The Derbyshire family theme park with record-breaking ride that closed after 20 years

The fun-filled adventure park in Derbyshire was way ahead of the curve, and yet it was suddenly shut down with the owners left to sell off the rides

Now a seemingly normal housing estate in Derbyshire, locals may not realise that where they live once stood a famous family theme park.

Heanor, Derbyshire, was once the home of The American Adventure Theme Park, a family-friendly park filled with white-knuckle rides and attractions for an impressive 20 years. That was until the owners made the decision to close its doors at the end of the season in 2007, never to be reopened.

The site was originally opened in June 1987 and had an Old West theme with a focus on the idea of cowboys vs. Native Americans throughout. The land belonged to a previous adventure park before it was brought back by the Derbyshire County Council and sold to the conglomerate Granada.

It was then that things really started to shape up for the attraction, dubbed as Britain’s Major New Theme Park.

One of its key rides that drew a lot of people to the park was the iconic ‘Nightmare Niagara’, a log flume that later went on to break a record. The water ride was extended in 1993, and went on to become the UK’s tallest drop on a water ride.

Another ride included the Buffalo Stampede and Santa Fe Railroad, both of which were moved to Twinlakes Theme Park following the theme park’s closure. One was a powerful roller coaster, while the other was a miniature railway ride, encircling the whole park.

The original western theme branched out slightly, venturing into other North American culture and history, introducing space travel.

In 1989, the original theme expanded to other elements of North American culture and history. This involved an area themed around space travel, and the Missile roller coaster was a standout amongst it, as a Vekoma Boomerang coaster, it was soon enough voted as the best roller coaster in the UK at the time.

Although, unfortunately for visitors and locals, the park began to decline, and by 1997, it was sold off to another developer. It was later renamed Adventure World, with the hopes of allowing it to expand on its themes, and yet by the end of the park’s life, it had reverted back to The American Adventure.

Locals fought tooth and nail to ensure that after its closure at the end of 2006, the park could reopen again. Ten years on in 2017, thousands signed a petition to reopen it, and a Facebook page was set up in memory of the park, where visitors shared their love for the site.

A post on the page explained its purpose further. It reads: “This isn’t a theme park you can visit. We have no plans to rebuild it. But what it is… is something just as powerful.

“It’s a collection of memories — of staff, guests, families, and fans. It’s a community. An arm of the wider theme park world. And we’re proud to celebrate that.”

People shared fond memories on a recent post about the legendary log flume. One user said: “I remember when it got stuck at the very top and we had to walk down the stairs! Never been a fan of heights!”

While another added: “I loved that ride, queued up for hours to go that, came off and queued up again.”

Now, the site is a place in which people call home, and the surrounding grounds are a lovely park, although with far less fun.