Ghost Town in the Sky Vintage Footage | Maggie Valley’s Lost Theme Park

This video presents rare vintage footage from 2002 of Ghost Town in the Sky, the historic mountaintop amusement park located above Maggie Valley, North Carolina. The film captures a full experience of the park during its later years of operation, including scenes of the chairlift ride, Old West shootouts, Indian dancing performances, saloon stage shows, midway rides, and the Ghost Town train that circled the mountain. Originally opened in 1961 by entrepreneur R.B. Coburn, Ghost Town in the Sky quickly became one of the most unique theme parks in the United States. Built at an elevation of nearly 4,600 feet, it offered sweeping mountain views and a complete western-style frontier town setting. Guests reached the park by riding a double chairlift from the valley floor — an attraction in itself — before stepping into a world of cowboys, can-can dancers, and gunfighters reenacting scenes straight out of classic Hollywood westerns. This archival 2002 footage preserves the look and feel of the park before its major closures in the mid-2000s. Many of the original rides were still operating at that time, including the Red Devil roller coaster, the scenic train ride, and classic carnival-style attractions spread across the upper levels of the park. The video also includes the mountaintop saloon show, Native American dance demonstrations, and a street shootout staged along the main Ghost Town strip — all signature parts of the park’s entertainment lineup for decades. For many families across the Southeast, Ghost Town in the Sky was a cherished summer memory — part amusement park, part mountain adventure, and part living history. This footage captures that final era before modern changes and closures, allowing viewers to revisit what the park once looked and felt like in the early 2000s. Whether you grew up visiting Ghost Town in the Sky, worked there during its heyday, or are discovering it for the first time, this video provides a nostalgic visual record of one of North Carolina’s most iconic vintage attractions. There are a few specific goals of Travel Towner: 1. To take fun POV (“Point-of-View”) videos of scenic drives, highways, and roadways so you can virtually travel anywhere you like; or look back at a time when you were younger. 2. Document a fun walking tour of a specific park, attraction, or point of interest so you can see what's it's like to really be there. 3. Showcase vintage footage from yesteryear to show today's viewers what is may have been like back in 19- something something! If you have any vintage footage of past attractions, parks, road trips or anything interesting from the USA? Contact me and let’s feature it here! 4. Just for Fun. These are videos that are funny or interesting in some way that I think everyone will enjoy! Please give a "thumbs up" if you like taking a POV Road Trip or love POV driving. Want to get in on the fun and make cool videos too? Here is everything I use to make it happen: (Please note I may make a commission as an Amazon Associate if you purchase- thank you for supporting this channel!): The iMac to edit: https://amzn.to/3AMBhWv Video Camera: https://amzn.to/3xwP29F Steadycam: https://amzn.to/3wvdaIv Media: https://amzn.to/3hS4Ihp Another big part of the channel is to document a piece of Americana… at a certain point in time. Wouldn’t it be cool to go back to where you lived, 20 or 30 years ago, and take a ride through your hometown? As more roadway drives, walking tours, and vintage trips are added, it builds history so future viewers can go “back in time” and see what it was like, back then. Roadtripping and traveling are uniquely American pastimes- and we should preserve it’s history- so future generations can appreciate the Freedom of the Road. Please like the videos and subscribe to the channel. Leaving comments is a great way to tell ME what you’d like to see next. If you’d like to support Travel Towner, here are the links: -Merchandise: https://bit.ly/traveltowner -TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJm4b39s/ -Patreon:   / traveltowner   -Instagram:   / traveltowner   -Facebook:   / traveltowner