Ive always been fascinated by this place . The good , bad and really bizarre history is a deep rabbit hole to go down . Thanks to Carolina Tony and Scott on Tape for hanging out
Thanks for documenting this Adam! I've always been interested in Jim & Tammy-Faye Bakker! Have you ever seen the 90s TV movie "Fall From Grace" with Kevin Spacey & Bernadette Peters?
Thanks for this. My history with PTL started in the mid- 70's on TV. First visited in 80-81 and at least 8 more times after that. Aubrey Sara, if not mistaken, was the co-pastor of the Barn church when Jim Bakker wasn't available. One time the Bakker kids rode the tram with us from Chatty Cathy station. Camped there one weekend. Many great memories!
I started and managed a cabinet shop for a company that did any and all the cabinetry for Jim Baker at Heritage USA. What most people do not know is the park also had a large and growing residential homes section they called Mulberry Village Phase 1 that sold out immediately and Mulberry Village 2 under construction that sold out but before the homes were completed the park financially collapsed. For those of us who worked on the property during the height of PTL's success we all new deep down there was a dark side to the Baker organization, things just seemed off balanced I remember several times when checking in on cabinet installations in each of the homes customers would walk up and ask if cabinets actually cost the amount they had paid PTL and I am here to tell you they paid 4 times what the same kitchen would have cost to any other builder in the Charlotte NC market. Jim Baker was a screw from day one and everyone who got involved in the construction of PTL lost a great deal of money in the end. All this pain and suffering according to Jim and Tammy in the name of God!
This place had an epic water park. Back in the 80’s I used to send postcards to theme parks requesting information because my family was planning a trip to the area. Of course that wasn’t true. Man I tell you the stuff theme parks would send. Maps, stickers, bumper stickers, etc. I even got giant fold out maps sometimes. I wish I had saved all that stuff. I remember getting info on this place and the water park and their rock mountain always looked awesome to me. I was in high school in the 80’s, graduated in 1987. I would come home every day and first thing I would say to my mom was “did I get any mail”. But I would say it so fast it sounded like I was saying “doggie mail”. To this day I still say doggie mail. It’s a running joke with my mom...thanks Adam for another awesome v8deo.
My family used to vacation at Heritage USA. Despite all of the drama that ended up happening, it was such a wonderful place to visit when I was a teenager. There was so much stuff to do there, plus it was also close to Carowinds which was definitely a plus. I remember one time being in a shop there where they rented sports equipment, and Jim Bakker was in there. There were people showing him different pictures for Tammy's upcoming album. Of course, they were going on about how pretty she looked in each, and Jim looked up at us and was laughing at the fuss they were making. Also, when we were in the Heritage Grand Hotel, we passed by Kim Fields (Tootie from the Facts of Life) as she was leaving the hotel.
I lived in Matthews from 1980 to 1990. I took my two children to Heritage USA to the water park a LOT and to see the lights at Christmas time each year that they had them. It was so much fun. We were religious, we just loved a good water park, and it was so much fun. It made us really sad when we moved away and saw what happened and found out what had been going on with them all along. It was great seeing it after all these years. I wondered many times over the years what had happened to the property. Thanks for this video. Great job!
we were religious? what does that mean? ARE you a christian? born again? regardless of what jim n tammy did, one MUST be born again to go to Heaven. John 3:3. hope to see you there!!
Wow to have someone like you feature this property is amazing. My cousin put in the water park part it was the biggest thing he's ever done at the time and he went on to do the fancy bit of circus circus in the back of the casino that water park part. He cut his teeth and got his skills on this job unfortunately the company was never paid properly so he basically did all that work for free. This was the first install of his trademark water ride which is a 8 to 10 people float that you go down the shoot with the illusion that you could steer. Mikey had a wicked sense of humor you think you could steer that thing but that's a no! He got paid every time a park put that in every time I see one of those it makes me smile because that's my cousin's work. Seeing this through eyes of Adam the woo is even better thank you for sharing! ❤️
hey Lizzie. My dad's company painted quite a bit of Heritage USA. I still have items that Jim and Tam gave my dad as gifts. I literally just visited the property this past weekend to see what remains. I'm from Charlotte, NC
My grandmother would take me and my sister there almost every year when is was open. I remember swimming in the pool inside hotel, we played with Jay baker at the pool.
To the average person it's a failed park where not much still exists. Adam, you make it exciting with your enthusiasm and excitement. This might be one of my favorites just because of you and how happy you are to explore and that you finally got to see Main Street! I'd give 10 thumbs up if I could!
Regrettably, my parents were long-time PTL members. My memories of Heritage Village (the original name) date back to 1981 when I was 12. That was years before almost every building you saw on the property was even built. I wish I had never set foot in that place. Strange seeing the interior of the "big barn" after all these years. That's where they used to tape the PTL show and would have all-night gospel concerts. I met and shook hands with Jim and Tammy Faye in that building. So weird.
My church youth group spent a week in the campgrounds in the summer of 1987. We were all basically turned loose inside that park and we went a little wild! My group was the oldest at 12 to 14 yr olds and we were the only group allowed to roam without chaperones! I have a glitter filled pen from there I have to find!!!! My bunk mate was dared to steal it from the gift shop and she did! I have no idea how I ended up w/it. We were such heathens back then!😂 It was absolutely amazing with the skating rink, the train, the water park. It was better than being st Ft. Wilderness and we couldn’t figure out how come nobody could save this amazing park. Thank you for bringing back a great memory from my youth!
A lady that I once worked with was a preschool teacher at Heritage USA in the 80's. She said that the Baker's paid the employees a very good salary and they also had excellent benefits. Employees were offered discounts on rental apartments if they desired to live there. She loved working and living there. She talked about it being a safe community and everyone was friendly. I also had a friend that worked at the local K-Mart in the area. She said that the store would allow Tammy Baker to come to the store after closing time to shop for items for the PTL storehouse. They kept clothing and other items in the storehouse at Heritage for needy people. She said that if someone in the area experience a house fire or other disaster, Tammy would take items from the storehouse to them. Tammy would also buy coats every fall to take to the schools for needy children. The castle at the parking lot had an ice cream parlor and game room in it. One of the games was feed the fat lady. You would try to throw the balls inside of a ring and every time you got one in, the lady would expand. The lady was made out of windsock material and was blown up by air. It had the voice of Tammy Baker. There was also a go cart track behind the castle. It was fenced in, and you got to it through one of the castle doors. It's been a while, but I believe the round building at the waterpark was a Wendy's restaurant. The building behind it was where you got tickets for the train and waterpark. Inside of the hotel on main street, the first floor was shops and the balconies on the 2nd and 3rd floors were attached to hotel rooms. In certain hotel rooms, you could stand out on the balconies and watch what was going on below. The conference center on main street used to be a fancy restaurant. I remember the red interior with fancy white chairs and tables and a stage with a white baby grand piano. The barn was actually the church building. It was used for church services and for concerts. I believe the filming studios were in the building behind the barn. I heard that some of them may have been torn down. Here is one of the concerts in the barn. czcams.com/video/laaSFpye1TU/video.html
Just watched "the eyes of Tammy Faye" on HBO, brilliantly acted btw and now Adam takes us on a historical journey. What could be better. Great job Adam and very much enjoyed Tony and Scott. Thanks to all.
Awesome footage Adam, I always wondered what the Heritage USA buildings looked like in recent years. Back in 1995 My Parents and I went to go check out Heritage USA (we were visiting Family), I was a teenager at the time and didnt know the backstory behind PTL, both my Parents were in the Ministry, but they never followed the bakkers or supported their ministry (personal reasons I guess). I remember going to the Upper Room, and being fascinated by the architecture, the interior was beautiful, with 5 or so "prayer closets" for those who felt the need to pray. I also am glad Main Street still looks the same as it did back then, there were a few small shops still running back then. Keep in mind when I was there, in 95 it was a good 6 years abandoned, the whole vibe of the place however was very sad and somber, as if you just came back from a Funeral, I remember seeing the water slide and castle, but the whole exterior to the theme park area seemed very post apocalyptic in nature. One place that I never forgot was the Pyramid shaped building, which was the PTL World Outreach Center. I remember walking up to the doors, looking thru the glass window and seeing the entire building full of boxes and sheets over the furniture. Glad to see the Barn Auditorium still intact and used. That building as well as the PTL "pyramid" building were not locked, my parents didnt allow it, but I wanted to explore those buildings so bad. In an Ironic twist the video you made back in 2011 was the first ATW video I ever saw, and been a follower of yours ever since.
I grew up not far from PTL and had a friend who’s dad worked there. Spent a lot of time there at the pool and water park. It was always crowded, they served no alcohol and the grounds were so well kept. I remember we were at the pool and a Mercedes pulled up and people started shouting “it’s brother Jim” and went running to the car. I had no idea who Jim was…lol…..Traffic backed up for miles for the yearly Christmas light display. This video brings back a lot of memories!
Lots of memories, I was 14 in 1984 when my parents and I moved to Heritage USA and lived in a house in what used to be Mulberry Village. I was able to experience Christmas there and the parties the Bakkers used to have at the Heritage Grand hotel. My Family sold our house in Mulberry just before The ministry fell apart . I have not been back there since about 1986. Also used to love going to Carowinds amusement park down the way , I think it was called that. Great video and channel.
I watched the video of your first visit to Heritage. So many memories, some not so great. The Bakers and all of their history was near an obsession. I never missed watching a morning of the PTL Club. The recent movie about Tammy Faye captured a lot of their history as sad as it is. Thank you for this.
So surreal because my dad was heavily involved in PTL and we went there multiple times when I was a very young child. I was so young my memories aren't clear though. I remember something about a petting zoo where a goat chewed on my drawstring on my shorts, riding a horse and being scared to death and like really dream like memories of the hotel. I know my aunt was afraid of the glass elevator. Some lady babysat me while my parents attended a conference. Just all strange bits of memories somewhere in my brain. Thanks for the video. :)
You gotta give Scott on Tape credit! 😆"Sorry Folks the park is closed, the moose out front shoulda told ya".😅 How ironic he found a picture with a statue of a moose hanging on the wall,and made reference from the 80's movie from the 1st National Lampoon's Vacation movie! 😁 Put alot of humor to the poignantly tragic history of the Heritage USA theme park and the PTL downfall. Glad to see it's being utilized in a positive way in 2022.
Woh! Lots of crazy memories. Our fellowship of churches had their conference there back in the 90's after all the mess and the property was used for a conference center. We had a hotel room that was right off Main Street. We had a balcony where we could step out and overlook Main Street. The domed lights at that time reflected the time of day. At night the lights were a dimmed blue with stars on the dome. CRAZY! Loved the Canadian Geese joke! LOL! Thanks for the walk down memory lane Adam! Continued safe travels!
@@DramaMustRemainOnTheStage Some many people wrongly call them “Canadian” geese because our parents did! They are correctly called “ Canada” geese! Bravo to you- you beat me to reporting this FACT!
Adam, I’m so glad you did this one and bringing Scott and Tony with you makes it triple the fun for you and us out here in CZcams land! Much love to you all ….Linnie
I remember when Jessica Hahn made the rounds to Orlando and signed Playboys as well. People were lined up with their mags to be signed. I was there with a camera to catch the action. That's about the time that Marie Osmond was touring and was in the Cheyenne Saloon on Church Street in Orlando back in the day. I remember they had to put small signs that said "Orlando" on all sides of the stage so Marie could remember where she was because she was touring all over. It would be a little embarrassing for her to say "It's great to be in Nashville" or some such thing.
My boss and his wife spent their vacation week in 1984 there. He brought all of us in his department a Heritage USA pin to wear and he expected us to share his enthusiasm for the place. We didn't. He finally quit commenting how nobody wore their pin. He wore his every day though. Holy Moly!!
Thanks so much for the tour! I grew up in Fort Mill before and during the "PTL" heyday! My step father actually worked on the tower hotel when the entire production came to a grinding halt. That place has eye roll worthy memories for so many of us!
S: Jim Baker's 8 Keys to Success. How'd THAT turn out??? A: Right. He probably didn't read his own book. S: He probably didn't WRITE his own book. Had to rewatch that little screen gem! You guys are fantastic!!! It's a darned shame that the actions of a select few scheisters (Bakers, et al) cast shade on faithful folks everywhere. Thanks for this super-trio-collab!!!
What a great, thorough tour of the old PTL/Heritage site! Living nearby, I've been to that area several times and find something new each time, even with as little that remains from that era. Fun fact: If you Google "Zenith Avenue/Star Light Drive" in Fort Mill and go to street view, you can see King's Castle in the background; you can virtually walk right past where it once stood. Happy travels!
Morningstar Ministries has done a fantastic job restoring the Grand Hotel and Conference Center. I have spent literally thousands of hours there both in the 80's and most recently in 2016 as a student in the Worship School. It's a very special place! Thanks for sharing!
_Beware_ of Morningstar Ministries! Home of "Jesus Camp", and of other really horrible teaching. Just as Bakker was, and is, a charlatan, watch out for all of the Kansas City Prophets, including Ric Joyner. I may get banned by Adam, but I'm concerned about people who could be deceived by them, and people who still are. There are so many things that can show you that none of this is good. Please look into it. I just quit a Facebook group which was really legalistic in support of Calvinist doctrine, but guess who I was shocked to see was a member of it: Ric Joyner! Not that he was a Calvinist, but they probably liked him better than they liked me. He was posting comments on everything the day I joined. They are "sister" congregations with Sarah Palin's church, Wasilla AoG, which supported an African so-called evangelist (who also preached at Morningstar) who led a witch-hunt in Africa!! People were killed, but that's what he preached they should do! I don't know whether his witch-hunt had anything to do with that little abandoned boy, "Hope", who was starving to death, but that's the result of witch-hunts. People die, because of mere accusations, and some people will lie without conscience; mothers will abandon their own babies, using a lie of witchcraft to get rid of the child. There are just so many reasons to take another look at Morningstar.
I used to go to the water park every summer. The hotel and shops were fun to visit in the off season. They even had train rides, tram tours and a skating rink. I really miss this place. I gasped when you walked into Main Street! It looks almost exactly how I remember! The trolly car at the end used to sell snacks and popcorn. There was also an ice cream shop and a bunch of gift shops. I had no idea you could still go inside there. This video is amazing!!
*Your videos are awesome, Adam!* *We love you, Carolina Tony & Scott On Tape!* *Thank you for introducing us to them!* *You rock!* *Thank you for taking us to places we can't go!* *God Bless you!* ❤️🌹❤️
It blows me away how many people paid to get into that tower and got Snookered! And the way a theme park can be buried and repurposed! WOW! and I wonder where the amusement rides and the railroad is now. Many of these parks sold off all of those. This one is one of the best videos you have done so far!👍
Awesome blog, I went up there around 1996, it had federal seizure signs everywhere! Glad it’s been saved, amazing the tower is still standing, best video by far!! Love it!!
Yaaay thanks for doing this Adam! After watching the new Tammy Faye movie, I watched the vids from 10-12 years ago but this update is so nice. Thank you thank you!
From what I understand about this place. Jim and Tammy did a time share contract with the real estate. Instead of a certain amount of families purchasing rooms to stay a period of time. Jim and Tammy sold the time share rooms to whoever wanted a room without a population cap and they were not be concerned about how the families would schedule the times to share the rooms. So end result was chaos. Multitudes of people would own a single room and they would not have any schedules to separate the times of when these people (families) would use them. The number of people who owned one room was phenomenal. Thus when people wanted to visit or go on vacation to this place; there would be schedule of room use age/share.. and too many guests would arrive demanding their room to use and end result owners couldn’t use their rooms because someone else who owned it was there. And no additional rooms were available. Real estate Time share scandal.
I read somewhere that although they had only 500 rooms built, they had supposedly sold about 66,000 time shares. Even I was tempted once but did not follow through because I am not a fan of time shares.
Wow! This was so interesting. As a child in the 80's, my parents would watch the PTL club. Thankfully, they never sent monetary support to it but I watched as they built Heritage USA and remember it. It was so wild to see how Main Street USA is still almost unchanged. Thank you for this very cool vlog. I am really enjoying all of your visits around the South.
hello again adam scott and tony , oh cool an abandoned place to explore , this was so cool , so interesting to see some of the buildings still there , really well done again guys and thank you 😊
This takes me back this is how I found you Adam in the first place was I was looking up history for heritage USA and I saw your original video on that. Thanks again for going back this is been amazing and I really appreciate it I was there in 2015 with a friend we stayed at the hotel there on our way down to see her sister. And was soaking up the history of the place back then and I wanted to look up more on this how I found you I've been watching you ever since thanks for all your adventures
thanks Adam,Tony and Scot great job i hope they bring it back even a little of it the hotel and everything is just amazing I remember PTL but never got there to see it thank you Adam for all you do!!!
Totally amazing, happy that the propery is being utilized!! I did watch PTL show and almost sent them the 1,000 dollars but changed my mind!! Thank you guys!!
I grew up in Charlotte and went to church there for a bit before we moved across the country. I haven’t been there in over a decade so this is very cool to see.
As always Adam, another great video, brings back memories, I remember visiting the park in 85 & 87. the water park was Epic !!! crazy to see its now apartment/houses. BTW the first video i saw of your was of you visiting Heritage USA back over 10 yrs ago, glad to see you made it back...what will it be in another 10 years. keep up the good work
Went to school there in 2018. Moved and actually lived in the church for a short time. I always wanted to get the full scope of what it use to be, so thank you so much for the tour!!
I was given a tour of this place shortly after Morningstar ministries purchased this property. Very haunting. At the time of my initial visit if I recall there were about 50 rooms that had been salvaged off the main entry. Everything that hadn't been destroyed by vandals was original at that time. So it had to be either 2004 or 2005 the first time I went there. The shops were all intact basically, just vandalized. And we went all the way down to the Grand Cafe and it was so creepy. Coffee cups sitting randomly, All the refrigeration equipment the walk-in freezers the walk-in fridges, thousands and thousands of dollars worth of kitchen equipment. Further on were the grand ballrooms or conference rooms. I attended many a conference over the years and stayed in the main hotel on the second floor oh I guess about 5 or 6 years running. The big part of Morningstar died when Leonard Jones left. And Todd Bentley will I think he just came in to destroy. Susie Wills now Yaraei was also a pillar of worship Now main Street USA probably serves as residence for the students there. Mom and I even worked a day in the laundry to help out between conferences. Fond memories of a good concept gone sideways
Thank you for making this video. I love learning about history, especially Heritage U.S.A. Back in the day I came really close to giving $1,000.00 to invest in this project. Thanks. You brought back a ton of memories for me!
I'm only 1:25 into the video and know that it's gonna be good! Adam, you introduced me to Carolina Tony and I have been a subscriber to Scott for a couple of years. I was stoked last week when I saw Scott collaborating with you, what a surprise. Yesterday you were up in my neck of the woods as I live in Buncombe Co. NC. Sorry but I've gotta stop writing and watch the vid as I know that it's going to have some good laughs. Scott is kinda serious in his videos but he has a great sense of humor. Thanks for the adventures and entertainment that you guys provide.
Hi Adam, Scott and Tony 🙋🏽. I really enjoyed this video 📸. IT was very fascinating and interesting and informative. Thank you for sharing this with US ‼️😊. Have a Awesome Day Guy's 🙂👍🏽.
RAD!!!! You finally made it to my home town.. 🏡 🙌 I've been watching the whole trip wondering if you were gonna hit the Fort Mill/Rock Hill area or not. Awesome!!! Been watching for years man.
So interesting I’ve never heard of the place so you covering that made for great learning experience and to see some things in their original form also I must thank you once again for pulling up some photos to get a better sense of how the park looked like in its heyday and when you went inside that one building it was truly a blessing to see that one area that in my eyes really did look like Main Street USA and it must have been such a treat for you Adam to see and I bet it really made you feel like you were at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom now I want to thank you for taking me on a trip around abandoned park I never knew existed now with that being said peace ☮️ love ❤️ and happiness to you Adam and I’ll see you on the next Adams Big Adventure
My late beloved mom found comfort in Jim and Tammy’s show as she recovered from her colon cancer operation in the 1990’s. Jim and Tammy will be kind memories to me.
Love the nostalgia as well Adam, having Tony along, and having Scott along for this past week or so is great...Scott is a super cool dude. Kudos and safe travels!
I live right in front of the hotel. I used to go to Nation Ford before I graduated in 2020. Every day from my first day of high school until I graduated I waited for the bus and just looked at the hotel hoping I could one day go inside. Now here soon I get to go inside (with permission) and film it
Drove through there to look at it on a trip to see Buffett at Carowinds in '87. It was fully functional. My memory is that one of our party mooned them.
I remember those PTL Club days. Who would have ever thought Jim would put the money into a theme park rather than doing what Jesus would do. Feeding the hungry, housing the poor and disabled, or healing the sick with health care to me seems more like a noble cause and "Jesus" approved so-to-speak. FWIW I'm not a religious person but do respect what Christ tried to do for humanity and suffered for it.
The idea itself was a self serving money grab.did Jesus ever mention to his disciples to be sure the followers are having a good time when they come to listen to him speak
Great video. So now we have The Three Musketeers. Tony's "pretty mouth" comment and Scott's "mascara building" comment had me dying. You guys all seem to really get along nicely...
I was last there in 1987 at a ministry conference. The park and hotel were a wonderful place to visit and stay. I was happy to see the main street little shops were still there. There used to be a great ice cream shop inside which we visited often during the conference. Thanks for going down memory lane and visiting the site. I am glad a new ministry has now bought the place and is developing it.
This was kinda cool I'm 45 and remember them both I'm from Louisville Kentucky but seen about them on television years ago in the 80s and 90s, even a 20/20 with Barbara Walters special on it. Thanks for sharing this video Adam 👍👍
Wow, this video was awesome. I had no idea this ever existed and the water park looks awesome. I miss those old water parks from the 80s with the concrete slides and mats, the tube chutes where you would meander from pool to pool. The main street was awesome as well...how unique!
Wow! I remember that place. I was there a few years back myself. The church I used to be in had services there for a period of time. I think there are still workers' in the tower. I didn't realize new housing was encroaching there. Thanks for the update Adam, hope you have safe travels!.
Fascinating glimpse into the wreckage that can be created when a genuinely narcissistic control freak with marketing skills runs amok. The grandiosity of the persistent castle/royalty themes, and the impulse to create a "reproduction" of an ideal small town Main Street that never even existed in the first place. Right down to the need to control the sky and the weather by way of the domed ceiling and lighting effects. Wouldn't want to leave any aspect of his magnum opus up to the whims of the Deity! Gotta get everything nailed down real tight. Sooo strange. Thanks for taking us along on a journey that fits into the horror movie set theme very well.
Ahhh this takes me back to the days of the "Moral Majority." I have PTSD from those days.... especially when my Mom and Dad made me get rid of allllll my albums because of the "backward masking" thing that they showed on PTL!!! I always loved Tammy Faye though she always was kind to EVERYBODY. She was a sweetheart. This place always fascinated me!! Thank you for sharing!!!
I can’t help but imagine how Main Street would be an incredible multi use housing complex. Except for the theme-ish look, it reminds me of my local city square. 30:35 was the doll so-called “Suzy” something? My mom had me watch all the children’s shows! This is staggeringly huge! I had no idea of the scope of this interesting vision. Didn’t they have a boarding school? I vaguely recall something about offering Christian education to very young boarders but I could easily be mistaken. What an interesting use as classes on Main street. Is that ALL the Antioch church? Now I’m Wondering what they use the upper levels for. 41:37 The “saucer like houses;” could they have been yurts? Is the church on the property still using all of that? Obviously the Antioch church has a monstrously large congregation! Thank you for the very extraordinary tour!
Ive always been fascinated by this place . The good , bad and really bizarre history is a deep rabbit hole to go down . Thanks to Carolina Tony and Scott on Tape for hanging out
Thanks for documenting this Adam!
I've always been interested in Jim & Tammy-Faye Bakker!
Have you ever seen the 90s TV movie
"Fall From Grace" with Kevin Spacey & Bernadette Peters?
Adam lives in the future
I have left something for you
Thanks for this. My history with PTL started in the mid- 70's on TV. First visited in 80-81 and at least 8 more times after that. Aubrey Sara, if not mistaken, was the co-pastor of the Barn church when Jim Bakker wasn't available. One time the Bakker kids rode the tram with us from Chatty Cathy station. Camped there one weekend. Many great memories!
Swing thru Gastonia!
I started and managed a cabinet shop for a company that did any and all the cabinetry for Jim Baker at Heritage USA. What most people do not know is the park also had a large and growing residential homes section they called Mulberry Village Phase 1 that sold out immediately and Mulberry Village 2 under construction that sold out but before the homes were completed the park financially collapsed. For those of us who worked on the property during the height of PTL's success we all new deep down there was a dark side to the Baker organization, things just seemed off balanced I remember several times when checking in on cabinet installations in each of the homes customers would walk up and ask if cabinets actually cost the amount they had paid PTL and I am here to tell you they paid 4 times what the same kitchen would have cost to any other builder in the Charlotte NC market. Jim Baker was a screw from day one and everyone who got involved in the construction of PTL lost a great deal of money in the end. All this pain and suffering according to Jim and Tammy in the name of God!
This place had an epic water park. Back in the 80’s I used to send postcards to theme parks requesting information because my family was planning a trip to the area. Of course that wasn’t true. Man I tell you the stuff theme parks would send. Maps, stickers, bumper stickers, etc. I even got giant fold out maps sometimes. I wish I had saved all that stuff. I remember getting info on this place and the water park and their rock mountain always looked awesome to me. I was in high school in the 80’s, graduated in 1987. I would come home every day and first thing I would say to my mom was “did I get any mail”. But I would say it so fast it sounded like I was saying “doggie mail”. To this day I still say doggie mail. It’s a running joke with my mom...thanks Adam for another awesome v8deo.
That is hilarious! Because it sounds like something my Brother would've done back then. Great story, thanks for sharing ✌💚🤗
Love this story. I was an 80s gal and yes, days when getting actual mail (not email) was glorious.
My family used to vacation at Heritage USA. Despite all of the drama that ended up happening, it was such a wonderful place to visit when I was a teenager. There was so much stuff to do there, plus it was also close to Carowinds which was definitely a plus. I remember one time being in a shop there where they rented sports equipment, and Jim Bakker was in there. There were people showing him different pictures for Tammy's upcoming album. Of course, they were going on about how pretty she looked in each, and Jim looked up at us and was laughing at the fuss they were making. Also, when we were in the Heritage Grand Hotel, we passed by Kim Fields (Tootie from the Facts of Life) as she was leaving the hotel.
Yes Lisa Welchel (Blair from Facts of Life) sang on the Jim and Tammy show on PTL also. There is a clip here on YT.
It must have been the Summer of 1987, I also saw Kim Fields there in the Sunday morning service.
I lived in Matthews from 1980 to 1990. I took my two children to Heritage USA to the water park a LOT and to see the lights at Christmas time each year that they had them. It was so much fun. We were religious, we just loved a good water park, and it was so much fun. It made us really sad when we moved away and saw what happened and found out what had been going on with them all along. It was great seeing it after all these years. I wondered many times over the years what had happened to the property. Thanks for this video. Great job!
we were religious? what does that mean? ARE you a christian? born again? regardless of what jim n tammy did, one MUST be born again to go to Heaven. John 3:3. hope to see you there!!
Wow to have someone like you feature this property is amazing. My cousin put in the water park part it was the biggest thing he's ever done at the time and he went on to do the fancy bit of circus circus in the back of the casino that water park part. He cut his teeth and got his skills on this job unfortunately the company was never paid properly so he basically did all that work for free. This was the first install of his trademark water ride which is a 8 to 10 people float that you go down the shoot with the illusion that you could steer. Mikey had a wicked sense of humor you think you could steer that thing but that's a no! He got paid every time a park put that in every time I see one of those it makes me smile because that's my cousin's work. Seeing this through eyes of Adam the woo is even better thank you for sharing! ❤️
So interesting.
hey Lizzie. My dad's company painted quite a bit of Heritage USA. I still have items that Jim and Tam gave my dad as gifts. I literally just visited the property this past weekend to see what remains.
I'm from Charlotte, NC
My grandmother would take me and my sister there almost every year when is was open. I remember swimming in the pool inside hotel, we played with Jay baker at the pool.
To the average person it's a failed park where not much still exists. Adam, you make it exciting with your enthusiasm and excitement. This might be one of my favorites just because of you and how happy you are to explore and that you finally got to see Main Street! I'd give 10 thumbs up if I could!
Regrettably, my parents were long-time PTL members. My memories of Heritage Village (the original name) date back to 1981 when I was 12. That was years before almost every building you saw on the property was even built. I wish I had never set foot in that place. Strange seeing the interior of the "big barn" after all these years. That's where they used to tape the PTL show and would have all-night gospel concerts. I met and shook hands with Jim and Tammy Faye in that building. So weird.
My church youth group spent a week in the campgrounds in the summer of 1987. We were all basically turned loose inside that park and we went a little wild! My group was the oldest at 12 to 14 yr olds and we were the only group allowed to roam without chaperones!
I have a glitter filled pen from there I have to find!!!! My bunk mate was dared to steal it from the gift shop and she did!
I have no idea how I ended up w/it. We were such heathens back then!😂
It was absolutely amazing with the skating rink, the train, the water park. It was better than being st Ft. Wilderness and we couldn’t figure out how come nobody could save this amazing park. Thank you for bringing back a great memory from my youth!
A lady that I once worked with was a preschool teacher at Heritage USA in the 80's. She said that the Baker's paid the employees a very good salary and they also had excellent benefits. Employees were offered discounts on rental apartments if they desired to live there. She loved working and living there. She talked about it being a safe community and everyone was friendly. I also had a friend that worked at the local K-Mart in the area. She said that the store would allow Tammy Baker to come to the store after closing time to shop for items for the PTL storehouse. They kept clothing and other items in the storehouse at Heritage for needy people. She said that if someone in the area experience a house fire or other disaster, Tammy would take items from the storehouse to them. Tammy would also buy coats every fall to take to the schools for needy children. The castle at the parking lot had an ice cream parlor and game room in it. One of the games was feed the fat lady. You would try to throw the balls inside of a ring and every time you got one in, the lady would expand. The lady was made out of windsock material and was blown up by air. It had the voice of Tammy Baker. There was also a go cart track behind the castle. It was fenced in, and you got to it through one of the castle doors. It's been a while, but I believe the round building at the waterpark was a Wendy's restaurant. The building behind it was where you got tickets for the train and waterpark. Inside of the hotel on main street, the first floor was shops and the balconies on the 2nd and 3rd floors were attached to hotel rooms. In certain hotel rooms, you could stand out on the balconies and watch what was going on below. The conference center on main street used to be a fancy restaurant. I remember the red interior with fancy white chairs and tables and a stage with a white baby grand piano. The barn was actually the church building. It was used for church services and for concerts. I believe the filming studios were in the building behind the barn. I heard that some of them may have been torn down. Here is one of the concerts in the barn. czcams.com/video/laaSFpye1TU/video.html
Ostentatious junk
Just watched "the eyes of Tammy Faye" on HBO, brilliantly acted btw and now Adam takes us on a historical journey. What could be better. Great job Adam and very much enjoyed Tony and Scott. Thanks to all.
you can see her eyes wow.
Awesome footage Adam, I always wondered what the Heritage USA buildings looked like in recent years. Back in 1995 My Parents and I went to go check out Heritage USA (we were visiting Family), I was a teenager at the time and didnt know the backstory behind PTL, both my Parents were in the Ministry, but they never followed the bakkers or supported their ministry (personal reasons I guess).
I remember going to the Upper Room, and being fascinated by the architecture, the interior was beautiful, with 5 or so "prayer closets" for those who felt the need to pray. I also am glad Main Street still looks the same as it did back then, there were a few small shops still running back then. Keep in mind when I was there, in 95 it was a good 6 years abandoned, the whole vibe of the place however was very sad and somber, as if you just came back from a Funeral, I remember seeing the water slide and castle, but the whole exterior to the theme park area seemed very post apocalyptic in nature.
One place that I never forgot was the Pyramid shaped building, which was the PTL World Outreach Center. I remember walking up to the doors, looking thru the glass window and seeing the entire building full of boxes and sheets over the furniture.
Glad to see the Barn Auditorium still intact and used. That building as well as the PTL "pyramid" building were not locked, my parents didnt allow it, but I wanted to explore those buildings so bad.
In an Ironic twist the video you made back in 2011 was the first ATW video I ever saw, and been a follower of yours ever since.
I grew up not far from PTL and had a friend who’s dad worked there. Spent a lot of time there at the pool and water park. It was always crowded, they served no alcohol and the grounds were so well kept. I remember we were at the pool and a Mercedes pulled up and people started shouting “it’s brother Jim” and went running to the car. I had no idea who Jim was…lol…..Traffic backed up for miles for the yearly Christmas light display. This video brings back a lot of memories!
That guy was saying, "You got a purdy mouth" but Woo cut it off hahaha.
Lots of memories, I was 14 in 1984 when my parents and I moved to Heritage USA and lived in a house in what used to be Mulberry Village. I was able to experience Christmas there and the parties the Bakkers used to have at the Heritage Grand hotel. My Family sold our house in Mulberry just before The ministry fell apart . I have not been back there since about 1986. Also used to love going to Carowinds amusement park down the way , I think it was called that. Great video and channel.
Having grown up during the hayday of this park and the whole televangelist era brings back so many memories.
I watched the video of your first visit to Heritage. So many memories, some not so great. The Bakers and all of their history was near an obsession. I never missed watching a morning of the PTL Club. The recent movie about Tammy Faye captured a lot of their history as sad as it is. Thank you for this.
Heritage USA always fascinated me. Glad to see an update. Its weird to think the water park was once there!
So surreal because my dad was heavily involved in PTL and we went there multiple times when I was a very young child. I was so young my memories aren't clear though. I remember something about a petting zoo where a goat chewed on my drawstring on my shorts, riding a horse and being scared to death and like really dream like memories of the hotel. I know my aunt was afraid of the glass elevator. Some lady babysat me while my parents attended a conference. Just all strange bits of memories somewhere in my brain. Thanks for the video. :)
You gotta give Scott on Tape credit! 😆"Sorry Folks the park is closed, the moose out front shoulda told ya".😅
How ironic he found a picture with a statue of a moose hanging on the wall,and made reference from the 80's movie from the 1st National Lampoon's Vacation movie! 😁 Put alot of humor to the poignantly tragic history of the Heritage USA theme park and the PTL downfall. Glad to see it's being utilized in a positive way in 2022.
Woh! Lots of crazy memories. Our fellowship of churches had their conference there back in the 90's after all the mess and the property was used for a conference center. We had a hotel room that was right off Main Street. We had a balcony where we could step out and overlook Main Street. The domed lights at that time reflected the time of day. At night the lights were a dimmed blue with stars on the dome. CRAZY! Loved the Canadian Geese joke! LOL! Thanks for the walk down memory lane Adam! Continued safe travels!
That’s wild ! That Main Street is something else
My mom corrected me long ago. Birds don't have a nationality. They are Canada geese. I had to ponder that one before I understood lol 🤔🤔😏🙄🤣
@@DramaMustRemainOnTheStage LOL! It took me a minute to get it! 🙃
@@DramaMustRemainOnTheStage Some many people wrongly call them “Canadian” geese because our parents did! They are correctly called “ Canada” geese! Bravo to you- you beat me to reporting this FACT!
@@ryangillum115
Oh, I see, you're butthurt because Adam didn't acknowledge you when you saw him at a theme park. Boohoo!
Adam, I’m so glad you did this one and bringing Scott and Tony with you makes it triple the fun for you and us out here in CZcams land! Much love to you all ….Linnie
I remember when Jessica Hahn made the rounds to Orlando and signed Playboys as well. People were lined up with their mags to be signed. I was there with a camera to catch the action. That's about the time that Marie Osmond was touring and was in the Cheyenne Saloon on Church Street in Orlando back in the day. I remember they had to put small signs that said "Orlando" on all sides of the stage so Marie could remember where she was because she was touring all over. It would be a little embarrassing for her to say "It's great to be in Nashville" or some such thing.
My boss and his wife spent their vacation week in 1984 there. He brought all of us in his department a Heritage USA pin to wear and he expected us to share his enthusiasm for the place. We didn't. He finally quit commenting how nobody wore their pin. He wore his every day though. Holy Moly!!
Thanks so much for the tour! I grew up in Fort Mill before and during the "PTL" heyday! My step father actually worked on the tower hotel when the entire production came to a grinding halt. That place has eye roll worthy memories for so many of us!
OMG so much corruption. I remember all their stuff when I was growing up. Wow, now it's a party🥳 So much fun seeing the 3 of you exploring together😂
S: Jim Baker's 8 Keys to Success. How'd THAT turn out???
A: Right. He probably didn't read his own book.
S: He probably didn't WRITE his own book.
Had to rewatch that little screen gem!
You guys are fantastic!!!
It's a darned shame that the actions of a select few scheisters (Bakers, et al) cast shade on faithful folks everywhere.
Thanks for this super-trio-collab!!!
Jim Baker still has a TV show till this day. Judge Not
Thank you Adam, you have been making the funnest long videos and daily as well! You are such a hard worker and we sure do appreciate you!
What a great, thorough tour of the old PTL/Heritage site! Living nearby, I've been to that area several times and find something new each time, even with as little that remains from that era.
Fun fact: If you Google "Zenith Avenue/Star Light Drive" in Fort Mill and go to street view, you can see King's Castle in the background; you can virtually walk right past where it once stood. Happy travels!
Morningstar Ministries has done a fantastic job restoring the Grand Hotel and Conference Center. I have spent literally thousands of hours there both in the 80's and most recently in 2016 as a student in the Worship School. It's a very special place! Thanks for sharing!
_Beware_ of Morningstar Ministries! Home of "Jesus Camp", and of other really horrible teaching. Just as Bakker was, and is, a charlatan, watch out for all of the Kansas City Prophets, including Ric Joyner. I may get banned by Adam, but I'm concerned about people who could be deceived by them, and people who still are. There are so many things that can show you that none of this is good. Please look into it. I just quit a Facebook group which was really legalistic in support of Calvinist doctrine, but guess who I was shocked to see was a member of it: Ric Joyner! Not that he was a Calvinist, but they probably liked him better than they liked me. He was posting comments on everything the day I joined.
They are "sister" congregations with Sarah Palin's church, Wasilla AoG, which supported an African so-called evangelist (who also preached at Morningstar) who led a witch-hunt in Africa!! People were killed, but that's what he preached they should do! I don't know whether his witch-hunt had anything to do with that little abandoned boy, "Hope", who was starving to death, but that's the result of witch-hunts. People die, because of mere accusations, and some people will lie without conscience; mothers will abandon their own babies, using a lie of witchcraft to get rid of the child. There are just so many reasons to take another look at Morningstar.
Hey Good Morning Adam! These tours of these abandoned places are always very cool!! Thanks so much. And have a great day!
I never had seen this place. This is very fascinating! Thank you Adam and having Scott and Tony with you. Fun video
I used to go to the water park every summer. The hotel and shops were fun to visit in the off season. They even had train rides, tram tours and a skating rink. I really miss this place.
I gasped when you walked into Main Street! It looks almost exactly how I remember! The trolly car at the end used to sell snacks and popcorn. There was also an ice cream shop and a bunch of gift shops. I had no idea you could still go inside there. This video is amazing!!
I am speechless. I remember this era very clearly. This type of video is my favorite you do. Thank you for taking us along!!!
Wow. The memories of this place. TY for going and filming this.
Thanks for taking us back in time Adam and you did it without a time machine. GREAT SCOTT this was awesome video.👍🙂
*Your videos are awesome, Adam!*
*We love you, Carolina Tony & Scott On Tape!*
*Thank you for introducing us to them!*
*You rock!*
*Thank you for taking us to places we can't go!*
*God Bless you!* ❤️🌹❤️
I went to a Christian school in the 90s and Jerry Falwell was the speaker at my graduation, I’m from Charlotte
It blows me away how many people paid to get into that tower and got Snookered! And the way a theme park can be buried and repurposed! WOW! and I wonder where the amusement rides and the railroad is now. Many of these parks sold off all of those.
This one is one of the best videos you have done so far!👍
Were there rides or was it just a water park? I found it hard to tell from the vlog.
Awesome blog, I went up there around 1996, it had federal seizure signs everywhere! Glad it’s been saved, amazing the tower is still standing, best video by far!! Love it!!
Yaaay thanks for doing this Adam! After watching the new Tammy Faye movie, I watched the vids from 10-12 years ago but this update is so nice. Thank you thank you!
Love Heritage USA! It was such a cool place. Enjoyed the footage inside Main Street USA. It still looks great!
From what I understand about this place. Jim and Tammy did a time share contract with the real estate. Instead of a certain amount of families purchasing rooms to stay a period of time. Jim and Tammy sold the time share rooms to whoever wanted a room without a population cap and they were not be concerned about how the families would schedule the times to share the rooms. So end result was chaos. Multitudes of people would own a single room and they would not have any schedules to separate the times of when these people (families) would use them. The number of people who owned one room was phenomenal. Thus when people wanted to visit or go on vacation to this place; there would be schedule of room use age/share.. and too many guests would arrive demanding their room to use and end result owners couldn’t use their rooms because someone else who owned it was there. And no additional rooms were available. Real estate Time share scandal.
I read somewhere that although they had only 500 rooms built, they had supposedly sold about 66,000 time shares. Even I was tempted once but did not follow through because I am not a fan of time shares.
Wow! This was so interesting. As a child in the 80's, my parents would watch the PTL club. Thankfully, they never sent monetary support to it but I watched as they built Heritage USA and remember it. It was so wild to see how Main Street USA is still almost unchanged. Thank you for this very cool vlog. I am really enjoying all of your visits around the South.
Thank you Adam. Enjoying the East coast trek and all the cameos and tag-a-longs!
Very interesting I remember seeing the Bakkers promoting this place. I didn't realize it was that huge. Thanks for the tour, Adam!
I love when you have guests along with you. They're always a totally different flavor and adds so much to the contrast.
hello again adam scott and tony , oh cool an abandoned place to explore , this was so cool , so interesting to see some of the buildings still there , really well done again guys and thank you 😊
Dude! Lol! The cut after Tony proclaims “you sure got a purty mouth” was priceless!
This takes me back this is how I found you Adam in the first place was I was looking up history for heritage USA and I saw your original video on that. Thanks again for going back this is been amazing and I really appreciate it I was there in 2015 with a friend we stayed at the hotel there on our way down to see her sister. And was soaking up the history of the place back then and I wanted to look up more on this how I found you I've been watching you ever since thanks for all your adventures
I remember all of this from TV. Awesome video Adam, thanks for the memories
thanks Adam,Tony and Scot great job i hope they bring it back even a little of it the hotel and everything is just amazing I remember PTL but never got there to see it thank you Adam for all you do!!!
Another awesome video, Adam! Thank you, safe travels.
Totally amazing, happy that the propery is being utilized!! I did watch PTL show and almost sent them the 1,000 dollars but changed my mind!! Thank you guys!!
Good thing you didn’t
It proves that we can be dishonestly "guilted" into doing things that God doesn't want us to do!
I grew up in Charlotte and went to church there for a bit before we moved across the country. I haven’t been there in over a decade so this is very cool to see.
Wow I'd forgotten all about the Pass The Loot club! Another interesting video 👍
I always enjoy hearing how excited you get about certain things, Adam.
As always Adam, another great video, brings back memories, I remember visiting the park in 85 & 87. the water park was Epic !!!
crazy to see its now apartment/houses.
BTW the first video i saw of your was of you visiting Heritage USA back over 10 yrs ago, glad to see you made it back...what will it be in another 10 years.
keep up the good work
Went to school there in 2018. Moved and actually lived in the church for a short time. I always wanted to get the full scope of what it use to be, so thank you so much for the tour!!
Love your travels. Like this so much more than theme parks. This is the real thing. We are traveling along with you!
I was given a tour of this place shortly after Morningstar ministries purchased this property. Very haunting. At the time of my initial visit if I recall there were about 50 rooms that had been salvaged off the main entry. Everything that hadn't been destroyed by vandals was original at that time.
So it had to be either 2004 or 2005 the first time I went there.
The shops were all intact basically, just vandalized. And we went all the way down to the Grand Cafe and it was so creepy. Coffee cups sitting randomly, All the refrigeration equipment the walk-in freezers the walk-in fridges, thousands and thousands of dollars worth of kitchen equipment. Further on were the grand ballrooms or conference rooms. I attended many a conference over the years and stayed in the main hotel on the second floor oh I guess about 5 or 6 years running. The big part of Morningstar died when Leonard Jones left. And Todd Bentley will I think he just came in to destroy. Susie Wills now Yaraei was also a pillar of worship
Now main Street USA probably serves as residence for the students there.
Mom and I even worked a day in the laundry to help out between conferences. Fond memories of a good concept gone sideways
I love the perfect combo , Adam & Scott, you make me laugh! Best vloggers 🔥🤳💻📲
fun tour Adam! Enjoying your guests! Scott on Tape is a hoot! you guys do funny vlogs together.
I’ve never heard of this theme park before, but this was still a very interesting video! I loved following you guys around.
Thanks for the great time. Glad you are able to make it for us too see. For people who are not able to make the trip. Take care and be safe God bless
Thank you for making this video. I love learning about history, especially Heritage U.S.A. Back in the day I came really close to giving $1,000.00 to invest in this project. Thanks. You brought back a ton of memories for me!
This is the dream team! Adam, Tony, and Scott. So good!
Very very interesting, guys! I must have grown up under a rock as I never heard of this place. Thank you for taking us along!
I'm only 1:25 into the video and know that it's gonna be good! Adam, you introduced me to Carolina Tony and I have been a subscriber to Scott for a couple of years. I was stoked last week when I saw Scott collaborating with you, what a surprise. Yesterday you were up in my neck of the woods as I live in Buncombe Co. NC. Sorry but I've gotta stop writing and watch the vid as I know that it's going to have some good laughs. Scott is kinda serious in his videos but he has a great sense of humor. Thanks for the adventures and entertainment that you guys provide.
Hi Adam, Scott and Tony 🙋🏽. I really enjoyed this video 📸. IT was very fascinating and interesting and informative. Thank you for sharing this with US ‼️😊. Have a Awesome Day Guy's 🙂👍🏽.
WOW That was some tour. Amazing How sad that it is gone. Thank You for sharing.
Commenting as watching and theirs Scotty!! Yay!! Awesome duo! I wish I could have seen Scott’s reaction to “You’ve got a pretty mouth.” I died 🤣🤣💙💙
RAD!!!! You finally made it to my home town.. 🏡 🙌 I've been watching the whole trip wondering if you were gonna hit the Fort Mill/Rock Hill area or not. Awesome!!!
Been watching for years man.
So interesting I’ve never heard of the place so you covering that made for great learning experience and to see some things in their original form also I must thank you once again for pulling up some photos to get a better sense of how the park looked like in its heyday and when you went inside that one building it was truly a blessing to see that one area that in my eyes really did look like Main Street USA and it must have been such a treat for you Adam to see and I bet it really made you feel like you were at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom now I want to thank you for taking me on a trip around abandoned park I never knew existed now with that being said peace ☮️ love ❤️ and happiness to you Adam and I’ll see you on the next Adams Big Adventure
That was awesome... I so want to know more now.... so good they have kept some of the buildings and made them good again...... happy travels guys.
Good Morning sir ,this series has been epic!!!
that was super cool, thank you Adam for recording it
My late beloved mom found comfort in Jim and Tammy’s show as she recovered from her colon cancer operation in the 1990’s. Jim and Tammy will be kind memories to me.
Love the nostalgia as well Adam, having Tony along, and having Scott along for this past week or so is great...Scott is a super cool dude.
Kudos and safe travels!
Tammy Faye was from a small town in Minnesota called International Falls.
It was just over the border from Ontario, Canada🙂🇨🇦
Heritage USA was almost a really interesting place for the ages. Almost. Missed it by that much!
Missed by trillions of miles. It's a morbid curiosity at best. Nice real estate.
I live right in front of the hotel. I used to go to Nation Ford before I graduated in 2020. Every day from my first day of high school until I graduated I waited for the bus and just looked at the hotel hoping I could one day go inside. Now here soon I get to go inside (with permission) and film it
Thank you for the tour. So very interesting. Never had the opportunity to visit when it was up and running.
Thanks Adam, it's a really fascinating place and what a story! I would have loved to go there!
Drove through there to look at it on a trip to see Buffett at Carowinds in '87. It was fully functional. My memory is that one of our party mooned them.
I remember those PTL Club days.
Who would have ever thought Jim would put the money into a theme park rather than doing what Jesus would do.
Feeding the hungry, housing the poor and disabled, or healing the sick with health care to me seems more like a noble cause and "Jesus" approved so-to-speak.
FWIW I'm not a religious person but do respect what Christ tried to do for humanity and suffered for it.
The idea itself was a self serving money grab.did Jesus ever mention to his disciples to be sure the followers are having a good time when they come to listen to him speak
Great video. So now we have The Three Musketeers. Tony's "pretty mouth" comment and Scott's "mascara building" comment had me dying. You guys all seem to really get along nicely...
Thank you thank you!! I moved to the area a year ago. Wanted to find this place. Now I know where to go.
I was last there in 1987 at a ministry conference. The park and hotel were a wonderful place to visit and stay. I was happy to see the main street little shops were still there. There used to be a great ice cream shop inside which we visited often during the conference. Thanks for going down memory lane and visiting the site. I am glad a new ministry has now bought the place and is developing it.
This was kinda cool I'm 45 and remember them both I'm from Louisville Kentucky but seen about them on television years ago in the 80s and 90s, even a 20/20 with Barbara Walters special on it. Thanks for sharing this video Adam 👍👍
I grew up in the area and my grandparents used to take me to heritage every Christmas to see the lights. Nice to see the inside.
Wow, this video was awesome. I had no idea this ever existed and the water park looks awesome. I miss those old water parks from the 80s with the concrete slides and mats, the tube chutes where you would meander from pool to pool. The main street was awesome as well...how unique!
This one was great. Loved every second.
Have always been interested in the Bakker story. Thank you for the update. 🙂👍
Wow! I remember that place. I was there a few years back myself. The church I used to be in had services there for a period of time. I think there are still workers' in the tower. I didn't realize new housing was encroaching there. Thanks for the update Adam, hope you have safe travels!.
Adam that was an amazing video....Thanks!
Fascinating glimpse into the wreckage that can be created when a genuinely narcissistic control freak with marketing skills runs amok. The grandiosity of the persistent castle/royalty themes, and the impulse to create a "reproduction" of an ideal small town Main Street that never even existed in the first place. Right down to the need to control the sky and the weather by way of the domed ceiling and lighting effects. Wouldn't want to leave any aspect of his magnum opus up to the whims of the Deity! Gotta get everything nailed down real tight. Sooo strange. Thanks for taking us along on a journey that fits into the horror movie set theme very well.
Truly the most horrible, in every way, and yet it has its people who are so _positive_ about it. It is so sad!
@@lindajohnson4204 It really is.
Ahhh this takes me back to the days of the "Moral Majority." I have PTSD from those days.... especially when my Mom and Dad made me get rid of allllll my albums because of the "backward masking" thing that they showed on PTL!!! I always loved Tammy Faye though she always was kind to EVERYBODY. She was a sweetheart. This place always fascinated me!! Thank you for sharing!!!
I can’t help but imagine how Main Street would be an incredible multi use housing complex. Except for the theme-ish look, it reminds me of my local city square. 30:35 was the doll so-called “Suzy” something? My mom had me watch all the children’s shows! This is staggeringly huge! I had no idea of the scope of this interesting vision. Didn’t they have a boarding school? I vaguely recall something about offering Christian education to very young boarders but I could easily be mistaken. What an interesting use as classes on Main street. Is that ALL the Antioch church? Now I’m Wondering what they use the upper levels for. 41:37 The “saucer like houses;” could they have been yurts? Is the church on the property still using all of that? Obviously the Antioch church has a monstrously large congregation! Thank you for the very extraordinary tour!