Land of Oz
Location: North Carolina
Year: 1970
Cost: $5 million*
The abandoned Land of Oz amusement park in North Carolina is among the eeriest places on Earth. Jack Pentes built the $5 million resort based on the 1939 film and novels. Over 44,000 bricks were glazed yellow to provide theme park visitors the best Oz experience. In 1970, Disney Star Wars star Carrie Fisher opened the park, but calamity struck in 1975. A fire destroyed two buildings with most of the equipment. After 5 years of struggle, the park closed in 1980 and sat idle for 40 years. The park had restricted open days in 2019 after some restoration. On select days each year, guests can wander around areas of the theme park to experience its heyday. Though still in progress, Dorothy and her friends have not been forgotten.
Land Of Oz
The Aquatics Stadium
Location: Rio de Janeiro
Year: 2014
Cost: $38 million*
Rio de Janeiro spent much building a world-class Aquatics Stadium for the swimming and water polo finals after winning the 2016 Olympics bid. You must look sharp to appear on Comcast’s NBC Sports. The venue cost $38 million to build, starting in 2014. The building required a lot of money and labor. The government promised to reuse the facility or salvage the pool after 2016, but they never did. The entire building is abandoned and deteriorating. Unfortunately, this Olympic construction isn’t the only one that’s suffered following the games. In subsequent years, many host towns have struggled to repurpose games buildings.
The Aquatics Stadium
