The Argonne Forest Amusement Park
In the woods of Dayton, Ohio—a man returned from the battlefields of France to honor his fallen friends.
Six Gun City
You have to know where to look in the Kentucky woods, but it’s up there in the hills—an abandoned town looking like the set of a John Wayne film. Was the place the forgotten theme park that the internet had touted it to be, though?
Coming to Grips in a Ghost Town
There comes a point when your past begins to be seen solely as experience. The emotional weight isn’t entirely gone, but the punch it packs becomes weaker—the memories starting to carry new significance whether they were painful or proud.
Late in Life Skateboarding and The Legend of Rock-A-Hoola
A story about aging, an abandoned waterpark, and a broken hand.
From The Archives: Surf Cincinnati on 35mm
Surf Cincinnati was the place where I first indulged in a curiosity of exploring abandoned locales, the place that turned a childhood interest with photography into a passion. I loved “Surf” as a 90s kid when it was alive just as much as I loved wandering through its derelict state later in life. The park has always stuck with me, a subject that still shines influence on my writing and photography to this day.
Fading Ads of (Surf) Cincinnati
This sign is a bit different than those found in the book with a similar name to this post, but it meets the basic criteria. It also has some personal significance.
Fantasy Diner and Ice Cream Parlor
Twenty minutes down the road (and ten minutes late), I pulled up to what was once known as Fantasy Farm Amusement Park, while the few remains of another park—Americana/LeSourdsville Lake—stood in the distance.
Jungle Jim's Monorail
The story of a suburban legend and its journey from one "jungle" to the next.
From the Archives: Tombstone Territory
As I started looking back at the story of the former LeSourdsville Lake/Americana Amusement Park, I came across some old photographs that were previously unpublished.
The End of LeSourdsville Lake/Americana
The story of LeSourdsville Lake/Americana Amusement Park is what kicked off this website nearly eleven years ago. It was an early foray into my ongoing photographic documentation of abandoned and forgotten places. As a photographer and theme park veteran, I was fascinated by the place. Now, it's meeting its finality.
Here's one last look. From the ground, from the sky, and from the past.
Kentucky Kingdom: Six Years Later | Part 2
Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom had a reputation and eventually the gates closed, the carousel stopped playing music, and the roar of roller coasters were silenced.
Kentucky Kingdom: Six Years Later | Part 1
After photographing many abandoned amusement parks over the years, I've never seen one come back to life. Until now.
Scenes From The Midwestern Roadside
Encounters on the road over the past few years with the savior's truckin' servants and the dinosaurs in the hills.
Retro Surf Cincinnati Commercials circa 1988.
If you've followed QC/D for awhile you may be familiar with the saga of Surf Cincinnati. It was the first abandoned place I ever truly explored and photographed. On top of that, its story hit on several personal notes: I went here a lot as a kid and exploring an abandoned amusement park always made me reflective of the years I spent working in one myself. Photographs of the park when it was active are few and far between, and until this one, I had never seen a video or commercial from the park pop up online.
The Remains of Surf Cincinnati: A Followup
The story's been told here before. It's a place we spent countless hours exploring. It's a place many of us visited in its prime. It's a place documented here on QC/D in several articles. Ten years after first stepping foot into its abandoned state, I went to go see what, if anything, was left after the demolition.
Fueled by nostalgia, the story of Surf Cincinnati continues.
The Demolition of the Kings Island Resort
About a year after demolition paused, the Kings Island Resort is finally coming down. Highlighted two times previously here on QC/D, this brief follow up captures the complex's final days.
Last Guests of the Kings Island Resort
The amusement park next door was closed for the year, the resort for good. The final visitor's checked out months ago, but we were about to be the last guests of the Kings Island Resort.
The End of Suburban Cincinnati's Alpine Chalets
Originally envisioned as an alpine lodge to complement the nearby amusement park, the Kings Island Inn and Resort attracted the likes of the Partridge Family and The Brady Bunch. In its later years, it changed with the times and fell from its role as part of a "Midwestern Disney World." In the coming days, it's headed for demolition.
Human Aqueducts by the Highway
Ancient Rome built aqueducts to carry water to the cities, modern Americans build them for entertainment. In some cases, both varieties become ruins of the past.
Return to Surf Cincinnati
It's been ten years since Surf Cincinnati was abandoned and over five years since most of it was demolished, it was time to go back.