About the Project

An Ever-Growing Archive of Celebration City

Hello one and all, and welcome back to Celebration City, or at least what's left of it. For those of you who may have no clue what I'm talking about, Celebration City was a theme park owned and operated by Herschend Family Entertainment. The park was located on the Highway 76 strip in Branson, Missouri on the far west side of town. The grounds the park was located on have been host to numerous attractions throughout the years, namely Mutton Hollow and the Branson USA amusement park, the latter of which is the direct predecessor to Celebration City. When Herschend Family Enterainment bought the property in 2001, locals were unsure of what the company would do with the land. HFE announced their plans for the creation of Celebration City in 2002, and the park opened on May 1, 2003.

Celebration City operated for five season from 2003 to 2008 and featured numerous attractions including over a dozen flat-rides, 3 roller coasters, and a nightly laser and fireworks display. The park itself was divided up into numerous themed areas with each section dedicated to a different era of the 20th century. The park also featured a few unique offerings in terms of shows and shopping experiences. Overall, there is simply too much to go over in just a few short paragraphs, hence the creation of this website.

Celebration City closed it's gates for the final time on October 25, 2008. Both the staff and the general public had gotten only a single day of notice that the park would be closing permanently, and thus the chance for final rides and experiences was cut severely short. Though I have no intent to reveal my identity, at least not yet, I had the honor to be one of those closing day guests at the park.

As time wore on, locals and tourists alike wondered what would happen to the property. At first HFE seemed optimistic, stating in press releases that they had potential plans to redevelop the site, but were not ready to announce anything yet. As months turned to years, the park still sat abandoned. And in 2015, the Ozark Wildcat, the large wooden coaster which had been an icon of the park during it's operation, was demolished. Since then there have been no new developments in terms of plans for the site, though one of the theaters is still in use by the Woodland Hills Family Church, the rest of the property still sits largely untouched.

There is far too much to speak about than I could ever write onto one simple page, and that's where this project comes in. Through my own research and the work of countless others across the internet, I have compiled this a central archive (and a blog of sorts) for all things Celebration City. Feel free to have a look around and stay a while in this nostalgic passion project of mine. I sincerely hope this website brings joy to those who remember the park, and curiosity to those who never got to experience it.