Arkansas' Abandoned Amusement Park Will Thrive Again As A Scenic Nature Park In The Ozarks

It's comforting to know that, even though theme parks ultimately have an expiration date, the surrounding nature will one day reclaim what's rightfully hers. Such is the case with Ohio's abandoned lakeside amusement park, and it will be the case for the deserted Dogpatch USA site in the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas. Sitting on around 400 beautiful acres of land in Marble Falls, the long-forgotten theme park has been slowly deteriorating since it closed its gates for the final time in 1993. It's a far cry from the days when thousands of visitors arrived, excited to enter into the make-believe world of "Li'l Abner," the hugely popular comic-strip character created by Al Capp.

Making the most of the surrounding forests, valleys, limestone bluffs, and natural springs, Marble Falls became the fictional Appalachian community of Dogpatch in 1968, back when Li'l Abner was a household name. At the height of the theme park's popularity, there was a miniature railway, a roller coaster, boat rides, a trout pond, and several historic log cabins. These days, kids would be hard-pressed to recognize the character who inspired cartoons, films, and a Broadway musical. And that, along with fierce competition from the likes of nearby Silver Dollar City, the theme park that transforms into a fall festival haven, is ultimately what led to the park's downfall, turning it from a bustling town into a ghost town.

But the beautiful patch of land lying along Arkansas Scenic 7 Byway, between Harrison and Jasper, will once again open to the public, this time as Marble Falls Nature Park. The person behind it all is Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris, who bought the land for $1.12 million back in 2020. No official opening date has yet been announced and the site is still closed to the public.

A keen conservationist, Johnny Morris set up his nonprofit Johnny Morris Conservation Foundation in 1990. He has already developed other nature-focused attractions in the area, including Dogwood Canyon Nature Park and Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium, both over the state border in Missouri. Partnering with associations across North America, one of the aims of the foundation is to get more kids interested in nature.

Although activities have not yet been confirmed for Marble Falls Nature Park, Morris indicated his plans back in 2021 when talking to news channel KY3. "First time I was exposed to it was like three or four years ago when it was pretty dilapidated, run down [as far as] the buildings. But what is there is beautiful nature and the limestone bluffs and [a] huge spring," he said. "We plan to build a restaurant there and take our time [to] develop nature trails. They had a big trout hatchery there, and so that's probably one of our first goals is to reactivate the hatchery."

While we wait in anticipation for the gates to open, head around 53 miles north to Dogwood Canyon Nature Park in Lampe, Missouri. Once an RV campground, the land is now a 10,000-acre nature reserve also owned by Morris — and the new Marble Falls Nature Park will be modeled on it. There are opportunities to go hiking, biking, horseback riding, and wildlife watching, all within the same mountainous Ozark landscape. Open daily from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m., general admission for adults starts at $16, with other membership options available. Sit down for a meal at the on-site Mill & Canyon Grill Restaurant while enjoying views of the spectacular Indian Cliff Falls cascading over the limestone bluffs. Also worth a visit is the nearby underrated town of Eureka Springs, a walkable gem full of Victorian charm.