat is, at least its permanent closure is understandable, as radiation levels are only now receding to the point that guided tours are permitted inside the Exclusion Zone. But what about Six Flags New Orleans? The floodwaters receded nearly 10 years ago. Why has nothing been done with the property since then?

The answers are complex and confusing, hidden in the storied culture and unusual politics of the City That Care Forgot. While we might not reach a satisfactory conclusion, let’s dig through what we know to better understand this most unlikely of amusement parks and what its future might hold.

Read the rest: Abandoned: The Heartbreaking True Story of Six Flags New Orleans | Theme Park Tourist

This was a really interesting read.

W.T. Sherman is my favorite General. After all he did order Atlanta to be burned to the ground.

SmashMouth

Sad story... Katrina did Six Flags a favor.

Not many know that Disney Word was supposed to be in New Orleans rather than Orlando. My grandfather used to tell me the story. Politics got in the way, evidently.

stickman

Good read.