Where is heritage usa located

Washington University in St. I f you happen to find yourself on I just south of Charlotte, North Carolina, consider a detour to the crumbling ruins of what used to be the third-most-visited theme park in the United States.

A miniature train carried visitors around the main campus, where activities included tennis, horseback riding, and swimming. Heritage USA also included an extensive campground and R.

But size was not the main feature that set Heritage USA apart from its secular rivals. Like the Jerusalem shop, the Upper Room offered a curated version of the Holy Land for Christians unable to or uninterested in travelling to the Middle East. In promotional literature and on their television programs, the Bakkers described the Upper Room as a pilgrimage site in itself. They shared the testimonials of people who had received spiritual and even physical healing by praying in the Upper Room, or even by having someone else pray for them there.

The room was open and staffed by PTL pastors 24 hours a day. Within a year of opening, the Upper Room had its own show on the PTL television network that invited viewers to call in to share their prayer requests and testimonies.

During the s, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker were among the most prominent examples of a reinvigorated prosperity gospel. During a historical moment in which more and more Pentecostal believers were climbing into the middle class, the over-the-top experience of Heritage USA helped to reinforce the message of a new Pentecostalism.

Far from banning makeup, soda, and leisure activities as their forebears had, this new generation embraced some measure of self-indulgence and they gave it Christian outlets, including a theme park.

The Heritage Herald , a weekly newspaper published for visitors to the park, emphasized earthly pleasures like dining and shopping alongside testimonials about spiritual healing and renewal. Guests were almost certain to be able to see the Bakkers in person by attending any number of live tapings throughout the day.

Heritage USA opened in Just eight years later their annual attendance had exploded to a whopping six million visitors per year. Photos of the old Heritage USA are all over the internet. Just a year later the park would close in due to financial issues.

Google Maps [satellite view, enhanced]. Today, there are still remains of this once thriving Christian theme park that drew so many to South Carolina. But much of the land has been purchased; buildings have been repurposed and attractions demolished. But if you look closely, then you'll find an occasional slight shred of existence - like this obviously fake rock wall that was still on at least this part of Heritage Lake in The former Heritage USA is a favorite spot among urbex explorers.

It's not difficult to find "before" photos like the top one here, to pair with "now" shots, like the row of houses in the bottom photo above. The castle in the first photo was torn down.

Look closely and you'll see the slab of concrete still in place - and just how close that row of townhouses was built to the castle. Imagine having a view of a castle out your window for a while, at least! Some remains are an eerie reminder of the family-centered activities found at Heritage USA, like this decaying Heritage USA gazebo, now located right behind a row of houses. Google Maps [streetview May ]. The old cabana in the main entry to Heritage Island was still standing as of May when Google captured this image with their streetview technology.

There used to be a bridge leading from this main building. Visitors would walk across it to get to the Heritage Island.

An urbex explorer captured the same building last January. You can see the sad decay taking place in this park that once brought so much joy to families from all over the world. Apart from being a giant theme park, it also consisted of a water park, a big hotel, an indoor shopping complex and many more such luxuries. During its peak years, it became the third most popular theme park in the world behind Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Controversies began to start when Bakkers decided to charge an astronomical fee from the frequent visitors to sign up for a lifetime partnership.

This was a popular move as the memberships were sold in thousands. As the money kept coming in, the Bakkers did not put a stop to the sale of the memberships even after their capacity was exceeded. While trying to keep his business afloat, Jessica Hahn, an American actress, accused Jim Bakker of rape in while she was employed as a church secretary. Two years later, Jim Bakker was found guilty on 24 accounts of mail and wire fraud.