Our Experience Visiting the Abandoned Six Flags New Orleans
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- Опубліковано 10 лис 2022
- In early October 2022, we flew down to New Orleans so we could see the remnants of a theme park, still standing to this day- a full 17 years after shutting down for good. This was our experience.
See what the park was like when it was operational as Jazzland: • A Day At Jazzland - Au...
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Production, Filming, & Editing: Taylor Bybee and Sarah Anderson
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Went to New Orleans about a year after Katrina hit and it was devastating. You could tell the city was bouncing back but also there were some neighborhoods where people had moved away due to the catastrophic damage and were not likely to ever come back. Now that the vast majority of the city is alive and thriving once again it is crazy to see that there is still an abandoned theme park sitting there for all the world to see that has been neglected since 2005!
The sad this is nearly all of this could have been prevented. Katrina was actually estimated to be close to a Category 1 when it hit. The problem was that the levies and other systems were in desperate need of repair. Experts say that if these had been maintained, the worst problem would have been "wet ankles". It was 100% a human caused disaster due to lack of infrastructure upkeep.
This used to be my home park and holds my first coaster credits :( Not only did we lose the park, we lost everything we had. None of my friends have any childhood photos or items bc of katrina, ivan and dennis. There’s a super heavy emotional feeling in this area. thank you both for giving it the respect it deserves ❤ I’ve been inside since it’s been abandoned because they used to not guard it. I think if they cleaned it up it could be a really cool event space/landmark.
It's such a shame that Six Flags abandoned the park after Katrina. The people of New Orleans deserved better after such a catastrophic event.
With the risk of it happening again in 30 years?
@@noahfestenstein9466 the Florida parks seem to do alright after a hurricane.
@@Wandering_Outlaw Because they aren't adjacent to lakes that overflow, they are also built to combat hurricanes, New Orleans was not. It was a terrible place to put a park, let alone an entire city. But I love New Orleans culture, just will probably be under water in 100 years.
@@noahfestenstein9466 I see your point I just think it's kinda crap that the closest parks to Nola are a good 400 miles away at Six Flags over Texas and Silver Dollar City in Branson Missouri
Six Flags doesn't own the park, the city of New Orleans does, Six Flags was just the operating management firm. The City abandoned the park.
The story of this park has fascinated me for nearly a decade now. It was so short-lived when it was in operation, but from the photos I’ve seen, it looked really unique as far as Six Flags parks go. Part of me still wishes the park could be saved, but it’s so far gone, there’s hardly any chance of that happening. Fantastic footage though, I’d love to go see it in person at least once before it inevitably gets torn down.
It was unique as far as six flags park go because it wasn't original a six flags park.
@@agoo7581 check out RampagingRex’s mini documentary on SFNO… I think he knows this lol
Dude no way it’s you! You have an amazing video about SFNO!
anything is possible
If I was a super rich Investor, just because, I would save the park and make it my mission to refurbish what I could to bring the sparks back. Even if I had to completely replace the exact same coaster I would. I would completely remake the exact same amusement park it once was with maybe minor additions by throwing in some additional coasters and flat rides.
That still underwater infested with gators bit almost got me crying. What a tragic story
Fr. It's so unfortunate that its still abandoned.
That area always had gators. Same for all the swampy parts of New Orleans.
I loved this park dearly as a child. I rode my first "big" roller coasters here, Jester and Batman being my favorite. The Mega Zeph scared me so much, I actually bailed on my family the first time I tried to get on and then cried while waiting for them at the exit 😂 fortunately I was brave enough on our next trip to ride it and I will always be glad that I did.
Seeing the skyline as we were arriving would bring me such joy and excitement as an 8 yr old. As an adult, it's just saddening. Nostalgic, yes - but knowing that it will never be restored to its original, unique state is simply haunting.
The wooden roller coaster was so rough! I loved the jester
A really sad sight to see, and a really well put together video Taylor and Sarah.
The time and effort that goes into one of these must be bonkers put it shows in the quality of your content. More of these kind of " historical " type videos would be awesome.
so glad you enjoyed it!
Just passed this today on the way home to Alabama, it’s very eerie because it’s a constant reminder of that horrible time in New Orleans history but really the whole east New Orleans really never recovered
That last part is insanely depressing
I have always wanted to visit New Orleans...it's so sad that they've gone through so much. To me, this feels like a movie...just thinking of all the joy and smiles SFNO/Jazzland brought to the people of New Orleans...
Six Flags New Orleans be patrolled better than our Southern Border.
I grew up and lived in New Orleans. Mega Zeph was my first big coaster. I went to Jazzland every day when it opened. That's what got me started in roller coasters and theme parks.
i almost didn't recognize Sarah's voice, she's a great narrator!
I'm fascinated with this old dump. Such a horrible tragedy. Area around Mega Zeph and Jester is usually flooded. Nothing can be built here, it's a swamp. I liked your video, thanks for posting and hi from Toronto Canada 🇨🇦.
Great video!
SFNO was my home park before it was destroyed. Mega Zeph was a fun CCI hybrid woodie, and I remember marathoning Batman due to no lines, which we at least still have as Goliath at SFFT.
I can just about guarantee that Mega Zeph, Zydeco Scream, and The Jester are the only credits I have that CS doesn’t 😂
How was Jester? A backwards Vekoma corkscrew could not have been very fun
Same here. Had season passes from Jazzland until it's end as SFNO.
@@TheCycloneHunter I remember it being similar to the return trip of Zydeco Scream, which was their Boomerang and the first I had tried.
Well done Coaster Studios, and a thoughtful PSA. RIP SFNO.
This breaks my heart that a powerful storm can ruin such a beautiful park and now it's abandoned after Hurricane Katrina. The people of New Orleans deserved so much better after such a catastrophic event.
I worked there as a kid, it was my first job at 15 during the summer. I got a work permit and was able to operate the Batman, the boomerang, and a few flat rides in the Gotham section. It was HELL because of how hot the weather was but getting free admission to the park was a plus! Our highschool also rented out the park for homecoming dance and we could ride the Mega Zeph (the wooden/steel coaster) and the Ferris Wheel during the dance. Great memories of the park!
I grew up about an hour away and I was insanely jealous because my cousin got to visit as soon as it opened, when it was still Jazzland. But I remember my aunt telling my mom that you could actually see a tilt to the rides and it was very obvious that the footings were sinking into the ground, it felt scary. My parents promised to take us because it seemed fun and unique but Jazzland closed before we made it. Then it became Six Flags and they promised to take us during cool weather, saying I could wait because I had seen the one in Missouri. I'll say it's insane that Six Flags closed the New Orleans park for the "winter"-people literally come to New Orleans and the Gulf to escape winter! Most winter days are very pleasant. Summers in this area are uncomfortable at best and then hellacious if you can't fit your activities in by mid June or so. They would've generated so much more revenue if they'd stayed open for winter. So stuff always came up and we missed out on our visit but in 2005 I specifically remember my mom saying, "Either at the end of the season or beginning of next summer we will go and y'all can hold me to it". Katrina came along and took care of that for us! I remember sitting in the swelter of my grandparents' house with no power or water and nothing cold to drink, only wondering if Six Flags was ok. I was devastated months later when they announced you could visit them in Texas-I knew it just wouldn't be the same. Now the closest big theme parks are in Atlanta and that's not exactly a day trip.
I pass this park almost every day running my routes at work, i cant helo but take a long look as i pass by, i had so many teenage memories here and its depressing seeing it wasting away
I am from New Orleans and grew up there. I remember going to Jazzland before six flags bought them out! I had a season pass every year. What a time!
I like this format with both of you going back and forth for the voiceovers. Would love to see more videos done in this format. Also, I remember when Katrina hit and all of the speculation in the coaster community around the fate of the park. Months and months just kept going by with zero resolution. As an enthusiast it was sad to see it just be written off like it was.
I don't really. I liked the video, but I prefer it when it's just Taylor. Sarah sounds like she's presenting at school, reading from her notes. It just doesn't flow as well.
I actually got to go to this park as a kid when it was still open, probably in the late 90s or early 2000s. I remember it was a lot of fun, and it’s sad that it had to close and be abandoned. There isn’t much that’s creepier or more eerie to me than an abandoned theme park with rides and buildings still there, in shambles. But I’ll always have fond memories of my family vacation to New Orlean’s and the six flags theme park we got to visit.
I’ve been following the story of this abandoned amusement park for about 4-5 years. It’s very sad that this happened. I hope sometime in the near future the park gets bought out and gets rebuilt into something the community can enjoy.
My father is in the film business so while they were filming planet of the apes in the parking lot of Six flags New Orleans so my dad got the opportunity to walk around the park while he visited the set!
Very unfortunate what happened. If only the storm drains never failed. It's hard to imagine what this park would be like today if it was still operating.
I got to go there months before katrina. Was a small but fun park. Just happened to be there to compete in a jazz contest. Glad
I got to experience this place.
Make sure nothing's going to collapse and preserve it as close as possible to how it is. It would be awesome to be able to legally visit and even just hang out there.
I had a great time at Jazzland and Six Flags with my son when he was young, but I wouldn't go there now. I wouldn't even drive to say good-bye to my childhood home which was sold this year, and not too far from the park. When we moved there decades ago, that area was swampland and it looks like the alligators took their land back.
Every time a plan gets drawn up to turn it into something, it all falls apart a few months later
Six Flags New Orleans Tribute
Wouldn’t it be nice if they had a tribute to the park in 2025 where they cut down all the trees and clean up the park and let tourists and guests walk around? Since the park closed down in 2005 due to Katrina
I would love that
Super thoughtful you two. Great piece as always!
IDB has held back the progress of any development since they acquired the property. The plan of a company to reopen it as Jazzland had financial backing and solid plans. But IDB kept giving them red tap and the cold shoulder.
I'm beginning to think they are using the property as some sort of tax scam, write off or money laundering. If they actually wanted it to be redeveloped, it would have happened 5yrs ago.
I agree. There's absolutely no reason why this property should still be abandoned.
Did you follow the whole RFP process? The IDB is just the surface.
What I find interesting is that according to the documentary "Closed for Storm," the foundations and concrete of SFNO are still in salvageable condition, so theoretically, the area could be saved. Not needing to tear up and replace the foundation could save a couple million dollars, if I'm not mistaken.
Yes, I remember that being mentioned in the doc. I did find that surprising, since the park was under water for about a month. I’m surprised there wasn’t more damage to the foundations.
Very sad what happened, to that park, I would have loved to visit. I do enjoy the photography though. Great shots!
This has always been a fun idea and maybe you should make a video about it, if Six Flags New Orleans was stilloperating, what do you think it would look like today? Or maybe if you owned the park, how would you fix it up, what rides would you fix, remove, and replace? What would you change?
That sounds like a vid idea theme park predictions would do rather than taylor
I look at what remains of the Mega Zeph and still dream of a universe where it is getting RMC-ed
If I was a super rich Investor, just because, I would save the park and make it my mission to refurbish what I could to bring the sparks back. Even if I had to completely replace the exact same coaster I would. I would completely remake the exact same amusement park it once was with maybe minor additions by throwing in some additional coasters and flat rides.
We had season passes to here for 2 summers in a row when I was in 6th and 7th grade. My first roller coaster was here and seeing these videos make me so sad. I loved this place and it brought me so much joy.
Now im super sad. This was a great video. Much love for the people in new Orleans
Passed it up earlier and my 6 year old daughter noticed it. I told her I'll show her a cool video of what it looks like now. Thanks for the cool footage!
Just actually passed by there earlier yesterday on the way back home. It was fascinating yet eerie seeing the stand-still attractions. First abandoned park I’ve seen before.
Hopefully it seems another potential development is in the works for other purposes but who’s to say it won’t fall through. So many finances and moving pieces happening, it’d be a miracle at this point if the park could come back.
Thanks for sharing. I often wonder how the park looks now. You all showed great pictures. Very sad with memories 😢
The documentary on this park is pretty amazing and this video is of brilliant quality 👌🏾 👏🏽
I tried to get in a couple months ago. I’m an avid urban explorer and every-time someone tells me I can’t get in, I find a way. This is the one exception. 10 minutes into my trek a security guard actually pointed a pistol at me and told me I had to go. Luckily there were no charges filed. But yeah they’re pretty serious.
Weird the park is closed but still has paid security guards
@@SeriouSXXFireworks that’s not weird at all. If it didn’t have security people would go in and could be hurt by gators or other hazards and then after they get hurt they or their family could sue the city…
@@tydune2631 so knock the place down, if not rebuild it
We walked right in, explored for hours and walked right out without hearing or seeing another person.
Video?
I’ve always had a fascination with this park i used to be obsessed with it and look up as much as I could find about it. It’s just such a shame because they dumped a lot of money into that for it just to go to waste. it had a very unique build. It wasn’t like a typical Six Flags park. I’ve always wanted to go there but that’s probably not gonna happen.
I'm from Québec and in 2019, my school and I went on a trip to Louisiana, and on our way back, we pass right un front of SFNO, and I was the only one in the bus (yeah we did the trip on bus, so 36h of bus) who cared, it made me super emotional, after so much video I watch about it, what we lesrn in New Orleans and storm Katrina, but just in general, seeying abandoned places hit me so much, I had tears in my eyes (and I still have some)... so sad what happened there, it's so surreal to see it in person, even when it just zoom by you, it made my trip worth it in my opinion, but thinking about makes me sad
I went there yesterday to check it out and it’s completely abandoned, almost as if it’s grayed out from the rest of the city. Another cool spot that’s abandoned in New Orleans is Lincoln Beach
It's actually pretty easy to break in without getting caught. We did it many times.
Maybe it used to be, but if you watch the part of the video where we talk about the new security camera installations, there's like no chance now
I also couldn't resist when I was there some years ago and managed to get in, but also met a Security Guard when I was out again. Luckily, he didn't know I was in there, cause he also made it very clear that I get in a lot of trouble if he caches me inside later. So yes, don't do it, especially when there a cameras now. I had this park on my bucket list for a long time, cause it combines my hobbies of exploring abendoned places and riding coasters, and it was absolutely worth it...but I wouldn't do it again nowadays...and I did indeed not know about the gators :)
Drive by this place every day going to work. Actually went there as a kid
Thank you for showing your video and allowing me to see how Six Flags look. I left the day before Hurricane Katrina. I had six to seven of water in my house.
Real “The Last Of Us” vibes (for those familiar with that game) with that music, especially watching abandoned, apocalyptic-looking footage. Chilling. Love this style of video
All the music and your’s and sarahs voices make me really emotional😢
This place looked absolutely beautiful in videos and pics when it was open
The fibbage of yore, as much I would like to see something similar to a park like worlds of adventure, it’s not to much a matter because most of the sights that once was are gone, and I know that SFNO was downed by a hurricane, and SFWOA was downed by poor decisions, that park has so much more history, so I think it somewhat deserves a vid like this to
Why did I tear up?
Why did you make me tear up?
Hello to the coster studios friends wow so sorry that happened i never been there before but seem like a great Park stay safe.
Well-written piece, you guys!
Thanks for sharing
I saw the most recent documentary about this it was so difficult to watch I loved it though
they should make this place a historical landmark for the memory of katrina
There is a really beautiful song about this park by Tank and the Bangas called “Rollercoasters”. It is the last song on their NPR tiny desk concert and it’s very worth a watch.
Looks like a cool place. Sad it’s gotten that way
This was part of my childhood now it's just a reminder of what the area once was. The only way this can be redeveloped into a theme park is if a big company with lots of resources takes it over like Universal or Disney, which will never happen...
Jazzland has been trying to buy it but I guess the city dosen't want it to be a amusement park anymore lol
With the park located in new orleans east, that brings a whole set of problems. The property value has been down there WELL before the park closed or even opened. It never been the safest part
It seemed like a good six flags park
Maybe a good idea for your next documentary would be one on closed and abandoned theme parks.
Amazon bought the land and turning it into another distribution center. The remaining rides are already being torn down.
I heard water park
:(( seeing that old abandoned woodie hurts me
Thanks for the video. I wondered when I saw it, what happened.
I live in NoLa, did a school project on SFNO.
I think New Orleans would do great with a FunSpot (FunSpot New Orleans 🙌🏾). They could put it right downtown, on the RiverWalk. Because the French Quarter wasn’t severely damaged during/after Katrina.
Louisiana and Six Flags don’t mix unfortunately.. maybe Cedar Fair or Universal could try something down here…
I remember when the park re-opened under the six flags name and even got to visit it twice from 2003-2004. Was suppose to go again in 2005 (I was 11 at the time), but we all know what happened that year. Thankfully didn't live in New Orleans (was in Baton Rouge) but Katrina did a lot of damage to the area around my family's house.
17 years later I'm 28 years old and am really hopeful that they can decide what to do with that plot of land because when I do visit New Orleans and I see Mega-Zeph (the wooden coaster) it fills me with sadness knowing it's just left there to rot along with everything else left behind. Personally I'd prefer another amusement park (cause I'm a roller coaster nerd :P), but anything will do personally.
SFNO is also the location which was used in the "leave me alone" -music video by the rapper NF. It provides some nice views from the inside of the park
I've saw a video where a few guys broke in and climbed a coaster. Crazy they were hiding from security guards the whole time. Not worth the risk......
I use to have season passes before the store. We would go all the time. Apparently they were suppose to announce that they were adding a water park in 2006 we know the storm changed that. Now I drive past it every Friday when I go to my office for work in New Orleans. I wish they could redevelop it but our city officials does not think we need an amusement park.
I went in 2003 when I was 11. This is so sad.. literally one of the best places I’ve been to. I still talk about going there till this day..
The Jester roller coaster & Batman ride was my favorites!
The jester looked soooo fun!!! So sad what happened:(
I really hope it gets revived some day - as a park, of course
I wish Winnipeg could open a park!!!
Was lucky enough to ride the Vekoma Hurricane (Jester) prior to its move to New Orleans when it was Joker’s Revenge at Fiesta Texas. It was sooo unique with its backwards running trains. Too bad only two were ever constructed. While Comet at Walygator is still operational, it has its trains running forward so it feels much less special.
ua-cam.com/video/OLrcADl3G40/v-deo.html
So sad to see a place once filled with fun is no more. I’m so glad they were able to save Batman, and it now still to this day thrilling riders, with more seasons
To come.
Great video...very sad
I worked for a pipeline company back in 2014 and surveyed a pipeline that ran very close to Six Flags New Orleans. I've never seen the park from that angle in any photos or videos online. You could see The Jokers Revenge purple paint where The Jesters green paint had peeled off.
People do not break in. Please don’t give us explorers that name. If there’s an opening we’ll go for it. We don’t break in or force our way in. We don’t vandalize or anything like that. We explore and admire. We don’t cause trouble. Please do not accuse explorers for breaking in.
Not everyone does break in, but some people do. That’s very apparent in the way many of the builds have clearly been ransacked and vandalized. Not everyone just sits back and admires
the trees growing in that boomerang is really a sight! interesting about the gators. wonder why redevelopment has been such a fail
This park was actually the least profitable in the SF chain back when it was in operation prior to the hurricane destroying the entire park. SF terminated the 75-year lease they agreed with in 2009 due to them going through bankruptcy and also declaring it a total loss since everything the park had was damaged beyond repair.
I think the statue of Catwoman at SFNE's "Catwoman Whip" was salvaged from Six Flags New Orleans.
It's so ironic how amusement parks ate always a happy place when they're open but the exact opposite when they're closed.😔😔
If I was a super rich Investor, just because, I would save the park and make it my mission to refurbish what I could to bring the sparks back. Even if I had to completely replace the exact same coaster I would. I would completely remake the exact same amusement park it once was with maybe minor additions by throwing in some additional coasters and flat rides.
Great video. I was in New Orleans a few years ago and, of course, had to drive by the park, I never was at the park when it operated. If I'm not mistaken, that was one of the absolute worst hit areas from Katrina (although everywhere got hit badly). Just curious, have you guys ever been past the old Geauga Lake/Six Flags World's of Adventure land in Ohio?
It hurts to see the park was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2006 and my reaction was devastated and shocking and when I was a little boy I seen those on television when the park was destroyed or basically on UA-cam for people doing like this but I feel like six flags can be rebuilt it or do nothing to do for it and I felt really bad :(
It was 2005 when it happened
Ima start putting this back together wit ma bare hands who wit me? 😢
I do hope they reopen it into something bright and new for the city of New Orleans
Its amazing they weren't able to salvage more rides, especially the steel coasters.
Good one, y'all.
Have you ever seen You Must Be This Tall, David Bettencourt's 2007 documentary about my area's own dearly departed defunct park, Rocky Point?
Certainly not a tragedy on the level of what happened in New Orleans, but your footage reminded me of the end of that film.
That’s cray cray just to think that’s like the only six flags park not operating and it’s been sitting there since hurricane Katrina wow
It’s a shame this place will probably never reopen
I'm hoping they make it a historic landmark
Same!
they wont
What would that do for the community?
@@deletedaccountdnd idk but it would be cool
@@rhysdavies9684 and what makes it historic outside of the fact that a hurricane destroyed it?
The deal went through today here in Nola to make it an a new amusement park
If you’ve been here, you know that despite how small the park was, it had a charm like no other Six Flags park had.
I was only 7 when I went here, but my memories are pretty vivid. Especially with me conquering the log flume as my first non-kiddie ride. Driving past the park and seeing the rides when they were up and running was magical. After the hurricane it wasn’t like the park just closed, it died in the most neglectful and dishonorable way.
I only wish New Orleans were willing to take the risk and give the park another shot.
i remember a news a way year ago the people of new orleans want the park to be rebuild but the mayor wont do so so the park left abandoned but still standing also there was a plan to extend a water park beside it :((
I’m so gutted you guys weren’t allowed in with like an escort or something. Maybe you could ask? Anyway, awesome drones shots! Such a shame it’s being left in this state 😢
P.S. why does this music sound like TLOU? 🥰
I had a story in my newspaper around 1 or 2 years ago saying that it was being torn down. I wonder if that plan got cancelled.