Celebration City was a

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

located in

Branson, Missouri Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County. Branson is in the Ozark Mountains. The community was named after Reuben Branson, postma ...

, United States. It was themed after

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in the 20th century, with areas based on

Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...

, Small-town America in the 1900s, and a beachside

boardwalk A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway built with wooden planks that enables pedestrians to cross wet, fragile, or marshy land. They are also in effect a low type of bridge ...

in the 1920s. As a "sister park" to Herschend Family Entertainment's

Silver Dollar City Silver Dollar City is a amusement park in Stone County, Missouri, near the cities of Branson and Branson West. The park is located off of Missouri Route 76 on the Indian Point peninsula of Table Rock Lake. Silver Dollar City opened on May 1, 19 ...

theme park located nearby, It was meant to continue the day where Silver Dollar City's 19th century theming left off. It opened in the afternoon into the evening, with the operating day capped off by a

laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The fir ...

and

fireworks Fireworks are a class of Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a l ...

display. The park featured many rides, shows, and attractions. Its operating season ran from May until mid-September.

History

An amusement park named Branson USA was opened on the site in 1999. It struggled in its early years and closed in 2001.

Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation Herschend Family Entertainment (HFE) is a privately owned themed-entertainment company that operates several theme parks and tourist attractions within the United States, and as of 2021, one aquarium in Vancouver, Canada. Founded by Jack and P ...

purchased it in 2002 with plans to redevelop and reopen it. It was reopened as Celebration City in 2003, after a redesign and expansion the Branson Courier reported had a cost of over $40 million. It was equipped with a laser, water, and fireworks show, a wooden roller coaster, and a brand new log flume ride in 2008. On Friday October 24, 2008, Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation announced that the park would finish out its 2008 season and not return for 2009, due to unmet financial expectations. It closed on Saturday, October 25, 2008. Herschend continues to operate the nearby

and White Water Branson parks, and in announcing the closure, stated "...the company is already exploring various new development concepts for the site including an aquarium, other family attractions, retheming the current park and also, destination retail and dining."

Rides

Since the park closed, some rides have been moved to other locations, and some remain in place. They included: *Accelerator, a S&S double shot tower, installed by

Ride Entertainment Group Ride Entertainment is a firm based in the United States specializing in the construction, sales, service, and operation of amusement rides and attractions. Divisions Sales Responsible for the sale of amusement rides, attractions and related pro ...

(which has been moved to

as Firefall)http://amusementtoday.com/backissues/May-2015-LoRes.pdf *Bumble Bee, a

kiddie ride A kiddie ride - or kids' ride - is a coin-operated amusement ride for young children. Kiddie rides are commonly available in amusement parks, arcades, malls, hotel game rooms, outside supermarkets and discount department stores. Less commonly ...

frog hopper *Chaos, a

Chance Rides Chance Rides Manufacturing is a roller coaster and amusement ride manufacturer. The company was formed on May 16, 2002, when the former Chance Industries Inc. emerged from bankruptcy. The main office and manufacturing facility are located in Wic ...

ride(removed) *Electric Star Wheel, a

Ferris wheel A Ferris wheel (also called a Giant Wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondolas, capsules ...

*Fireball, a swinging claw ride *Flying Aces, a kiddie ride *Flying Carpet, a

Cliffhanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode or a film of serialized fiction. A cliffhang ...

ride *Flying Circus, a Larson

Flying Scooters Flying Scooters, also known simply as ''Flyers'', is an amusement ride consisting of a center post with ride vehicles suspended from arms attached to the center post. The ride dates back to the 1930s and 1940s when Bisch-Rocco manufactured the ...

ride (which has been moved to

Wild Adventures Wild Adventures (known previously as Liberty Farms) is a zoological theme park in Clyattville, Georgia, which is located south of Valdosta, Georgia, United States. It is owned by Herschend Family Entertainment and has been managed by Jon Vigue ...

) *Freefall, a milder version of Accelerator *Frisco Line, a kiddie train ride *

Jack Rabbit Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live Solitary animal, solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are precociality, able to fend for themselves ...

, a

steel roller coaster A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world. Incorporating tubular steel track and polyurethane-coated whee ...

(Built by

E&F Miler Industries E&F Miler Industries (formerly Miler Coaster, Inc. and Miler Manufacturing) is a family-owned roller coaster manufacturing firm based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The company specialises in smaller children's roller coasters; however, it ha ...

in 2003 which has been moved to Fun Spot Kissimmee as Hurricane.) *Orbiter, Flying Carpet ride *

Ozark Wildcat Ozark Wildcat was a wooden roller coaster at the now-defunct Celebration City amusement park in Branson, Missouri. Manufactured by Great Coasters International, it opened to the public on May 1, 2003. After only six seasons, it permanently closed ...

, a GCI

wooden roller coaster A wooden roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its wooden track, which consists of running rails made of flat steel strips mounted on laminated wood. The support structure is also typically made of wood, but may also b ...

built in 2003. It was demolished on December 15, 2015. *Paris Wheel *Roaring Falls, a

Shoot-the-Chutes Shoot the Chute is an amusement ride consisting of a flat-bottomed boat that slides down a ramp or inside a flume into a lagoon. Unlike a log flume or super flume, which generally seats up to eight passengers, a modern-day Shoot the Chute ride ge ...

ride, it opened in 2008 and was relocated from

Geauga Lake Geauga Lake was an amusement park in Bainbridge Township and Aurora, Ohio. It was established in 1887, in what had been a local recreation area adjacent to a lake of the same name. The first amusement ride was added in 1889, and the park's fi ...

*Route 66 Speedway, a large go-kart track *Scrambler (which has been moved to

) *Shoot-D-Chute, a log flume *Stinger, a Wisdom Rides Tornado *Slick's Slightly Used Cars, bumper cars *Swing & Twirl *

Thunderbolt A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hell ...

, a steel roller coaster (relocated to

Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park is an adventure park located above Glenwood Springs, Colorado, about west of Denver. Prior to 2003, only cave tours were available until a major expansion took place. The park is unique because it sits at an alti ...

) *Vintage Carousel, a

carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...

References

{{reflist

External links

Amusement Planet Photo GalleryAerial video of abandoned park by Phantom 2 DroneHerschend Family EntertainmentSDCFans.com - A Fansite
Defunct amusement parks in the United States Buildings and structures in Taney County, Missouri 2003 establishments in Missouri 2008 disestablishments in Missouri Amusement parks opened in 2003 Amusement parks closed in 2008 Modern ruins