# Freedomland **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 12, 2002, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedomland/97766 "2002-03-12T02:56:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2002, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedomland/97766/1 "2002-03-12T02:56:56Z")
Here’s one that will show my age. If you’re under thirty, this will robably come as a major surprise. Did you know tht there was once a “Theme Park” that was _bigger_ that Disneyland? (This as before Disney World in Orlando, or any of the other Disney parks). It was located _inside_ New York City (!), and had a stage that featured major shw biz acts. It was built in the shape of the United States (no joke), and had different sections themed after those parts – Old New York, The High Plains, etc. It was called **Freedomland** , and it operated fr about three years before it went out of business. It was killed by insufficient turnout (there’s a reason Disney’s parks, at least in the US, are in the South. Freedomland had to close in the winter) and competition from the 1964-65 World’s Fair. But it was interesting while it lasted. I visited a few times as a kid. Someone has set up a website devoted to it, here: [http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/robfriedman/](http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/robfriedman/) _fixed italics tags - ub_ ---
**Author:** ![aseymayo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@aseymayo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aseymayo)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2002, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedomland/97766/2 "2002-03-12T06:40:15Z")
Aw come on, we’re not _that_ old! I remember Freedomland. I remember being scared as hell at the Great Chicago Fire reenactment (which I think flared up every hour on the hour) and I remember fighting with my brother and sister over who got to be a Reb and who got to be a Yank ( I’m pretty sure I’ve still got an official Johnny Reb forage cap around here somewhere.) What I don’t remember are any actual fun rides - which may be the real reason the park closed! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2002, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedomland/97766/3 "2002-03-13T03:07:50Z")
> [@](#): > > What I don’t remember are any actual fun rides - which may be the real reason the park closed! What? You don’t remember the **Twister** ride? It had a flying cow and everything (_decads_ before that **Twister** movie…) And according to the **Freedomland** site, it still exists in upstate New York. Might be worth going to see… Me, at the time, I liked the Bucket ride and the Steamboat. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2002, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedomland/97766/4 "2002-03-13T03:42:58Z")
How very odd. I’ve been to the Great Escape a few times, and I don’t remember _ever_ seeing the Tornado - or the Ghost Mines. I have ridden on the log flume, though, and distinctly remember being creeped out by the guy spinning on the log. ---
**Author:** ![aseymayo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@aseymayo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aseymayo)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedomland/97766/5 "2002-03-14T07:39:40Z")
Holy flying cow! After a more in-depth look at the linked site, I see there was lots of stuff we missed! I blame my grandfather - he took us and he somehow managed to steer us away from anything remotely fun. Come to think of it, he took us to the World’s Fair on another visit and we didn’t find out about the midway until we were on the way out! I’m going to have to tell my brother about this. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedomland/97766/6 "2002-03-14T17:45:15Z")
I’m 41 and grew up in New York City. I vaguely recall going to Freedomland as a little kid, and my Mom has old films of me there when I was 3 or 4. However, as I recall, the whole park was demolished and replaced with a huge co-op apartment complex in the late Sixties. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedomland/97766/7 "2002-03-14T18:09:25Z")
> [@](#): > > However, as I recall, the whole park was demolished and replaced with a huge co-op apartment complex in the late Sixties. Quite right – Co-op City. See the link I posted in the OP.