30 photos of abandoned amusement parks around the US that will give you the chills

Amateur builder R.W. Bishop purchased 14 acres in North Toledo in 2000 and transformed the land into an amusement park that he called "Enchanted Forest Playland."

Despite Bishop's hopes, attendance never picked up enough to sustain the park, and five years after its grand opening, the Enchanted Forest Playground officially shut down.

The overgrown trees have taken over the isolated clown ride.

The Fun Spot Amusement Park and Zoo opened its doors to the public in 1956. For the most part, the park catered to tourists exploring Indiana's northern lakes, and it managed to grow and expand over the years.

The Matterhorn ride, pictured above, was supposed to simulate an Olympic bobsled race — now, it looks like an arena in ruins.

Now, there are no guests to fill any of the parks.

The amusement park's hours of operation were sporadic and unpredictable near the end.

The park blamed "the economy" for its closure.

A sign at the entrance of the park reads "Closed for Storm" several years later.

The Six Flags company terminated their lease and gave the park up to the City of New Orleans following the hurricane.

Hurricane Katrina's calamitous reach spanned multiple cities, but it primarily affected New Orleans; nearly 20,000 people were displaced and relocated to the city's Superdome, and 1,833 people died in the aftermath.

Several Hollywood films have used the ruinous landscape to their advantage, like "Jurassic World" and "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes."

The park was founded in 1949 and was owned by several different families and corporations over the decades until an incident concerning the park's Ferris wheel served as a catalyst for Joyland's eventual demise.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission investigated the incident and the park closed for the 2004 season before permanently shutting down in 2006.

Vandals are common in these types of parks.

The park was called Disney River Country and ceased operations in 2001 after Disney's second and third water parks, called Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach respectively, became more popular attractions for guests.

Disney was initially willing to reopen the park if there was "enough guest demand," which could explain the company's decision to forgo hypothetical demolition plans. Now, a sense of abandonment permeates the once-lively waterpark.

You can find more photos of the ghostly Disney World venue in Lawless' photo series "Dismaland."

The eastern Pennsylvania theme park opened its doors in 1902 until a series of floods overtook the property in 2007, damaging it beyond what owner Neal Fehnel could repair.

Bushkill Park's website still reads: "The owners of Bushkill Park are working hard to repair the damage that has been done by the floods and other means."

Fehnel's hope is to have the rides back up and running soon.

The park, which opened in 1970 — 31 years after the release of the "Wizard of Oz" film — closed in 1980 after its owner passed away and a fire destroyed the site's Emerald City.

The eerie Land of Oz reopened in 1991 for a single day for curious visitors, and locals maintain the premises enough to run an annual Autumn in Oz event.

At the height of its popularity, the park had three operational roller coasters, a carousel, a ballroom, and more.

Rides are ensnared by trees and strewn throughout the landscape.

Funtime Incorporated purchased the park in 1969; 31 years later, Geauga Lake received a $40 million expansion and became Six Flags Ohio from 2000 to 2004.

Six Flag's reign didn't last long; Cedar Fair acquired the park from 2004 to 2007 and invested $26 million. They eventually renamed it "Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom."

The Wildwater Kingdom section continued to operate until the 2016 season.

The park, which was built on the site of a Native American burial ground in 1926 in Princeton, West Virginia, was repurchased by a man named Gaylord White in 1985.

The Ferris wheel and swing ride are all that remains of the park.

Since closing, the park has been featured on the Discovery Channel's "GhostLab," as well as the Travel Channel's "The Most Terrifying Places in America."

You can buy Lawless' book, "Abandoned: Hauntingly Beautiful Deserted Theme Parks" on Amazon here, and follow Lawless here.

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