Uh, because throwback Trip-Reports are cool?
When digging around one of my external hard drives, I found all my photos from 2005 including some from an amazing trip I was on across the Midwestern US and decided to make a post for Libertyland, one of the parks visited on that trip, 10 years ago. 2005 also happened to be the parks final season and while unknown at the time, it was pretty clear the parks days were indeed numbered.
When digging around one of my external hard drives, I found all my photos from 2005 including some from an amazing trip I was on across the Midwestern US and decided to make a post for Libertyland, one of the parks visited on that trip, 10 years ago. 2005 also happened to be the parks final season and while unknown at the time, it was pretty clear the parks days were indeed numbered.
Libertyland on June 4th, 2005.
10 years ago, today.
10 years ago, today.
My first park visit in Tennessee and my most western park, at the time.
Libertyland park map.
Zippin Pippin was the parks star attraction. And as the sign says, was Elvis' favorite ride.
It was also the second oldest coaster in the world at the time
(based off the 1912 stats, not the 1923 one)
(based off the 1912 stats, not the 1923 one)
And a really fun ride! I was surprised how good it was, seeing is how I had only known one other person who had ridden it.. and while they spoke well of it, it seemed rather invisible to the rest of the Coaster Community.
I got three rides on it, and would have taken a few more had time not had been an issue.
(its kinda odd how many times I say that in this TR, if only I knew how little time I really would have had)
The coaster sat idle for just over four years before being removed.
The coaster sat idle for just over four years before being removed.
The other major coaster in the park was Revolution.
It was a standard Arrow Loop and Corkscrew model
It ran pretty well for its age but again, time time time, no time for a re-ride!
In 2006 the coaster was dismantled in Memphis and sent to DelGrosso's Amusement Park in Tipton, Pennsylvania where it sat abandon for five years before once again being relocated... this time to the Philippines! And there, finally reopening in 2014, as the Zimerman Corkscrew Coaster.
(I myself visited DelGrosso's back in 2008 and got to see the coaster stacked up in storage.)
And... the parks third in and final coaster was a Wisdom Dragon Wagon model.
(I myself visited DelGrosso's back in 2008 and got to see the coaster stacked up in storage.)
And... the parks third in and final coaster was a Wisdom Dragon Wagon model.
One of the most basic-of models....
But I squeezed my ass in the car, sideways, and got my credit on it!
(and there might be an amusing story out there somewhere of how I went about doing so...)
(and there might be an amusing story out there somewhere of how I went about doing so...)
Kamikaze was an older model of the basic looping flat. It had an odd Lap-bar/OTSR combo I'd never seen before. Also, our ride on it was rather memorable due to other riders uh, over reactions to the pretty average ride.
(MY ASS OUT DA SEAT! MY AZZZZZZ!!!! SHUT YO ASS UP!!!)
(I wish I knew where my video of THAT went!)
(MY ASS OUT DA SEAT! MY AZZZZZZ!!!! SHUT YO ASS UP!!!)
(I wish I knew where my video of THAT went!)
Rebellion, was the newest ride in the park.
It was a 90 foot tall Fabbri built drop tower.. and it was rather fantastic! I manged to get 3 rides on it and was in line for #4 when the park closed for the day... Unlike most every park I've visited, where they cycle out the queue after park close, Libertyland just said "we're closed, everyone out of line!"
Rebellion was one of the few rides to make it out of the park after it closed. It reopened in 2007 at Ghost Town in the Sky in North Carolina and ran until that park closed, in 2009.
Rebellion was one of the few rides to make it out of the park after it closed. It reopened in 2007 at Ghost Town in the Sky in North Carolina and ran until that park closed, in 2009.
Deka had never been on a Paratrooper before, so we got in line for the parks Rim-Driven model. At the time this was only the second time I'd seen a rim model (everywhere always had the Hydraulic-Arm type) Sadly, the ride went down as we were next-to-next to getting on and with limited time, we bailed rather than wasting time in hopes it would reopen.
The park also had a Chance Sea Dragon... but again, with limited time... it was skipped.
And I also regret missing out on the parks flume, the Old Hickory Log Flume.
But this was one of the few rides in the park with an actual line.
Turnpike Antique Cars
Nice little waterfall.
The Grand Carousel
After Libertyland closed, it was disassembled and put into storage where it remains awaiting its relocation to the Children’s Museum of Memphis (hoping for 2017)
And one last ride photo, of the parks Chance Wipeout.
And now for two random bonus trashcan photos!
(because.. well.. odd paint jobs?)
umm
uhh...
Yup, poor, poor Libertyland.
If only the park had a little more money and could have kept going. It was actually a nice little park and while I only got to do a few things and spend maybe 4 hours in the park, it was fun and if I was given the chance to revisit it, I gladly would. With the parks closure, Memphis was left without any sort of amusement park, in fact, the nearest park to the city is Magic Springs & Crystal Falls in Hot Springs, Arkansas. A nearly 200 mile drive from the city. It was kinda strange walking around the park. It was really a nice smaller park and there was no real reason for it to fail, outside of money, the parks downfall.. But even as a first time / one time visitor, it was pretty obvious the parks days were numbered although it was still pretty surprising to find out Libertyland was to close for good just four months after my visit. 2005 was a rough year for smaller parks I guess. Not only was Libertyland lost... but another great, even smaller park I visited later that year would end up closing for good, too, Williams Grove Amusement Park in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
And for a super awesome bonus.....
I have an on-ride video of Zippin Pippin, I uploaded to YouTube back in 2007.
I have an on-ride video of Zippin Pippin, I uploaded to YouTube back in 2007.
<3 Such a great ride
There were a few efforts to save the coaster and the park itself, but in time they all failed and ride by ride things were sold, trashed, and left to rot. Now, 10 years later, the land where the park was is just an open field used as an overflow parking lot parking lot known as Tiger Lane, for tailgating purposes prior to University of Memphis football games at the Liberty Bowl.
Zippin Pippin did get 'reborn' at the super fun Bay Beach Amusement Park in Green Bay, WI. And while it wasn't the original ride, moved. It is a nearly identical clone, with updated trains.. And it runs amazingly! (100% worth the effort and visiting Green Bay!) and was also constructed using parts of a different coaster that also once operated in the state of Tennessee. (That might be a first right there...)
Annddd... that's how this lovely photo of me came about
(that I absolutely love, for its geekyness)
A photo of me standing with the 'new' Zippin Pippin at Bay Beach holding the Zippin Pippin shirt I got form the original, at Libertyland in Memphis.
A photo of me standing with the 'new' Zippin Pippin at Bay Beach holding the Zippin Pippin shirt I got form the original, at Libertyland in Memphis.
((RIP Libertyland))
