Heritage USA

A park map in 1986 promoted America's third most-visited amusement park as "A Special Place for God's People." Heritage USA, a huge property built in 1978 by Pentecostal televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker of the PTL Church, was a sprawling compound that mixed orthodox theology with earthly delights. It was a factor of 25 larger than Disneyland or the Magic Kingdom at 2300 acres, and it featured far more than just rides. Visitors—six million a year by the mid-1980s—were urged to remain for a while, or forever, thanks to campgrounds, motels, and even condominiums.

Things began to fall apart in 1987, when news came about Jim Bakker's sexual contact with a lady seven years prior, and his use of church funds to cover it up. Following that, a federal investigation found him guilty of twenty-four counts of mishandling of the PTL's financial affairs. Then, in 1989, a hurricane destroyed parts of its buildings, forcing Heritage USA to permanently close. Other televangelists have tried and failed to resurrect the compound since then.

Location: Fort Mill, South Carolina, U.S.
Opened: 1978