Weirdest Theme Parks Feature Bizarre Themes
World's Weirdest Theme Parks
Looking for a fun family vacation? Amusement parks usually fit the bill, but you may want to think twice about booking a trip to any on this roundup of weird theme parks.
From literary to religious themed amusement parks and a host of bizarre options in between, Mother Nature Network has rounded up '11 Highly Unusual Theme Parks.'
Disney World, these are not.
Dickens World in Chatham, Kent, England features the "Great Expectations Boat Ride, Europe's "largest themed dark boat ride" through a stinking sewer filled with beggars, wenches, orphans, animatronic rats and other unsavory Victorian London sights and sounds."
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BonBon-Land in Holme-Olstrup, Denmark includes "Anthropomorphic animals (including topless hippos) based on the confectionary creations of a scatological-minded Danish candy company," with amusements like The Farting Dog Rollercoaster.
Gruto Parkas in Druskininkai, Lithuania is a true Soviet experience, with a sculpture exposition and Soviet-style foods. Travel & Leisure notes that "visitors gawk at the Terror Sphere, featuring statues of Communist Party leaders and imitation watchtowers and trenches."
Holy Land Experience in Orlando, Florida boasts amusements like The Scriptorium, The Wilderness Tabernacle, and Smile of a Child Adventure Land, with Frommer's noting, "Instead of thrill rides, visitors get lessons about Noah's Ark, the limestone caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, 1st-century Jerusalem, and Jesus' tomb."
Dwarf Empire/World Ecological Garden of Butterfly in Kunming, MNN.com notes, is "Munchkinland meets the Chinese version of America's Got Talent.
Rockome Gardens in Arcola, Illinois is "Preserving a Simpler Time," with buggy rides, the Illinois Amish Museum and an antique barn among its attractions.
Suoi Tien Park in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam is described by MNN as "Disney's Typhoon Lagoon meets Mount Rushmore as envisioned by Salvador Dali ... and the Dalai Lama." Attractions include an emperor shaped waterfall with water coming out of his nose and chin.
Hacienda Napoles in Puerto Triunfo, Colombia is described as "The San Diego Zoo meets Scarface, and NPR says visitors "pass through an archway mounted with an old plane: the Cessna that carried Escobar's first load of cocaine to the United States."
Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is based on Dolly Parton's Smoky Mountain childhood and has a variety of attractions themed accordingly, with The Economist noting that the park is "an excellent window on what people in this part of the American heartland like."
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Window of The World in Shenzhen, China is a park of "miniaturized replicas of over 130 tourist attractions from around the globe" that are randomly squeezed into a small park layout.
Popeye Village in Anchor Bay, Malta, based on Popeye the Sailor Man, uses the set of the 1980 film Popeye, has wine tasting and water trampolines among its offerings.
