There's a large group of enthusiasts who LOVE watching abandoned theme park videos. I'll watch them out of interest, but they always make me sad for the people who enjoyed time and made memories there.
That's why I was so excited to find out the "abandoned" theme park of MY youth, Rocky Point Park in Warwick, Rhode Island, was made into a beautiful state park.
Not only is it a great piece of ocean front land with walking paths and picnic areas, there are still pieces of the amusement park in the park!
Rocky Point Park opened in the late 1840s and sadly closed in the late 1990s. Many of the rides were auctioned off to other parks (like the Corkscrew which became Wild Thing at Wild Waves Amusement Park in Washington,) and some parts of the park were stolen. However many concrete or larger pieces of the park remained, although most of them were vandalized and had overgrown shrubs and weeds over them.
In the 2010s when the land officially became a state park, some of the pieces were refurbished, like the entrance arch (which was also at the 1964 New York World's Fair) but the best thing the state did was add 10 pathway signs that offer visual aids, descriptions, and fun facts about the amusement areas that used to be right where you stand.
I hope other states with abandoned theme parks take note of how beautiful Rocky Point State Park is and how history can be preserved in a way that brings people happiness. While I wish the park (and the Shore Dinner Hall!) was still there, I think they've preserved memories and maybe even added tourism to the area instead of tresspassers.