It is also important to note that Presley, the long-time owner of Ghost Town in the Sky, passed away at the age of 98 in April of 2022.Īt the time of her passing, local news outlet Smoky Mountain News stated it is not clear if, or how, her passing would impact the efforts to redevelop the park. But in a recent report, Alderman Phillip Wight said a majority of the town board has been obstructing Wood. A new corporation was formed, Ghost Town in the Sky LLC, and Wood was signed on as a managing member.Įarlier this year, Wood indicated that success for the project will depend on cooperation from the city. The most recent resurrection talks first began in 2019 when Wood negotiated a deal with owner Alaska Presley. For example, the A-frame building is reportedly riddled with mold.Īlso, some question whether or not Wood is able to bring the old theme park back to life due to a complicated financial history. Many are starting to question whether or not these plans will ever materialize. Challenges in reopening Ghost Town in the Sky Wood also mentioned basic plans to remodel the A-frame building in the parking lot, which may become a gift shop and piano bar that serves fried chicken and bar food. In February of 2022, The Mountaineer reported that Wood has been in several meetings with town boards, proposing zoning changes and navigating infrastructure problems. However, since that time, there have not major announcements regarding the re-opening attempts. While some buildings could be saved and resurrected, it would not be more than “a few”.Īt the time, Wood said he expected more information to be available in early 2022. In August of 2021, a key person working on the development for Ghost Town made a rare public speaking appearance.Īt the time, The Mountaineer reported that Frankie Wood announced an investment of up to $200 million in front of the local Chamber of Commerce.ĭuring the meeting, he noted that Ghost Town has “totally been through hell”. Resurrection is a delicate process with many challenges, including housing and infrastructure problems. As evidenced by two decades of failed attempts, the job of breathing life back into ghosts isn’t an easy one. The future of Ghost Town is still uncertain. Read Also: Is Moonshiners real? Does the TV show make real moonshine? Ghost Town in the Sky had a brief reopening in the late 2000s (photo submitted to with permission by Gary and Carol Cox, circa 2007) Will Ghost Town in the Sky reopen? Last December, the park received some national attention after its appearance on “Moonshiners” when Mark and Digger traveled up to Ghost Town to “hide their shine”.īut unless you know a guy like Mark and Digger, you’d be trespassing if you visit. Ghost Town in the Sky is private property and not open to visitors. Can you still visit Ghost Town in the Sky? Getting people and fresh water to the top of the mountain has been a real problem, and there’s no specific timeline for a potential reopening. The park’s infrastructure is in shambles. Still, the investment to get the thing back up and running would take a lot of work and be substantial. There has been work done at the park periodically. There have been several attempts to re-open the park, but none took hold. Today, Ghost Town in the Sky is not open to the public. It originally opened in the 1960s but faced many hardships and struggled to stay open (photo submitted to with permission by Gary and Carol Cox, circa 2007) Is Ghost Town in the Sky open? Ghost Town in the Sky looked like an old west town. And in short, Ghost Town has experienced bad luck and lived up to its name. The park has a long, complicated history of failed resurrections. A few days later, the park closed and was put up for sale. This resulted in passengers being stranded for hours. In July 2002, a chair lift ride that took guests to the park from the bottom of the mountain broke down in the summer heat. The popular tourist attraction originally opened in the early 60s but began stumbling in the 90s as revenue couldn’t support maintenance needs for rides, such as the famous Red Devil Roller Coaster. Ghost Town in the Sky, aka Ghost Town Village, is a long-shuttered Wild West-themed amusement park that sits atop a mountain in Maggie Valley, a beautiful remote location in the North Carolina mountains near the Blue Ridge Parkway. In recent years, a lost attraction received a lot of attention after developers announced efforts to reopen the Maggie Valley landmark tourist attraction, Ghost Town in the Sky. At least, there is a promise of resurrection efforts. There are resurrection efforts underway in the mountains of North Carolina. Editor’s note: This article is being updated as more information is available.
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