Haunting photos show a Six Flags in New Orleans that has been abandoned for almost 2 decades

Gabbi ShawMay 29, 2024, 01:21 IST

The swings at Six Flags New Orleans.KEG-KEG/Shutterstock

During Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, Six Flags New Orleans was completely flooded.
Since then, the park has stood abandoned, save for visits from urban explorers and alligators.

Before Hurricane Katrina hammered the Gulf Coast in 2005, killing almost 1,400 people and destroying millions of dollars worth of property, there was a Six Flags just outside New Orleans.

After the storm, the park was flooded. Once the waters finally receded, the question became: What should we do with this park?

Almost two decades later, Six Flags New Orleans still sits abandoned, now a time capsule of life before Katrina. However, as of August 2023, plans for a $500 million development are moving ahead, reported Axios New Orleans. A lease was signed two months later in October. But no ground has been broken, meaning, for now, it's still sitting silently.

Here's what it looks like now, how it's been used since the storm, and what the city has decided to do with the park.

The Six Flags was left submerged in floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.

The flooded park.David J. Phillip/AP

The park, which spans 140 acres, has been abandoned since the hurricane.

The sign.Gerald Herbert/AP

The park opened in 2000. Originally called Jazzland, it was acquired by Six Flags in 2003 and renamed Six Flags New Orleans (SFNO).

Shattered glass is the norm.KEG-KEG/Shutterstock

The park was one of the least profitable parks in the Six Flags family.

New Orleans East is around 14 miles away from Bourbon Street.KEG-KEG/Shutterstock

SFNO took its inspiration from the city, including areas based on the famous architecture of the French Quarter.

Graffiti.KEG-KEG/Shutterstock

After the storm, the park was left standing in 4 to 7 feet of water, and it had extensive wind and flood damage.

A ride.KEG-KEG/Shutterstock

The severity of the damage caused the park to close indefinitely.

The locked gates.Gerald Herbert/AP

In 2006, Six Flags declared the park a "total loss" and reportedly tried to get out of its 75-year lease.

There's trash everywhere.KEG-KEG/Shutterstock

There have been numerous attempts to reopen or revamp the park.

Barrels.KEG-KEG/Shutterstock

Later, in 2009, Nickelodeon announced its own plan to turn the park into a Nickelodeon-themed attraction.

The Looney Tunes air on Nickelodeon.Bill Haber/AP

By 2011, the city of New Orleans had approved plans to construct a shopping center called Jazzland Outlet Mall in its place.

It's Mardi Gras season.KEG-KEG/Shutterstock

Another proposed idea in 2011 was reopening the park under its original name, Jazzland.

2012 ended up being a bust for the park.Stanislavskyi/Shutterstock

The Industrial Development Board turned over decision-making power to the mayor in May 2017.

Stop.Gerald Herbert/AP

When another company made its interest in the land known, pitching the "Dreamlanding Festival Park," Mayor Landrieu didn't approve.

The park is essentially bayou-adjacent.Kristina Rogers/Shutterstock

In 2019, new mayor LaToya Cantrell announced she was "running numbers for demolition" on the park, but ultimately, it stayed standing.

An aerial shot.AP

In October 2021, Bayou Phoenix was chosen as the redeveloper of the park.

Do not enter.Gerald Herbert/AP

Even after the redeveloper was selected, the park still stands as a marker of the devastation that the storm caused almost 20 years ago.

This area has held up surprisingly well.KEG-KEG/Shutterstock

But the land hasn't been completely ignored over the years. Many movies have been shot at the park, like "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters," which transformed it into Circeland.

The sign welcoming Percy and his friends to the fictional Circeland.20th Century Fox

But the land hasn't been completely ignored over the years. Many movies have been shot at the park, like "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters," which transformed it into Circeland.

Blockbusters that have taken advantage of the decidedly creepy atmosphere are "Jurassic World" and "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes."

Post-Katrina tax credits made it cheap for movies and TV shows to film in Louisiana.KEG-KEG/Shutterstock

The last film shot at Six Flags New Orleans was "The Park," released in 2023.

The parking lot.Stanislavskyi/Shutterstock

TV shows have also used the site. Freeform's "Cloak & Dagger" had an episode focused on the park in 2018.

"Cloak & Dagger."Walt Disney Television

A documentary, "Closed for Storm," was released in November 2020. It's about the rise and fall of the park.

Inside the park.KEG-KEG/Shutterstock

But besides filming, the park has stood empty, making it a popular attraction for urban explorers.

People have even climbed the rides.Stanislavskyi/Shutterstock

Much of the park is still intact. Visitors have said it looks like the site of a "Leftovers"-esque disappearance as if all of the park's visitors magically vanished.

The plan was to re-open the week after the storm.KEG-KEG/Shutterstock

Visitors should know there are dangers at SFNO, including alligators that live in the park's waterways.

Slowly but surely, the swamp is absorbing the park's structures.Romy Oomen/Shutterstock

A deal was finally reached in March 2023 to begin developing. In October, a lease was signed.

"Roach City."KEG-KEG/Shutterstock

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Haunting photos show a Six Flags in New Orleans that has been abandoned for almost 2 decades

The Six Flags was left submerged in floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.

The park, which spans 140 acres, has been abandoned since the hurricane.

The park opened in 2000. Originally called Jazzland, it was acquired by Six Flags in 2003 and renamed Six Flags New Orleans (SFNO).

The park was one of the least profitable parks in the Six Flags family.

SFNO took its inspiration from the city, including areas based on the famous architecture of the French Quarter.

After the storm, the park was left standing in 4 to 7 feet of water, and it had extensive wind and flood damage.

The severity of the damage caused the park to close indefinitely.

In 2006, Six Flags declared the park a "total loss" and reportedly tried to get out of its 75-year lease.

There have been numerous attempts to reopen or revamp the park.

Later, in 2009, Nickelodeon announced its own plan to turn the park into a Nickelodeon-themed attraction.

By 2011, the city of New Orleans had approved plans to construct a shopping center called Jazzland Outlet Mall in its place.

Another proposed idea in 2011 was reopening the park under its original name, Jazzland.

The Industrial Development Board turned over decision-making power to the mayor in May 2017.

When another company made its interest in the land known, pitching the "Dreamlanding Festival Park," Mayor Landrieu didn't approve.

In 2019, new mayor LaToya Cantrell announced she was "running numbers for demolition" on the park, but ultimately, it stayed standing.

In October 2021, Bayou Phoenix was chosen as the redeveloper of the park.

Even after the redeveloper was selected, the park still stands as a marker of the devastation that the storm caused almost 20 years ago.

But the land hasn't been completely ignored over the years. Many movies have been shot at the park, like "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters," which transformed it into Circeland.

Blockbusters that have taken advantage of the decidedly creepy atmosphere are "Jurassic World" and "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes."

The last film shot at Six Flags New Orleans was "The Park," released in 2023.

TV shows have also used the site. Freeform's "Cloak & Dagger" had an episode focused on the park in 2018.

A documentary, "Closed for Storm," was released in November 2020. It's about the rise and fall of the park.

But besides filming, the park has stood empty, making it a popular attraction for urban explorers.

Much of the park is still intact. Visitors have said it looks like the site of a "Leftovers"-esque disappearance as if all of the park's visitors magically vanished.

Visitors should know there are dangers at SFNO, including alligators that live in the park's waterways.

A deal was finally reached in March 2023 to begin developing. In October, a lease was signed.