Here at Going Places, we love a little weird. Not just like wearing funny socks to work every day weird, but REALLY weird.
Incidentally, we’re also big fans of theme parks.
So to mash up two of our major interests we thought we’d search out some of the plain freaking weird theme parks around the world. So here they are – 9 of the most bizarre places you can actually visit, from around the world!
Crocosaurus Cove — Darwin, Australia
Faster than the late great Steve Irwin could say “Crikey!”, you’ll find yourself in an acrylic cage Down Under saying hello to a scaly saltwater crocodile with unnervingly large teeth. If you really want to irritate the crocs there’s always raw meat you can dangle above them at this wild facility. What better way to spend the weekend with the family?
Kingdom of the Little People — Kunming, China
This park is completely staffed by those below 4 feet in height. All the performers who entertain the crowds with ballet and break dancing live and work in a weirdly colorful and energetic compound that is strangely reminiscent of a scene out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Harmonyland — Hiji-machi, Japan
Image via Flickr CC – Tomohiro Ohtake
This Hello Kitty theme park is dedicated to celebrating the hugely popular animated feline character. Visitors can take a number of rides, witness a 3-D show, and buy an insane amount of merchandise. They’ve even got scented seats at the theater to Kitty up your posterior. Nice.
Old English literature geeks will go weak at the knees at this Dickensian paradise, made to match the author’s fictional works. From the Great Expectations boat ride to the Marshalsea prison, you can take in this gloomy Victorian England portrayed in many of Dickens’ books. Please sir, can we have some more?
Love Land — Jeju Island, South Korea
Image via Flickr CC – Damara Avila
Described as “a place where love oriented art and eroticism meet,” this sculpture park was first opened to inform and educate about sex and looks like South Korea’s take on a Kamasutra park. Sex-ed flicks are shown and there are tons of sculptures emulating various sexual positions. Plus, there are exaggerated depictions of human private parts. Are you feeling the love already?
Hacienda Nápoles — Puerto Triunfo, Colombia
If you’re still having Narcos withdrawals can’t wait till the next season, then why not pay a visit to good ol’ Pablo Escobar’s former estate? Now run as a safari-style theme park with a handful of exotic animals, you can see how the drug lord spent his fortune and what remains of it. Check out his burned car collection as well as an assortment of other artifacts, and don’t forget to feed a few carrots to Vanessa, the friendly hippo who is the property’s mascot.
BonBon-Land — Holme Olstrup, Denmark
Where else could you take a rollercoaster ride that’s themed after a big plastic dog doing his business? Not many places, one would guess. At BonBon-Land, there’s depictions of plenty of gross bodily functions carried out by large cartoonish animals, and the kids just can’t get enough of it.
Shijingshan Amusement Park — Beijing, China
Image via Flickr CC – Martin Lewison
This theme park in China once featured similar characters to Sleeping Beauty, Mickey, and other Disney personas (which may have now been removed after years of legal wrangling) and boasts a large Disney-like castle to boot.
Haw Par Villa — Pasir Panjang Road, Singapore
Image via Flickr CC – Jirka Matousek
This park in Singapore is dedicated to teaching people about Chinese folklore and mythology, but the highlight has to be the gory Ten Courts of Hell that would make Quentin Tarantino proud. Evil-doers are depicted being ground in a large stone mortar, tortured by demons, and thrown into a tree of knives in the afterlife. How delightful!
Napoleonland — Montereau-Fault-Yonne, France
While Napoleonland still only a proposal that hasn’t come to fruition, the initial plan was to build an area dedicated to the life and military contributions of Napoleon Bonaparte. Once (and if) ever completed, you’ll be able to catch a water show depicting the Battle of Trafalgar, reenactments of other famous battles, and even take a rather morbid ski ride down a slope filled with the frozen bodies of Napoleon’s retreating French army.
Are there any weird and wacky theme parks that we may have missed? Let us know in the comments below!
