Monday, August 11, 2008

Theme Park Ghosts


Is there anything quite as eerie as a haunted amusement park? These theme parks are where we go to create fantastic memories with our loved ones, the last thing we want to think about is death, or ghosts, but the unfortunate does happen. Though accidents are rare, the sheer number of people who ride the rollercoaster, and other thrill rides, do lead to a few unfortunate deaths every year. For this reason, it shouldn’t come as any big surprise that there may be a few haunted theme parks.
Don’t panic! The next time you visit a theme park you will likely have a great time with no mishaps at all, but it is an unfortunate fact that accidents can and do happen, and not all theme park visitors leave the parks alive.
First we will visit the famous ghosts of King’s Island located in Cincinnati Ohio. Legend has it that there is a young girl, about six years old, who is buried on the property and can sometimes be seen late at night in the parking lot area. She wears a blue dress, and makes a habit of running about and scaring the tram drivers, as well as several motorists.
Another theme park ghost attributed to King’s Island is that of a small boy who walks along the tracks of the racer. Most often it is the King’s Island guests that report seeing a boy dressed all in white, and walking on the tracks.
Woody from the White Water Canyon ride is said to scare those who work in the towers along the ride’s route. He throws rocks at the windows and doors. No one is absolutely sure who Woody really is, but it could possible be a young man who was killed there in 1983.
What about the happiest place on earth? Could there be ghosts lurking about one of the world’s favorite theme parks?
At night when all the visitors have left the park, a young boy is said to haunt the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Employees have caught glimpses of him riding in boats that were supposed to be empty.
Another area of Disneyland that is purported to be very haunted is Tom Sawyer Island. When the park is closed, many employees have reported seeing and hearing children on the island, but they are unable to locate anyone when they go to the island to investigate.
Another famous specter said to haunt the park is that of an unknown entity who has been seen lurking around Sleeping Beauty’s Castle after closing time, but again nobody can be found when employees are sent to investigate.
Now on to Six Flags Magic Mountain, and its ghost legends. Here we meet the ghost of a former employee who is said to haunt the Revolution. This unfortunate employee stepped onto the tracks and was hit. The eerie feelings and odd happenings on this ride could be this employee still hanging around the last place she worked.
With so many legends of haunted theme parks, the happiest places on earth may also be some of the most haunted. Though this is only a short list of theme park ghosts, it is very likely that there are ghost legends associated with nearly every theme park. So the next time you visit one, imagine what it would be like if you were there alone, after closing. What ghosts would be lurking about?