Amusement parks have been a family favorite for years.
The roller coasters. The Ferris Wheels. The illegal border crossings.
Yes, there's a park based around that theme.
There's a huge assortment of bizarre amusement parks around the world.
From mermaid performances to a Soviet era-themed world, we rounded up the world's strangest amusement park attractions.
Diggerland, in the United Kingdom, is an aspiring construction worker's dream.
The ultimate hard-hat zone, Diggerland has four locations throughout the UK. The park allows children and adults alike to drive real, full-sized construction vehicles, no license necessary.
Beyond the attraction of operating giant machinery and riding in tractor-shaped carnival rides, Diggerland features special events like the annual Car Smash and Dress-Up days, where pint-sized park-goers clad in construction gear earn free admission.
Weeki Wachee Springs in Spring Hill, Florida, is a "City of Live Mermaids."
Weeki Wachee Springs sits on top of a hot spring. Weeki Wachee has been holding underwater shows since the late 1940s, where mermaids swim with strapped on tails to routines such as Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid.”
In addition to daily performances, the park also has a white-sand beach, lazy river boat rides, animal shows, and instructional camps for aspiring mermaids.
Learn more about Weeki Wachee Springs here >
Tierra Santa in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is the "World's First Religious Theme Park."
Visitors can stroll the streets of Biblical Jerusalem in this mock town. It's divided into events from Jesus's life, from the Nativity to the Last Supper. Belly dancers perform in the town square, where you can grab a table at the Baghdad Café and munch on some pita bread.
If you go, make sure you stick around for at least an hour. A 40-foot tall plastic Jesus statue rises from behind a rock on the hour and visitors claim it solidifies your experience, whether that be a religious or kitsch-y one.
Learn more about Tierra Santa >
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