MAGGIE VALLEY, N.C. — With the summer travel season here, many of will be heading to the beach or the mountains or some other family friendly destination. But years ago, that destination for many families was Ghost Town in Maggie Valley, NC.
Many people in the region made the drive to the mountain town to get a glimpse of the old west. And while that amusement park is now closed, Ghost Town is still there and there's talk of bringing it back.
When the western theme park opened in 1961 it quickly became a popular tourist destination. It featured buildings made to look like ones from the Old West (including a saloon and a church), staged gunfights on the streets of the town, concerts, and rides, including in later years a roller coaster.
"When Ghost Town first opened it was a huge attraction in this area bringing people in from all over the Southeast who wanted to experience the Wild West but in the mountains of North Carolina," explained Dave Angel, a former member of the Maggie Valley Chamber of Commerce.
But time hasn't been kind to Ghost Town. Over the years, the park has opened and closed several times, never quite being able to recreate the magic of yesteryear. All that's left are rotting buildings, old amusement rides and memories of better days.
"It's been several years since the park was actually opened and maintained," Angel said. "Over the years there's been damage from mother nature and unfortunately people have had bad intentions that have vandalized the park."
Angel lives just outside the gates of Ghost Town and is constantly catching trespassers on the property---some sight seeing, others looking for a souvenir. In fact, while News19 was there for a story, nearly a dozen trespassers were told to leave.
"Hundreds of people are arrested every year," he said. Hundreds of cars are towed every year from the park. it is private property and we want to preserve it for the future."
Preserve it for the future? Does that mean ghost town is making a comeback? That remains to be seen. A developer wants to reopen Ghost Town with a nod to its past but also keeping today's generation in mind. He's hired Matt Furgeson with Storyland Studios to get the ball rolling.
"Our team at Storyland Studios is a group of former Disney Imagineers and creative folks and we now get to create theme parks for other organization," Furgeson said. "At the core of everything we do is storytelling, so we don't just want to have rides people hop on that are standard and can be found everywhere. We want rides that speak to the story of the Maggie Valley region and surrounding Smoky Mountains as well as the western heritage Ghost Town gives a nod to."
Sally Blanton is the co-owner of the nearby Five Star Inn in Maggie Valley, and welcomes that idea. "It would be the shot in the arm Maggie Valley needs. it's literally almost become a ghost town."
She said while reopening Ghost Town would do wonders for the economy, it would also give those who experienced the theme park years ago a chance to make new memories with loved ones.
"The number of people who post on Facebook and social media about how much they want it to come back, they would love to make memories with their children and grandchildren," Blanton said. "It would be what Maggie Valley needs."
And if Ghost Town were to eventually reopen, there's hope that people from around the region and country will make the trip to Maggie Valley, just like many of did in the 60s, 70s, and 80s.
"We obviously know that a market for us is the Midlands area," said Angel. "In fact on I-26 outside of Columbia you will see a billboard that says come experience the magic of Maggie Valley. We've always recognized that as one of our key markets and guests that we'd love to see come ton this area on a regular basis."
News19 was told by those involved with the project that if the effort to revive Ghost Town is successful, it would 4 to 5 years before the gates to the park would open once again.
