When they're in their prime, there are few things that feel more alive than a theme park. But, when they close, there are few things creepier than an abandoned theme park like the one that was explored recently in Missouri.

Take a look inside a recent journey of discovery of what remains of Celebration City Theme Park located near Branson, Missouri.

This couple's video inspired some research on my part of why Celebration City was built and how it died. According to Wikipedia, it was built and opened over 20 years ago back in 1999. It's early years were a struggle to make ends meet according to those records.

Celebration City was reportedly sold to another company in 2002 with upgrades planned and reopened in 2003. It was very much alive in 2005 as this video shows.

As recent as 2008, the park had fireworks, a wooden roller coaster, lasers and a log flume. Unfortunately, it just wasn't enough to keep Celebration City afloat.

In 2009, Celebration City closed for good with some of the attractions being moved to other parks and still some remaining as the explorers documented. Now, it's just a skeleton of buildings and for those that visited during happier times, memories.

Something about walking through a theme park meant to entertain that now projects only vacancy and thoughts of what it might have been...if it had survived.

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