Heritage USA - Fort Mill, SC - Satellite Imagery Oddities on Waymarking.com

Heritage USA theme park and water park in Fort Mill, South Carolina was massive in its heyday. The Christian theme park once spanned over 2,300 acres and included everything from a water park and Main Street USA to a chapel, an ice skating rink, an amphitheater, and even a campground. It would eventually become yet another abandoned place in South Carolina, sitting in plain view and hauntingly beautiful. Ever found yourself wondering “What happened to Heritage USA?” The answer is that the town of Fort Mill grew up around what was once a thriving theme park. There are now new developments in this area, and Heritage USA Theme Park is no more.

Heritage USA Theme Park was an epic attraction that opened its doors in 1978. Less than a decade later, the annual attendance had exploded to a whopping six million visitors per year.

The park was opened by famed televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, who had high hopes for the theme park, comparing it to a Christian Disneyland. The pair even filmed their program, The PTL Club, on-site at Heritage USA's television studio.

Jim Bakker was involved in several financial scandals, and some parts of the park were damaged by Hurricane Hugo. Between the storm and the scandals, there was no hope for the park's survival.

At Heritage USA today, there are still a few remnants of this once-thriving Christian theme park in South Carolina. Much of the land, though, has been purchased. Buildings have been demolished and repurposed, and attractions are now gone.

What was once the Heritage USA Theme Park's water park area is now a subdivision tucked away by the famed Heritage Lake. If you look closely, you still might see the occasional sign that a theme park was once here.

Heritage USA today continues its descent into oblivion. It's sad to see the decay that is taking place where this park stood. This was a place that brought joy to families from all over the world.

The owners of Heritage USA had high hopes of turning a skyscraper into condos that were owned by frequent guests. All those plans fell by the wayside when the park closed. The building that once stood here was rebuilt and now functions as a hotel, conference center, and private condominiums. The hotel's atrium serves as a church for a local congregation.-Only in your State

Link to a video of the park in its heyday.

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