AutoWorld (theme park) facts for kids
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| Location | Flint, Michigan |
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| Coordinates | 43°01′15″N 83°41′29″W / 43.02083°N 83.69139°W |
| Status | Closed |
| Opened | July 4, 1984 |
| Closed | 1994 |
AutoWorld was a special indoor theme park located in Flint, Michigan, USA. It was built to attract tourists and help the city of Flint. The park first opened its doors on July 4, 1984, as Six Flags AutoWorld.
Sadly, it closed for the first time just six months later. AutoWorld shut down for good in 1994 and was taken down a few years after that. When it first opened, the governor of Michigan, James J. Blanchard, hoped it would help "rebirth the great city of Flint."
Contents
How the Idea Started
The idea for AutoWorld began a long time ago, around 1969. Joseph Anderson, a retired manager from a car parts company called AC Spark Plug, remembered that Harding Mott, who led the Mott Foundation, was upset. He had heard a news story about students in California burying a Chevrolet car. They did this to show they were against cars. Mott wanted to show how important cars were to society.
Another idea for AutoWorld came from Harding Mott himself. He felt that the city of Flint needed to "get its pride together." After all, Flint was one of the main places where cars were first made.
Planning the Park
AutoWorld was a big part of a plan to make downtown Flint better in the 1960s and 1970s. At first, people thought about building a hall of fame for cars in Flint. In 1970, important leaders from Flint met to talk about improving the city center. This meeting led to a group called the Flint Area Conference, Inc. (FACI). This group worked to help the community's needs.
After the meeting, a committee led by Joseph Anderson was formed. They studied the idea of an automotive hall of fame. They hired a company to create a plan for the hall of fame. It was to be built on an island in the Flint River. This was the very first plan for AutoWorld.
Over the next ten years, many other plans and designs were made. In 1978, another company suggested creating a "National Institute" to show how much the car affected the world. They also wanted a fun place in downtown Flint focused on cars. This project was called "A National Institute of Automotive Science and History (AutoWorld)."
By 1980, the plans for AutoWorld started to include more theme park elements. It would have rides, shows, and hands-on displays. There would also be shops and restaurants. AutoWorld was designed to be a smaller, indoor theme park with attractions for all ages. Experts thought that most visitors would be from Flint itself.
The final plan for AutoWorld predicted that 750,000 people would visit in the first year. They expected about 1 million visitors the next year.
Money for AutoWorld
The project received money from many different places.
- The Mott Foundation gave $11 million.
- Public funds added $36.5 million.
- Local people donated $4 million.
- Other companies also gave money, including $1 million from GM.
How AutoWorld Operated
After fifteen years of planning, AutoWorld finally opened on July 4, 1984. There was a big parade to celebrate! A ticket cost $8.95. Many people called it "the largest enclosed theme park in the world."
In its first month, AutoWorld met its goal for visitors. From July 4 to August 4, 1984, nearly 140,000 people came to the park. Most experts thought AutoWorld would get one million visitors each year. However, it soon became clear that these numbers were too high. By the fall of 1984, fewer people were visiting. The park was busy on holidays and weekends, but often empty during the week. When it was clear AutoWorld wasn't getting enough visitors, the people who invested money decided to close it.
What You Could See and Do
Inside AutoWorld's big dome, there were many fun things to see.
- There was a copy of historic downtown Flint. It showed Saginaw Street as it looked in 1900. This area had a flowing river, comfy benches, and lots of tropical plants and trees.
- The first thing visitors saw was a small cabin. Inside was a dummy that looked like Jacob Smith, who founded Flint. If you pushed a red button, a film played on the dummy's face. It would welcome you and talk about Flint's beginnings.
- Other attractions included a ferris wheel and a carousel.
- There was a carnival ride called "The Humorous History of Automobility."
- Many shops and restaurants were also inside.
Another section had a giant car engine. There was a wall with old car brand shields that rotated. You could also see how cars were made in the past, present, and future. This included a fake assembly line with robots. AutoWorld also had an IMAX theater. A two-story ramp showed how cars affected popular culture through history.
One special film was called The Car of Your Dreams. It showed three decades of car advertisements. This film showed how the car industry was good at making people want certain lifestyles to sell cars.
Why It Closed
In December 1984, AutoWorld announced it would only be open on weekends for the winter. In January 1985, the investors completely closed AutoWorld. There were some attempts to reopen it. For example, in May 1987, there were plans to open it on weekends as a theme park and festival center.
Even though AutoWorld opened for short times over the next few years, Michigan's struggling economy kept tourists and investors away. AutoWorld closed for good in 1994. After it closed, people suggested new ideas for the land, like a casino. But that plan was rejected. The land was given to the University of Michigan-Flint. The building was torn down in 1997.
Today, the University of Michigan-Flint's William S. White Building stands on the land. It houses the nursing program and School of Management.
AutoWorld was shown in the 1989 Michael Moore film Roger & Me. Footage of AutoWorld being torn down was also in Moore's 1997 film The Big One.
