What people came for, based on news coverage, photographs and the park's own advertising.
The incline railway
A double incline railway carried visitors more than 3,300 feet up Buck Mountain from the base.[1] It was one of the attractions that did not run when the park reopened in 2007.[1]
The chairlift
The two-seat chairlift was the longest in North Carolina when it was added and the second longest in the country.[1] Hugh Morton photographed the lift and its riders around 1970.[2] Its breakdown on July 16, 2002 came just before the park's first closure.[1]
Gunfights on Main Street
Hourly staged gunfights in the Western town were a big draw.[1] Some of the gunfighters stayed for decades. Robert Bradley had been one since 1962 when he was shot during a show in 2013.[3]
The Cliffhanger and other rides
After buying the park back in 1986, Coburn added the Red Devil roller coaster, built out over the side of Buck Mountain. It opened in September 1988 and was later renamed the Cliffhanger, and by 2009 about $6 million had gone into it. The incline railway, the train and a ride called the Monster did not reopen in 2007, and owners promised to bring them back.[3][1]
Shows, shops and later additions
Stars of the day performed at the park.[4] Presley planned a zip line after buying the park in 2012, and by 2015 the park's website advertised zip lines, along with village shops, restaurants, and live shows in the Village Theatre and Moonshiners Playhouse.[3][5] The roadside billboard pictured on the About page lists dining, shopping, entertainment, zip lines, a country fair and horseback riding.