Lake Shawnee Amusement Park

What it's like here

Lake Shawnee Amusement Park is a defunct amusement park in West Virginia that operated from 1926 until its permanent closure in 1988. What remains today is a haunting landscape of rusting carnival rides — a Ferris wheel, mechanized swings, and other mechanical attractions — left to decay across overgrown grounds. The park stands frozen in time, a physical reminder of both industrial entertainment and profound human tragedy.

The weight of history here is inescapable. The land itself carries layers of sorrow: it was the site of a 1783 Native American attack on the Mitchell Clay family, and decades later, an archaeological excavation in 1988 revealed the park had been built directly atop an ancient Native American burial ground containing thousands of graves. A series of accidental deaths during the park's operating years — including child drownings and a fatality on the swing ride — added to the darkness that now pervades the site.

Today, Lake Shawnee has become one of the world's most notorious paranormal hotspots. Visitors and investigators report unexplained phenomena: equipment malfunctions, drained batteries, mysterious sounds, and disembodied whispers that seem to drift across the property. The dense Appalachian wilderness surrounds the grounds, amplifying the isolation and the sense that something unseen lingers here. The park has drawn international paranormal investigators and been featured on the Discovery Channel, Travel Channel, History Channel, and National Geographic.

Access is tightly controlled — the privately owned site is visited primarily through guided tours or professional paranormal investigations arranged by appointment. Daytime historical tours offer context for the tragedies and indigenous history embedded in the land, while overnight investigations allow those drawn to the paranormal to experience the site after dark. Photography is permitted, making it a destination for those seeking both historical understanding and unexplained encounters. Whether you come to document the decay of abandoned Americana, to honor the indigenous history buried beneath the rides, or to test your nerve against reported supernatural activity, Lake Shawnee demands respect for the lives and spirits said to remain.

Highlights

• Explore a century-old amusement park frozen in decay, with original rusting rides including a Ferris wheel and mechanized swings
• Walk grounds built atop an ancient Shawnee burial ground discovered to contain thousands of graves during a 1988 archaeological dig
• Experience the dark history of a land marked by a 1783 Native American attack, multiple accidental deaths, and reported intense paranormal activity
• Participate in guided daytime historical tours or overnight paranormal investigations by appointment
• Immerse yourself in a landscape surrounded by dense Appalachian wilderness, featured on major paranormal television networks

Good to know

The park is privately owned and access is strictly by appointment — visits are arranged through guided historical tours or professional paranormal investigations. Daytime tours and overnight investigations are both available. Photography is allowed on-site. The property is surrounded by dense, rugged Appalachian terrain. Equipment malfunctions and electronic failures are frequently reported by visitors. Special tours are offered in the days leading up to Halloween.

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Last verified: August 16, 2026