Imagineering an American Dreamscape: Genesis, Evolution, & Redemption of the Regional Theme Park

by Barry R. Hill

Finally, the story of America’s regional theme parks. Everybody knows pretty much everything about Disneyland—how it got started, how the Imagineers do their thing, and so on. But nobody ever talks about the parks that most of us across the country enjoy far more often. Regional theme parks, different from amusement parks, owe their existence to the magical land Walt built in Anaheim. There were a few false starts, but in 1961 Angus Wynne opened Six Flags Over Texas, triggering a tidal wave of Disneyland-lites over the next twenty years.

Imagineering an American Dreamscape tells the story of the regionals and the strong-willed individuals behind them—where they came from, how they got started, and how they’ve changed over the decades. Some of the stories you may have heard. Most you probably haven’t, and it’s a fascinating tale to tell. Sit back and enjoy the long journey from the grand world expositions of yesteryear to the parks you grew up to love and cherish.

Contents:

1. Before Disneyland
2. Walt sets a new standard
3. Duplicating Disneyland is harder than you think
4. Angus Wynne gets it done
5. Entrepreneurs, visionaries, & mavericks
6. Davy Crockett tangles with...Yogi Bear?
7. Masters of the franchise
8. Adolphus plants a garden
9. Munchkins, berries & Hersheybars
10. Who says we can't build a theme park now?
11. Evolution
12. Redemption

Plus special contributions by theme park designers:
Foreword by Rob Decker
Duell Design 101, Mel McGowan
Learning from legends: A personal retrospective, Rick Bastrup

Genres: Nonfiction

314 pages, Paperback

Published July 17, 2020

Reviews

[Ronald J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that sneaks up on you. I picked it up thinking I’d get a niche history of regional theme parks, and what I got instead was a surprisingly rich story about competition, imitation, creativity, and aspiration in American leisure culture.

At its core, this is a love letter to the regional theme park. The places many of us grew up visiting long before (or far away from) Disneyland. What makes the book especially compelling is how clearly it shows the Disney effect: once Walt Disney proved that theming, storytelling, cleanliness, and guest experience mattered, regional parks around the country were forced to up their game. Some rose to the challenge. Others didn’t. And that tension drives much of the narrative.
One of the great pleasures of the book is its sheer recognition factor. Chances are high that your local or regional park shows up somewhere in these pages, and when it does, you’ll feel that little jolt of nostalgia. Hill captures not just the names and dates, but the cultural role these parks played in their communities.

What I also appreciated is that this isn’t just nostalgia. There’s real operational substance here. Hill gets into park layout, theming decisions, ride manufacturers, intellectual property, and the economics of attraction design. You start to see how parks are choreographed experiences, not just collections of rides, and how small design decisions cascade into guest perception and profitability. More importantly, he profiles the visionaries in the industry that were bold enough to build and risk capital to bring these dreams to reality. They are larger-than-life characters.

It's a bit long. There are sections where the detail may exceed what a casual reader needs. That said, if you’re interested in experience design, operations, or the evolution of themed entertainment, the depth is more feature than bug.

All in all, this is an enjoyable, informative read — part history, part cultural analysis, part backstage tour. If you’ve ever loved a regional theme park, or wondered how Disney quietly reshaped the entire industry, this book is well worth your time.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the dry humor and thoroughness. Great tour of americana and regional theme parks. Loved the chronology and tour through time and the parks themselves.

[Leslie Goddard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this book just to learn about a couple of specific parks, but ended up being unable to put it down until I’d read the whole thing. A really fascinating look at the rise of regional theme parks that followed in the wake of the wild success of Disneyland, but didn’t entirely try to copy Disneyland. I particularly liked the final chapter, which explored why the “themes” of theme parks haven’t usually been maintained — in some cases for good reasons — and why certain themes were so popular (in most cases, geography and history themes because they were free). Exceptionally well-researched and engagingly well-written

[Max Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it! The book follows the history of americas regional Theme Parks and the people who had the visions to build, rebuild and redesign them! It gives a great overview of the evolution of the first parks and how they became what they are today. Also the book takes its time to talk about the entrepreneurs and visionaries yet not as fames as Dinsey. For me it was a fun read, since the book trys to find answers of what makes a good park with whom the people can connect with and what is necessary for staying in business more than just one season?

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read through the history and future of some of our beloved theme parks. As I read the walk through of Kings Dominion and Opryland, it took me back to the time when I was first enjoying these parks with my family.