My Park Hopping Podcast sign-off was usually some variation of this…
“So the next time you’re there, be sure to take an extra picture and shoot some extra video because you never know when something you like, love or hate will go away and never be around again…”
Over the decades, there have been many things I decided to skip during a visit that ended up being shut down or removed by the time I made a return visit.
But I never expected it would be an entire amusement park.
In May 2007, we make a road trip to visit the Oklahoma Renaissance Festival. On Sunday afternoon, we headed back on the eight hour drive home. I was aware of the new Wild West World amusement park opening in Kansas, and we considered making a detour to go see it. Due to the long drive home, it would have had to be a short visit so we decided to skip it this time and come back to see it later.
Later never happened. Wild West World closed less than two months after it opened. Here is the Wikipedia entry for the park:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_West_World
This has been one of my regrets. It would have been a visit to an amusement park that few people know about, and even fewer people ever got to see.
Here is the flyer for the park:
If you have ever been to Iowa’s Aventureland, you may spot something familiar. Wild West World used a photo of Adventureland’s River Rapids log flume ride (with the logo replaced) and a photo of Adventureland’s Sidewinder ride. I think the tea cups ride may even be from Adventureland.
When I first picked up this flyer, I recall contacting Adventureland to ask about it. They were aware, and had given permission for this new park to use some photos from Adventureland. Nice.
I am posting this for the search engines… Did you get to visit Will West Park during the two months it was open? Leave a comment and let us know.
Until next time…