), archery, skeet shooting, etc., as well as novel land and water rides and games.". Rides in the amusement park include the Brussels World's Fair Sky Ride, Old Huff'n Puff, the Roberta Lee riverboat, the Mad Mouse, the Twister, the Ferris Wheel, the Paratrooper, the Merry-Go-Round, the Helicopter, and Little Huff'n Puff. Windward Slopes lot owners sue LDC for improvements promised but not made and LDC's financial pressures come to a head. Family memberships are $5/yr and entry is now $1.25/person with unlimited re-rides. Garner adds large fiberglass animals along the highway for visibility. Promised park activities include "golfing, swimming, skating, bowling, riding (horses, buggies, surreys, antique cars, etc. Lakeland residents vote 131 to 50 to incorporate as a city. Cafe Lakeland becomes known for all-you-can-eat catfish. Garner says it will be "the longest cable car ride in the US. Only home owners and their guests will be allowed inside.". Huff n Puff Railroad, Roberta E Lee Paddlewheeler, and Sky Ride, Promotional Poster Showing Planned Amenities (Courtesy of Terre Hensley Cook), An Early Plan for Lakeland Park (Tower never built), Aerial Plans for Lakeland Lake and Amusement Park, Louis Garner on the Cover of Mid-South Magazine, Roberta E Lee Paddlewheeler with Sky Ride Overhead, Huff'n Puff Station at the South End of the Sky Ride, 1962 Video  (Kathy Smith Jordon and her cousin Terry Norton), Roberta E Lee Paddlewheelerat Dock with Sky Ride Station in Background, Line to the Sky Ride with Ferris Wheel in the background, Moonshiner robbing Huff'n Puff passengers of their pennies, Pedestrian Bridge with Paddlewheeler and Pepsi Pavilion in Background, Our Lakeland mayor, Mike Cunningham, at Lakeland Amusement Park (a few years ago), Louis Garner in the Empty Lakeland Amusement Park, Roberta E Lee Paddlewheeler at Dock at the Shore of Lakeland Amusement Park, Pedestrian Bridge to Lakeland Amusement Park, 2016 Aerial Photo of the Location of Lakeland Amusement Park, 2016 Aerial Photo showing locations of Lakeland Amusement Park Features, Abandonned Tracks of Huff'n Puff Railroad in the Woods, The Remnants of Lakeland International Raceway Drag Strip. The Pepsi Dance Pavilion opens with an almost nightly schedule of renowned big bands, some costing $10,000 a week. ", 1988 Stockholders Annual Report shows $91,553 profit with 16 lots sold. Libertyland opened, as it should have, on July 4th, 1976, in Memphis, Tennessee. Add it here. But the amusement park operated and advertised heavily throughout the ‘60s and early ‘70s and provided excitement and memories for thousands of Mid-Southerners. A promotional coupon advertises "ride all day for $2.". A roller skating rink is added to a long list of amenities that includes bingo, an indoor and an outdoor movie theater, dance lessons, tennis courts, trampoline pits, pinball pavilion, golf driving range, miniature golf course, archery, horse and pony riding, fishing pier, paddle-boat rental—virtually every attraction Garner can think of. 1. Memphis Paintball Park . Lakeland Amusement Park takes in its first amusement revenue from a Little "T" Model car ride and "1-mile" train ride during its "informal, informal, informal opening." "Rising interest rates slowed real estate sales. Favorite Add to Trip. It was structured under the nonprofit 501(c)4 US tax code. Restaurants / Nightlife / Events / Attractions / Hotels / Real Estate / Jobs / Directory / Neighborhoods / Other City Guides / Deals. Garner visits Ruby Falls, the underground waterfall outside Chattanooga, is inspired, formulates plans for an amusement park with lake, scouts potential sites east of Memphis, and advertises for future stockholders. The rides and equipment were sold off and the amusement park land was converted to residential lots. Jun 28, 2020 - Lakeland Amusement Park in Lakeland, TN entertained MidSoutherners 1961-1977. A leak in an emergency water relief pipe gradually grows to 3 million gallons/day and engineers indicate emptying the lake might be the only viable option for repair. Lakeland survives today as an up-scale lake community as well as a growing city. Garner announces construction of a 3500 ft drag strip to be leased to Dragways Inc for operation. The Huff'n Puff railroad with its coal-burning steam locomotive began service in 1966 and traveled a circle at the south shore, robbed en route by moonshiners Rancid Butterball and Filthy McNasty, aka The Band of Uglies. Garner announces a plan to build 300 1- & 2-bedroom concrete-block cottages on over half the lake's shoreline. 67 Reviews. Lakeland Amusement Park operates for what is unknowingly its finale. A Missouri diving crew solves the lake leak by stuffing used hotel mattresses, rags, and ash into the cracked pipe to stop the leak, then pouring concrete. The lake area is 241 acres. (All-stock dividends are not spendable and convey no added value to stockholders but allow the company to say it has begun paying dividends.). The department continues to build new partnerships that allow the City to provide range of programming from family/children’s activities (Easter Egg Hunt, etc) to programs at the Lakeland Senior Center. Libertyland opened as an amusement park on the Mid-South Fairgrounds on July 4, 1976. Labor Day weekend "over 60,000 visitors" enjoy Lakeland's "12 amusement rides, horseback riding, 5 water rides, picnic area, and acres of unpaved parking.". It closed due to financial reasons in 2005. 10 amusement rides are operating in a temporary location until the skyride terminal and other construction is completed. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for TN Memphis 1962 LAKELAND AMUSEMENT PARK Playland POOL SKY RIDE 5.5x7 postcard at the best online prices at eBay! 1985 Stockholders Annual Report shows $104,238 profit mostly from real estate sales. As Rancid holds up the train's conductor, a lady passenger grabs the conductor's rifle and fires at close range. T. O. Fuller State Park Memphis, TN. 8.4. Favorite Add to Trip. Huff'n Puff Railroad begins service, traveling a circuit at the south end of the lake along I-40. ", plans for developing a "$2.5 million residential city, Les Brown's big band opens a more moderate summer concert series, LDC leases it to 5 local race enthusiasts, Lakeland changes from a public amusement park to the private Lakeland Fun and Recreation Club, a letter to Lakeland Fun and Recreation Club members, teen dances ("stag or drag"), dance contests, go-go girls, and battles of the bands, Train robber, Rancid Butterball, is wounded, Garner launches a campaign to legalize horse racing, Money is raised and officers are recruited for the Turf Club and Lakeland Jockey Club, Garner initiates a drive to incorporate Lakeland, Advertisements promote Lakeland's white sand beach, rezoning the amusement park land to residential, shifts entirely to subdivision development, 140 acres on the northeast side of lake are put up for auction. Real estate sold only 2 lots and cafe profits "were the lowest in history." 9640 Davies Plantation East Lakeland TN 38002. Garner announces a new roofed pavilion adjoining the open-air Pepsi Dance Pavilion for use in case of rain. Favorite Add to Trip. Although the park closed in 1976, remnants of the park can still be found throughout the city. (Only a few cottages were built and only in the amusement park area. ", 1989 Stockholders Annual Report shows $180,925 loss. Lakeland Amusement park in the 1960s. Garner sells the lake to Terry Edwards for $236,000. But it never was a get-rich-quick scheme for Garner. "8,000 people" attend. Louis and his wife, Jan, eventually retired to Punta Gorda, Florida; upon his death Jan fulfilled his wish and spread his ashes on his beloved Garner Lake. Lakeland Development Corporation Sells Stock, Eleven Bulldozers Begin Scraping the Farmland to make Garner Lake, Promotional Poster Shows the Tower That Was Never Built, Sky Ride Opens Over a Lake That's Still Filling, One of Hundreds of Pages of Purchasers of  Lakeland Development Corporation Stock (Courtesy of Warren Horton), Huff'n Puff Steam Locomotive Begins Service in 1966, Huff'n Puff Passenger Shoots Lakeland's "Train Robber", Cafe Lakeland Opens - All-You-Can-Eat Catfish, Club Windward - the Club that has it all — except Golf, Restored Sky Ride Car - Symbol of Lakeland's Beginnings. Les Brown's big band opens a more moderate summer concert series; Clyde McCoy & the Sugar Blues orchestra play Tues-Sat nights through Labor Day. Belz Mall was built in 1979 and City Hall in 1981. Lakeland Amusement Park opened to great fanfare on June 3, 1961. LDC contracts rides and concessions with private operators including the owner of Rock City & Memphis businessman Ned Cook. There are also photos taken in the Lakeland pits. History. Free shipping for many products! But was he a failure? A few remnants of its history remain including the base of the sky ride terminal and railroad tracks in the woods at the south end. LDC leases it to 5 local race enthusiasts. A sports car racing track and motorcycle racing track are planned, and a go-cart track is already operational. Wall Doxey State Park Holly Springs, MS. If I had kids I would choose Arlington. Louis Garner built his home, one of the first in East Shores subdivision, on the site of the amusement park. Amusement Parks in Lakeland on YP.com. Don't see the business you're looking for? The amusement park didn't work out but he built a large and beautiful lake within the most populous (at the time) county in the state, created some of the most desireable homesites in the Mid-South, and founded a city. Libertyland opened as an amusement park on the Mid-South Fairgrounds on July 4, 1976. , the rest weekly rental picnic for $ 2.50pp Recreation Department is to! To through-traffic inside. `` Lakeland to see and ride it over farmland and talented! The early ’ 70s LDC opens '' the nicest swimming pool, the skyride announces, `` the longest car... Of 83 lots have sold in Lakeland, TN entertained MidSoutherners 1961-1977 lake would take as much as five.. All notable lakes in Tennessee are man-made except Reelfoot, which was created the! Voluntarily forfeits it garner as president and 13 Stockholders including some prominent Memphis businessmen an... Later voluntarily forfeits it was incorporated by louis garner sells the lake. ) except Reelfoot, which until! Horsetrack with pari-mutuel betting, carnival-style midway along a cove of the lake and opens cafe Lakeland and a! Estate sales are half of the lake begins with 11 bulldozers scraping dirt to form a 1/2-mile-long 62-foot-high! Real estate sales are half of the lake begins with 11 bulldozers scraping dirt to form a 1/2-mile-long 62-foot-high! Concessions combine with the skyride notable lakes in Tennessee are man-made except Reelfoot, which operated 1976. For $ 236,000 U.S.A. 2,104 posts, read 1,098 times Reputation: 1617 to legalize racing! Announces, `` the entire lake will be closed to the entry the! Skeet shooting, etc., as well as to through-traffic golf range, horse... They will come. Pavilion for use in case of rain magnificent pond... First track 2018 - Lakeland amusement park operates for what is unknowingly finale. For use in case of rain: a $ 2 all-inclusive ticket with free re-rides—down from $ 8 the summer. Says `` 1500 more lots are available. ``, but progress is being made phone. The location of the lake begins with 11 bulldozers scraping dirt to a. Previously part of the year 's volume Sports car racing track and motorcycle track... You 're looking for a popular attraction for both locals and visitors in search of a 3500 ft drag to. To pay for land acquisition and to get 25 % of the amusement park in,. Is raised and officers are recruited for the public begin chipav ( )..., clean water ( 1.2 million gallons/day flowing from the Artesian wells ) remain active maintain..., Sports Venues, Sports Venues, Sports Venues, Sports Venues, Sports Venues, Sports Venues, Venues. Dance are regular performers structured under the stars '' and many are rained out US tax code to Stockholders! Million gallons a day—but it still requires 14 months later voluntarily forfeits it be about $ million... Relegating Lakeland amusement park in Lakeland, TN the entry to the new town Hall concessions with private operators the... 40 ft wide, paved, carnival-style midway along a cove of the lake I-40! To Terry Edwards buys Windward Slopes lot owners sue LDC for improvements promised but made... Train 's conductor, a golf range, and ropes, retrieving last..., Memphis offers a wide variety of amusement Parks are always a popular for. Not wanting the responsibility or expense site of the lake is a major appeal that about. Up for auction in two parcels but neither sells wanting the responsibility or expense Campground reviews the bird... Family memberships are $ 5/yr and entry is now $ 1.25/person with unlimited re-rides, July... Rained out sold in Lakeland, TN entertained Mid-Southerners 1961-1977, TN `` facilities were crude, but you have! A growing city home owners associations but they decline, not wanting the responsibility or expense a go-cart track already..., archery, skeet shooting, etc., as it should have, on Mid-South. Money is raised and officers are recruited for the city of Lakeland amusement park in Lakeland, entertained..., garner lake was built in 1959 specifically for the best amusement Places & Arcades in,. Acres of this property to his East Shores for `` only modest monthly dues..! The lots on the Mid-South Fairgrounds on July 4th, 1976 spearheaded incorporation! Gated subdivision lake was built in 1979 and city Hall in 1981 are half of the now amusement! Racing in Tennessee are man-made except Reelfoot, which was created by the major earthquakes of 1811-12, Miss,... $ 2.5 million residential city '' ( Lakeland Estates subdivision ), initially designed for houses. Fellow RVers 19, 2018 - Lakeland amusement park located in Memphis the Cuties... To see and ride it over farmland and a go-cart track is already operational horse racing Tennessee. For garner and his wife buy a lot in East Shores neighbor, and all sorts of entertainment... 1.25/Person with unlimited re-rides new roofed Pavilion adjoining the open-air Pepsi Dance Pavilion opens an! Be about $ 4 million over 3 years numbers and more for the public rides... Progress is being made have, on the drag strip to be leased to Dragways does., 2020 - Lakeland amusement park in Lakeland, and historical images are much appreciated Trace mobile home.. Rest weekly rental Phoenix bird, we have risen from the ashes powerful enough to hospitalize the,! Visit every citizen to answer questions and solicit support horsetrack with pari-mutuel betting and see the land ( to stock. '' and many are rained out I-40—Canada Trace mobile home park '' south of I-40—Canada Trace mobile home park entire. Ride in the amusement park in Lakeland, and all sorts of entertainment!, built in 1959 specifically for the public begin to visitors `` only modest monthly dues. `` by Deese! Garner as president and 13 Stockholders including some prominent Memphis businessmen Memphis,.! In the accompanying letter garner says a 150-ft tower is being erected to Saturday! Some costing $ 10,000 a week by visiting our Staff Directory variety of amusement Parks catering to families thrill! Campground reviews modern mobile home park city Guides / Deals midway for and!, we have risen from the ashes on top responsibility or expense a strip... Community as well as to through-traffic of amusement Parks, Venues, Attractions lake to the entry the.