Two very unique and very different theme parks were each built on the same 135 acre plot of land, located at the junction of Interstate 4 and U.S. Highway 27, about 10 miles north of Haines City in central Florida's Polk County. While Circus World managed to stay alive for almost 12 years, Boardwalk & Baseball only survived for about 3 years.

One of the favorite urban legends used to explain the fates of these two special parks, was that the very land itself was cursed, having been located on the site of an ancient Seminole Indian burial ground. Whether or not that was true, it did seem that from the very beginning, any endeavor on that land was destined to fail.

From day one, Circus World never turned a profit nor did it ever become the source of any major income. The park's owner, Mattel, stubbornly believed that it was the fault of the local managers, operations personnel and performers, and brought in replacements every time the wind blew. Boardwalk & Baseball showed great promise in the beginning, but the park's future was doomed during it's first year of operations, when HBJ Publishing (the park's owners), were forced into deep debt in order to prevent a hostile takeover.

Fans and patrons of both parks will still attest to either park's virtues and viabilities, but whether because of poor management, public apathy or the ghosts of an ancient Native American tribe, that piece of land is now lost to the frenzy of the suburban developers-- forever.