The History of North Carolina's Mile-High Theme Park: Ghost Town in the Sky

In 1961, one of the best and most unique theme parks opened on top of Buck Mountain, with an elevation of 4,650 ft in the Great Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina. The popular Western-themed amusement park, founded by R.B. Coburn, would forever capture our memories and hearts for the ones who remember it.

Ghost Town in the Sky was a huge success in the 1960s until the mid-1980s, bringing some of the biggest stars to the area and welcoming over 500,000 annual visitors during its heyday. It was once famously promoted as North Carolina’s mile-high theme park, with the famous chairlift moving over 1,200 people per hour, taking visitors to the top, with a shuttle bus for the ones who were not brave enough to ride it. At the top, the park was divided into different towns and themes, with several iconic rides.

An abandoned ride from Ghost Town in the SkyPhoto byDaily Mail

But like a famous country song by Alan Jackson, the boy doesn’t always get the girl, or in this case, the cowboy, and hard times would soon hit.

In 1986, Coburn purchased the park back and constructed the famous Red Devil roller coaster in 1988, with online reports suggesting that in later years, the park suffered from mismanagement and maintenance issues, with rides breaking down frequently, causing parkgoers to stop visiting. Soon, word of mouth and the publicity it caused became too much to overcome, and attendance dwindled.

On July 16, 2002, the chairlift stopped, stranding passengers for hours. Ultimately, the park was closed and put for sale. Some have dubbed the park as a cursed amusement park through the years. There have been many efforts since to reopen Ghost Town, but to this point, all have failed.

Today, the real Ghost Town still exists as a landmark and reminder of the good old days.

Written By: John G. Clark Jr.

Photo By: Daily Mail

Sources: https://www.romanticasheville.com/ghost_town.htm

https://wbkr.com/abandoned-smoky-mountain-theme-park-is-literally-a-ghost-town/