Derelict Flintstones theme park still lures unsuspecting tourists to the Arizona desert
Though original episodes of the animated TV sitcom “The Flintstones” haven’t aired since 1966, the series lived on in syndication for decades. The poorly animated prehistoric family became so entrenched in American culture that at one time there were six Flintstones theme parks operating in North America.
This story is about the Arizona park, but I remember stopping at its sister park in South Dakota on one of my family’s epic road trips when I was kid. Even as a pre-teen, I was a connoisseur of kitsch, and Bedrock City was truly one of the tackiest examples of Roadside Americana I’ve ever seen (and that’s certainly saying something)… the entire Flintstones universe brought to life in concrete painted in garish colors, complete with life-sized statues of the characters. What’s not to love about something so audaciously bad?
But now the properties are for sale, and both parks are abandoned but for a few remaining staffers who drive the tram and keep up the campground.
And as you wander through the empty streets of this creepy Stone-Age ghost town, they say if you listen carefully, you may hear a faint cry of “Yabba Dabba Doo” on the desert wind.
Click here to read the article and see photos of Bedrock City, Arizona – as the theme song says “It’s a page right out of history!”