Ghost Town in the Sky was a Wild West-themed amusement park in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, USA. An unusual aspect of this park is that it is located atop a mountain which can only be accessed by visitors via a 3,370-foot-long chair lift or an inclined funicular railway. These start at the parking area beside Jonathan Creek at an elevation of 3,150 feet, climbing to the lower level of the park at 4,400 feet, a climb of 1,250 feet. The recreated "Ghost Town" sits at 4,600 feet, with the highest elevation in the park being about 4,650 feet. The park was located on a border to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The park's entrance was located on U.S. Highway 19, the main road through the town. Ghost Town is promoted as "North Carolina's mile-high theme park". As of July 24, 2010, the park is completely closed and shows no sign of any upkeep

Old news Widder, old news!  They've been opened and closed off and on since 2007.  They owe too many contractors in Maggie Valley for work and the new owners had to foreclose.  Sad all the way around.  Been there more times than I can remember throughout my life.  Soco Gardens Zoo also closed in 2007.


Why did you title this thread the Town Of Mayberry Theme Park?    It's not going to be turned into one, that's for sure.

http://discovermaggievalley.com/_ghost/ghostown/ghtostrb.htm
I was just looking at this link and the facade could easily be turned into downtown Matberry, the rollercoaster and other rides could be made to look like 1964 fords and such. while Mayberry would not draw return customers, the theme park would. I was just thinking out loud. ::)

A Town Of Mayberry attraction sounds great........
but..........it won't work. Due to the tremendous amount of capital required. There would not be enough guest, repeat guest, and new interest fans to keep it going.  sorry... I have spent a fortune in time and funds to come to this conclusion........

It's a grand idea, but the US is full of defunct amusement parks like this and Dogpatch USA. 

Sad, but true.

The odd thing is that this page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_town_in_the_sky
claims the roller coaster,  "Shockwave", was purchased from Six Flags Great America at Gurnee, Illinois, and is in storage at Ghost town, North Carolina.

But this page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shockwave_%28Six_Flags_Great_America%29'
claims "Shockwave" is in storage at Gurnee.

This page:
http://www.rcdb.com/4.htm
Says the trains have been moved to other Six Flags facilities and the tracks are either still in storage and / or scrapped.

Curious.  :-?

I have often wondered whether "Ghost Town" was still around, as I fondly recall a childhood visit in the early 1960's, including riding the inclined railway.   I still have a number of family photos from the trip, including at least one shot taken on the incline.

(Is there still hope for Ghost Town?    See http://www.screamscape.com/html/ghost_town_in_the_sky.htm )

Update:   This post inspired me to dig out and scan some old family photos shot at Ghost Town, as it turns out, only a month after the attraction first opened in 1961.

Here is a shot of the inclined funicular railway that led to the top:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/retroweb/6280739492/in/photostream

...and here is a shot of what appears to be the amusement area still under construction:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/retroweb/6280739722/in/photostream/

follow the Newer and Older links to see additional photos, including the western town facades.

imagineer wrote on Oct 4^th, 2011 at 9:48pm:

A Town Of Mayberry attraction sounds great........ but..........it won't work. Due to the tremendous amount of capital required. There would not be enough guest, repeat guest, and new interest fans to keep it going.  sorry... I have spent a fortune in time and funds to come to this conclusion........

To call yours merely a "noble effort" would be quite the understatement.   As many here did, I followed your efforts with high interest, and knowing your attention to detail and intentions with regard to accuracy, I had hopes of one day walking through a re-creation in Western NC of at least a portion of the 40 Acres backlot.    Perhaps in a different day and time, and in a different economy...it would have worked.

retro wrote on Oct 25^th, 2011 at 4:50am:

additional photos

WOW, that was neat-O!
Is the little fellow in shorts and the tablecloth shirt you Retro?