Description: RIP - 1978-1981 Big "O" housed one of the most famous pools in skateboarding history -- the capsule -- that saw skateboarding airs first hit the 6' barrier by Dave Andrecht in one of the gnarliest skate contests ever seen ('80 Hester Series). It also included a clover pool and small keyhole along with an array of great snake runs and small bowls. Coming out of nowhere were two identical 3/4 pipes that laid right next to each other. Big "O" locals included "Master of Disaster" Duane Peters, Carabeth Burnside, Ray "Bones" Rodriguez and Bob Serafin.
Description: Circus World was a theme park built north of Haines City, Florida in Polk County, on the south-east corner of the Interstate 4-US 27 interchange. It was originally a property of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Combined Shows Inc., and was intended additionally to be the circus's winter headquarters as well as to have the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College and its museum located there.
Description: Malibu Grand Prix is an entertainment company that was popular during the 1970s and 1980s as a franchised miniature indy car racing track. The typical complex included a 3000-4000 sq ft. arcade with a concession stand and a race track outside, covering around 10,000 to 20,000 sq ft altogether. It was acquired by Warner Communications in 1976 which in turn sold it in late 1983 to a group of Canadian developers and a local entrepreneur whose background included Chuck E. Cheese’s. There were a total of 40 locations at the time of acquisition including 32 tracks and 8 family entertainment centers featuring miniature golf, batting cages, bumper boats and more.
Description: Boardwalk and Baseball was a theme park built near Haines City, Florida, at the south-east corner of the Interstate 4-US 27 interchange. It replaced Circus World at the same location, and was owned by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Park Group (now Harcourt, a division of Reed Elsevier). It opened in April 1987, and closed January 17, 1990. The park recycled many of Circus World's rides and exhibits. The petting zoos were removed, the rides and shows were rethemed, and Baseball City Stadium was built on the site. Although the park was considered superior to its predecessor, it was predicted to fail by industry observers at the grand opening. Its relatively standard rides were considered no match as a Walt Disney World competitor.
Description: In 1954, a new brewery was opened in Van Nuys. The company opened one of the modern Busch Gardens parks at this site in 1966 that included boat rides, a monorail designed into a brewery tour, and free beer. The park expanded to 5 acres in 1972 with a log flume ride and a sky trolley. The 17-acre amusement park was renamed Busch Bird Sanctuary in 1977 and closed in 1979. The birds were moved to the nearby Los Angeles Zoo and the Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Williamsburg locations. The site of the Van Nuys theme park is currently a Bud Light facility and one of the remnants of the park is the footbridge connecting to the 1972 expansion.
Description: Frontier Village was a 39-acre amusement park in San Jose, California, that operated from 1961 to September 1980. It was located at 4885 Monterey Road, at the intersection with Branham Lane. The site is now Edenvale Garden Park, next to Hayes Mansion, and was once part of the sprawling Hayes Family Estate
Description: Heritage USA opened in 1978, and by 1986, it attracted nearly 6 million visitors annually and employed around 2,500 people. The facilities included the 501-room Heritage Grand Hotel, the attraction Main Street USA, an indoor shopping complex, the Heritage Village Church, Upper Room, a 400-unit campground, The Jerusalem Amphitheater, conference facilities, King's Castle, a skating rink, prayer and counseling services, cable television production studios, Bible and evangelism school, visitor retreat housing, staff and volunteer housing, timeshares and the Heritage Island water park and recreational facilities. It was the third-largest theme park by attendance, with 4.9 million visitors per year, behind only Walt Disney World in Orlando,
Description: Marineland of the Pacific was a public oceanarium and tourist attraction located on the Palos Verdes Peninsula coast in Los Angeles County, California, USA. Architect William Pereira designed the main structure. It was also known as Hanna-Barbera's Marineland during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Marineland operated from 1954 until 1987, when it was purchased by the owners of SeaWorld San Diego. The new owners moved the popular killer whales and other animals to their San Diego facility and abruptly closed Marineland.
Description: Pacific Ocean Park was a 28-acre, nautical-themed amusement park built on a pier at Pier Avenue in the Ocean Park section of Santa Monica, California in 1958. Intended to compete with Disneyland, it replaced Ocean Park Pier (1926-1956). After it closed and fell into disrepair, the park and pier anchored the Dogtown area of Santa Monica.
