Pop Culture | TV | Cartoons
There's An Abandoned Flintstones Park That You Yabadaba-Don't Want To Visit
There's a little-known attraction just a stone's throw from the Grand Canyon that has been getting a lot of attention lately.
While it's been hiding in plain sight for more than 40 years outside of Williams, Arizona, the internet is just learning about the existence of Bedrock City. The amusement park, which is modeled after the town of Bedrock from the classic cartoon The Flintstones, opened in 1972 and has definitely seen better days.
For just $5 per person, you can tour the park, sampling Bronto Burgers like Fred and Barney do. There are lots of rides and attractions, including replicas of the show's most popular characters and their homes. Well, at least there used to be lots of attractions like that. Over the years the park has fallen into disrepair, and it's only a shell of what it once was.
As Atlas Obscura reports, there was once six different Flintstones-themed amusement parks across America. Bedrock City itself is a spin-off from another park in South Dakota. The original park opened in 1966 and closed in 2015.
Now, the future of Bedrock City, Arizona is in jeopardy too. And these creepy photos reveal why the park's days are probably numbered...
The 30-acre park was put on sale for $2 million in 2015, and its owner Linda Speckles says she's looking to retire.
If that sounds like a high price, remember that this is commercial real estate just a few miles from one of America's biggest tourist attractions, so the land itself is worth a pretty penny. Plus, we don't blame Speckles for expecting a payout after two decades of running a (possibly haunted) amusement park single-handedly.
Unfortunately, the rights to the Flintstones theme and attractions wouldn't transfer to a new owner. So it's likely that the last Bedrock City isn't long for this world. That's a shame, because while some of the decor was creepy, it did have a few great attractions.
You could slide down a brontosaurus tail, just like on the show:
And the Fredmobile Tram would take you anywhere in the park:
There hasn't been news of a sale since the park was listed, so it's probably still open and welcoming tourists. While the park isn't much to look at, Bedrock City is still a handy campground near the canyon. And you can always visit the park's eye-searing retro website to learn more.
We just wish we could have toured this park in its heighday. Now it's only a fossil!
Share these photos with someone you know! And if you've visited Bedrock City be sure to tell us in the comments!
[H/T: Distractify, Atlas Obscura]