Walk-Thru + Drone Flyover of Abandoned Ark. Theme Park

Does anybody remember Dogpatch USA? It was located just off State Highway 7 in the Ozark mountains situated between Jasper and Harrison, Arkansas.

Dogpatch USA was based on the comic strip Li'l Abner, and created by cartoonist Al Capp. The theme park opened to the general public in 1968 but eventually fell into hard times and closed in 1993. The area is now known as Marble Falls, according to Wikipedia.

I remember traveling to Dogpatch USA with my parents when I was a young kid. The highway to getting there was treacherous, curvy, with lots of twists and turns but the views were spectacular along the way. The thing I remember most about Dogpatch USA was the entrance that featured a huge statue of Jubilation T. Compone, the fictional town hero. Visitors had to ride a tram from the parking lot to the entrance to what was called Skunk Hollow. Dogpatch USA had a large natural spring, trout farm, and you could go horseback riding if you wanted. There was a botanical garden, a Mystic Caverns cave, train rides, paddle boats, petting zoo, grist mill, wooden slide, fudge shop, arts and crafts shops where you could buy handmade items from local artisans. Li'l Abner comic-strip characters would interact with the crowds in the park with skits or music. And if you wanted to stay overnight you could do that at the alpine-designed Dogpatch Inn or eat at the restaurant that served up home-cooked food.

Take a look at this astonishing walkthrough video of this abandoned park in Northwest Arkansas. Hopefully, it will bring back a few memories for you if you visited the park.

Here is a drone flyover.

The 400-acre park was recently acquired by Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris in August of 2020. The plan is to restore the park to its natural habitat along with the trout hatchery and natural spring. As for the rest of the park development, planning is still in the works.

This drone flyover was taken just 3 days ago. This is what the area looks like now.

The Dogpatch USA property is a scenic 35-minute drive from Big Cedar Lodge, another Johnny Morris property just north of the Missouri-Arkansas state line.

All I know as a kid growing up visiting Dogpatch USA is still one of my most memorable experiences.