Maggie Valley ponders identity with Ghost Town
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As Maggie Valley business owners and leaders look toward the town’s future, it is unclear how large a role town leaders realistically expect the amusement park Ghost Town in the Sky to play. During the 1970s and 80s, Ghost Town was a boom, bringing tens of thousands of tourists to the valley, but the next decade brought a decline in both attendance and the maintenance of the park. It eventually closed in 2002, briefly reopened under new ownership, only to shut down again.
Read more from The Smokey Mountain News.
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This story is interesting from the perspective of how many communities simply do not support "amusement/entertainment parks" when they really are a big boost to local taxes as tourists spend money at the local gas station or hotel or restaurant...you name it.
A perfect example in Ohio is Aurora/Bainbridge and their complete lack of interest or support when Geauga Lake/SeaWorld/Six Flags were present. At this point with WWK, they treat it as if it doesn't even exist. Frankly, I find it to be shameful and yet another example of completely incompetent government, especially Aurora elected officials.
In the case of Ghost Town and Maggie Valley, the one thing I know about that region is there is already a built-in tourist base with Asheville, NC nearby. I could easily see a small water park being successful at the base of the mountain to accompany the entertainment features at the top. It will be interesting to see if this is the direction the choose to take the park.
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