South Dakota’s Flintstones Theme Park Has Been Demolished

Tbennert, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
Tbennert, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped) / Tbennert, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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Fans of The Flintstones have said their final goodbyes to Bamm-Bamm, Fred, Pebbles, and other longtime residents of South Dakota's Bedrock City. As the local NewsCenter1 station reports, the quirky roadside attraction in the city of Custer—which closed down in 2015—has now been bulldozed.

Located about 40 miles from Rapid City in South Dakota's Black Hills, the attraction was the first Flintstones-themed park to open, in 1966. It featured a "Mt. Rockmore" structure, a 20-foot Dino statue, Fred's Flintmobile car, and other replicas of the houses and characters made famous by the cartoon. Now, all that remains are the memories shared by the many families who visited the roadside attraction over the years.

There's some good news, though. Visitors will have one last chance to visit Bedrock City's sister location in Arizona, located along Route 64 near the Grand Canyon. "We have been making needed repairs and will open the campground soon," a representative of Raptor Ranch, a new attraction slated to take over the Bedrock City site, tells Mental Floss. "We are closed now, but will open soon. This will likely be the last year to see the Bedrock buildings before the remodel."

The Arizona Bedrock City shut down in January after 47 years of operations. The new owner, Troy Morris, announced plans to convert the property into a park where visitors can learn about birds of prey and watch flight demonstrations. The upcoming attraction's Facebook page shared photos of the progress, while also attempting to find future homes for the Flintstones crew.

The date of the Bedrock City campground's reopening is yet to be announced, but keep checking the Raptor Ranch Facebook page for updates.

[h/t NewsCenter1]