Fun Spot America has announced that its Atlanta-area amusement park in Fayetteville, Georgia, will permanently close following its final day of operation on August 2, 2026.
The news is difficult for the park’s employees, local families and theme park fans who have supported the property over the years. Fun Spot Atlanta may not have been the largest amusement park in the region, but it became an important destination for roller coaster enthusiasts after opening ArieForce One in 2023.
According to Fun Spot America, regular park operations will continue from 10:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. through August 2. Season passes and gift cards will remain valid at the Atlanta park until it closes, while passes will continue to be accepted at Fun Spot America’s Orlando and Kissimmee locations afterward. The company also said it plans to work with its Atlanta team members and provide support during the transition.
Fun Spot America’s Florida parks are not part of the closure and will continue operating.
A sad ending for a longtime Georgia amusement park
The Fayetteville property has entertained families in different forms for more than three decades. It originally opened as Dixieland in 1990 before becoming Fun Junction USA and eventually joining the Fun Spot America family.
Over the years, the park offered go-karts, family attractions, thrill rides and the wooden Hurricane coaster, formerly known as the Screamin’ Eagle. However, everything changed when Fun Spot made its largest and boldest investment at the property: ArieForce One.
The custom Rocky Mountain Construction coaster opened on March 31, 2023, immediately putting this relatively small amusement park on the national coaster map.
Unfortunately, even a world-class roller coaster was not enough to generate the attendance needed to sustain the entire park. Its suburban location outside Atlanta may also have made it harder to attract casual visitors who were not already dedicated coaster fans.
It is always sad to see a theme park close. These parks are more than collections of rides. They are places where families spend their summers, teenagers experience their first major coaster and employees build years of memories together.
What happens to ArieForce One?
For many theme park fans, the biggest question now is what will happen to ArieForce One.
This is not an aging coaster that has reached the end of its practical life. ArieForce One is only a few years old and remains one of Rocky Mountain Construction’s most impressive creations.
The coaster stands 154 feet tall and sends riders down a 146-foot first drop at an 83-degree angle. It reaches a top speed of 64 mph across 3,400 feet of track while delivering four inversions and 16 airtime moments during its roughly 100-second ride. Its elements include the unique raven-truss dive and a massive zero-G stall.
It is intense, fast and absolutely relentless.
Coaster101 described ArieForce One as a ride that packs airtime and powerful forces into nearly every section of its layout. The coaster helped turn Fun Spot Atlanta into a legitimate destination for enthusiasts, even though the surrounding park struggled to attract enough guests.
My biggest hope is that ArieForce One does not get scrapped.
Moving a large custom roller coaster is never simple or inexpensive. The track, supports, foundations, electrical systems, trains and surrounding infrastructure would all need to be dismantled, transported and reconstructed. A new location might also require redesigned foundations or modifications to portions of the ride.
Still, ArieForce One is new enough and highly regarded enough that another park should seriously consider purchasing it.
Could Carowinds become ArieForce One’s new home?
Photo courtesy of Coaster101.com, via Facebook
One possible destination mentioned by Coaster101 is Carowinds, and I honestly think it could be a fantastic fit.
To be clear, Carowinds has not announced that it is purchasing ArieForce One. This is currently fan discussion and speculation about where the coaster could potentially go.
However, the idea makes a surprising amount of sense.
Carowinds already has an aviation-themed section called Aeronautica Landing near Afterburn. The area opened in 2023 with several flat rides and aviation-inspired details, building upon the park’s connection to flight and the Carolinas’ aviation history. (Coaster101.com)
ArieForce One already carries an aviation identity. Its name, train design and original queue concept were inspired by Fun Spot founder John Arie Sr.’s interest in flying.
Placing it near Afterburn and Aeronautica Landing could allow Carowinds to expand that entire section into a larger aviation-themed destination.
There is also underused parking and expansion space around that side of the park. A relocated ArieForce One could potentially anchor a new extension of Aeronautica Landing, with additional pathways, dining, smaller attractions and themed environments connecting it to Afterburn.
It would create an incredible one-two combination:
Afterburn would continue offering the classic suspended sensation of a fighter jet.
ArieForce One would provide a modern Rocky Mountain Construction experience filled with airtime, inversions and aggressive pacing.
The coaster would also fill an important gap in Carowinds’ lineup. Fury 325 delivers massive speed and scale, Copperhead Strike offers launches and inversions, and Afterburn remains one of the strongest inverted coasters around. ArieForce One would add the ejector airtime and wild transitions that define a modern RMC coaster.
It could become a major new reason for coaster fans to return to the park.
Other parks should be watching too
Carowinds may be my preferred destination, but it should not be the only park examining the possibility.
Any established regional amusement park with available land and the resources to relocate the coaster should be taking a serious look. ArieForce One already has national recognition, enthusiastic reviews and a complete marketing identity. A park would not be purchasing an unknown ride concept. It would be acquiring a proven attraction with an existing fan following.
The relocation would still require a major investment, but it could potentially cost less than designing and constructing a completely new coaster of similar size and quality.
There is also the possibility that another operator could purchase the entire Fun Spot Atlanta property or acquire several attractions together. Until Fun Spot America announces formal plans for the rides, nearly every possibility remains open.
Experience ArieForce One From the Front Row
ArieForce One is intense, fast and absolutely relentless. The coaster moves quickly from one element to the next, delivering powerful airtime, sharp transitions, inversions and its massive zero-G stall without giving riders much time to catch their breath.
The front-row point-of-view video gives a much better sense of the coaster’s pacing and just how much action Rocky Mountain Construction packed into the layout.
Take a front-row ride on ArieForce One at Fun Spot America Atlanta before the park permanently closes on August 2, 2026.
The coaster helped transform Fun Spot Atlanta into a destination for roller coaster enthusiasts, even though the surrounding park struggled to attract enough guests to remain sustainable. That is also why so many fans are now concerned about what comes next for ArieForce One.
One final flight before August 2
Theme park fans who are able to visit Fun Spot Atlanta before August 2 should consider making the trip.
Ride ArieForce One, experience the park’s other attractions and support the employees during these final weeks. Closures like this can happen quickly, and once the gates are locked, there is no guarantee that the park or its rides will ever operate in their current form again.
Fun Spot Atlanta’s closure is a disappointing chapter for the Georgia amusement park community. However, it does not have to be the final chapter for ArieForce One.
This coaster is too new, too unique and too good to disappear.
Hopefully, another park will step forward, purchase it and give ArieForce One a new runway. Personally, I would love to see it take flight beside Afterburn at Carowinds as part of an expanded aviation-themed land.
ArieForce One may be leaving Atlanta, but its final destination should not be the scrapyard.
It deserves another launch into the coaster world.
