Cool video! It’s like a graveyard of a time gone by

Amusement parks seemed so basic compared to today’s amusement parks. Now the typical swimming pools been replaced by towering water slides and wave pools. Parks now have 10 or more coasters instead of just the one! Etc.

Worked there for two seasons and did security off season in the 80s. That log jam water stunk and contributed to its poor attendance when they had those days. Usually though it was a steady line.

I lived in Wichita for several years, and I went to Joyland lots of times. They had a beach swimming pool, too.

My daughter rode the roller coaster in 05 as her very first roller coaster. She loved the Wacky House. She called it a fooky house. My grandparents lived at Pawnee & Hillside on the north side of Pawnee. When I visited we would go to Joyland all the time. The clown scared me as a kid. In the 90’s I rode the sky coaster swing. It was fun!

My husband and I are so impressed with your video. We Grew up in the '70s together in this world. Your integrity and intelligence blew us away. We never even thought about the mechanics . joyland was our whole childhood. wholeheartedly, we thank you for this ❤

Climbing that steep log ride doesn't even make you out ofbreath. Not me.

That narrow slide used carpets to slide down on. No water on that ride

I never knew you had this channel. Thought all you did was cars.

They say once the power plant was stripped there was no selling/saving the park.

Vox Fox Cox

You may not know it, but in summer of 1980, "Alabama" played that amphitheater about the time their first records started hittin the shelves. They probably never played such a small venue again.

Used to come here all the time in middle school and high school. Crazy to see it all overgrown and broke down. Makes me sad to see something that had such a presence in my history completely gone.

Frequented this park many times around 1977 to 1983, My first roller-coaster ride.

Old fart here; Joyland was a huge part of any kids school year. Twice a year, particular nights were set aside for I’d say a half dozen schools own fun night. Eventually rotating thru all the schools. I’m mean to tell you, it was well attended probably a thousand some Wichita kids all dashing back a forth from ride to ride. All for sure one price admission for all. Back then parents just drove you there and cut you loose to run wild. I can’t tell how many girls were courted and were kissed in the various attractions and darker corners of the park. LOL. Nothing but good memories for me. Even though it was privately owned, the city had no foresight and let the whole thing collapse. They could of helped subsidize the place and pulled in a little bit of revenue. I mean the city has thrown money at stupider things; with regularity.

Real Ghost Stories Online. podcast and channel made me aware of this spot. I only get as far into Kansas as Hutch when delivering milk tankers. But this definitely sounds like a place I would've driven down for it of just to get my spooky on. Although I'm sure it was quite the spot back in its heyday. These regional amusement parks have a special warmth about them. Thanks for the explore!!!

Douchey cringe totally.

Other exploring videos show the space. You show FAR TOO MUCH of your face. Not interested.

Wichita's lowest valued members of society did the place in.......too bad...

They put the generators in because the power company was banging them over the head, If you know anything about the way they rate three phase power. Only being open three nights a week, and it was costing them thousands of dollars... So they pulled the park from the power grid and put this power station in. Most people don't know it's back there. Also if you remember the big pool, was a pool, it Closed and then turned into a ride called the bumper boats, It was never open. The burned out car in the last Building, That's a wacky shack car. So sad.

Didn’t they have a skating rink there at one time!

Come to the Divide... And we'll have an ending to things.

Are any of the ptc cars for the coaster still there?

It’s kinda crazy that there was an amusement park in my town crazy

Thank you. My sisters and I spent many happy hours at joyland

The one thing I did find out I took my wife to Joyland the summer of 84 found out she was pregnant because she loved the rides and she got sick on the rides

A lot of places like front Lambert or Sherwin-Williams international code storage Rainbow Bakery they should have a lot of pictures of that place cuz there's a lot of parties work parties there Beach aircraft parties

I worked at Joyland from 1972 until the end of the Summer in 1976. The Whacky Shack was the ride I worked on my entire last Summer there. Great times back then and the Nelsons were great people to work with at the park. My dad retired and we moved to Myrtle Beach SC and I got a job at the Myrtle Beach Pavilion Amusement park and worked there from 1977 until 1978 and then I went off to college with my wife (who I met at the park in 1977).

so sad..i used to take my kids

Man it’s really sad to see the wacky shack burned down completely. Man it would’ve been an interesting project to re-locate and restore. To be fair there is it’s older clone the Waldameer version in Eerie PA.

sad it had to go i hear it has been a swap meet location for years

My husband worked as a life guard at the pool when it first open in about 1953. My Dad was a plumber and worked on installing equipment at the same time. My Dad met my now husband of 64 years before I did while they worked.

The log jam got burnt down

How can I volunteer my time to help with restoring the rides my husband and I use to work with American traveling shows till r boss passed away r job was the eventing and r ztoration or carnival rides from top to bottom including painting if they need help we can send pictures of r work we r new 2 arma and would love to b apart of bringing the place back to life

This breaks my heart, joyland was my childhood and my 1st job. In 1991

Thank you! I look forward to more abandoned amusement parks! I am a roller coaster nut!!! Yay, you!!!

So many great memories here in the late 70's and throughout the 80's I cried while watching this.

Just one roller coaster still there when it permanently closed. Wood people complained it never got repaired like it should have. I know because we when my family and I drove south on hillside. We see it from the road .

Technically no one supposed to be in there

Yes there was a fire . It’s supposed to be empty now.

Beyond the train area at the end of the park is where the go cart area. In the go cart area is where we watched fireworks

Cowtown area became eating place and park to have like kfdi radio park there.

I am 53 now ; born in 1967

There was a skating rink and other water rides replaced the pool.

They had a pool in the 1970s early by the time I was in 5th joyland had no pool. Reason I remember is because I wanted to go to it in my teens because it was the neighborhood.

There should be no showers after the 1970s after they took out the swimming pool. There was no pool after that .

The neighborhood wants whoever to get it taken care of so there no more fires etc

Gradually get rid of stuff

Also to starting in the 90s fir sure everyone I knew in Wichita wanted to go to Kansas City to worlds of fun etc so that why joyland didn’t do so hit later on before the year 2000. I heard people in Wichita going to Kansas City Missouri Kansas.

They haven’t built anything yet