On January 11, 1985 Sesame Place in Irving Texas announced that they would not be reopening.
A spokesman for Busch Entertainment (the owner of the park) said attendance was lower than expected due to fierce competition and targeting a limited segment of the overall market.
Image from Mid Cities Daily News
The picture above is from October of 1985. They had removed the Big Bird head from the entrance and gutted the interior. All of the usable pieces of equipment was removed and shipped to Sesame Place in Langhorne or other parks owned by Busch Entertainment.
Busch refused to put the park up for sale for a while, hoping to find a new use for the space. However, it was eventually sold and razed.
The park was located at the corner of Highway 183 and Esters Road in Irving Texas (near the Dallas Fort Worth Airport.)
Today that corner includes a Walmart, a Best Western and various restaurants.
Posted by Guy Hutchinson
My parents are Irving locals and they "say" the park is now the Atrium Hotel and Suites located at the SW corner of Highways 183 and 161. I was only 4 years old when I attended the park. I would like to research this further to confirm. Maybe contact that hotel/company.
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