I do indeed remember Autoworld. I grew up in Flint from 1980-1991. I was in Kindergarten when Autoworld opened. I remember missing the day of school when the Kindergartners were taken through the lunch line by 1st graders so we'd know how to do the whole lunch thing when we entered 1st grade after the summer. I was very excited to see Autoworld, but strangely, I was a little distraught that I missed the lunch line tour ... how was I going to do it when I started 1st grade!?

I was the mother that took Shelley out of school to go to Autoworld therefore missing the lunch line tour. We were "extras" in the ad they were making about a family visit to Autoworld. Most of the towns people didn't see it as a white elephant....more of a dinasour since the pointy windows atop the dome reminded us of a stegasorous. I remember many hoped that Autoworld could do for Flint what fried chicken dinners had done for Frankenmuth. Sad thing about Autoworld was that it wasn't an amusement park nor was it a museum. If it had decided to be one or the other then it might have lasted longer.

I grew up in Flint from 1966-'84. So I was leaving for Cali later that summer. But, I did go to the opening since I lived not too far. My brothers and sister thought it was a great idea; it had a lot of potential for the downtown area. And we all know that downtown needed a face lift.

We went to Autoworld on my Mothers birthday, August 27th 1984. It was the day before I started 1st grade so my memory is not all that great. The only thing I remember vividly is the big paper flowers on a wooden dowel. The going price for them must have been outrageous because my mother repeatedly told me no. My father came back from the "guy" displays(cars, motors,etc)with my two older brothers. He gave in to the overpriced attempt to refurbish flint(probably since he was employed at GM's Fisher body at the time, which went the way of Autoworld a couple of years later). It's funny that I remember the paper flowers my sister and I got so well, because I dont have too many memories otherwise. Your pictures were very interesting to me, especially since I began to think alot about Autoworld when I stared at U of M flint while they were tearing it down. The de-construction was visible from the skywalks and classrooms. During boring lectures I found my mind wandering to memories of big paper flowers and creepy dark tunneled rides, thinking it was no wonder the place folded. I never really had any solid memories of the place, I just knew it was the weirdest place i would ever be in (I have yet to prove myself wrong!). The whole place was like a funhouse to me, and years later I sat in my college lectures wondering about it. What if it had been a success? Thank you for your pictures though, they helped me recall the place, and it was oddly satisfying-like driving by a gross accident, knowing you should not look, but you look anyways. Thank you.

Employed by Darin and Armstrong, I was the construction manager for AutoWorld; the top man on this magnificant project. During the course of pre-construction, this job took me to the Los Angeles area 41 times as I coordinated all the activities to prepare for this major construction effort. I participated with, and observed, all those who made a genuine effort to make AutoWorld a reality. Among those were Flint's mayor, a U.S. senator, Flint Downtown Development Authority, Flint Area Conference Incorporated, the Mott Foundation,CRI Incorporated, the architectural firm, engineers and many others. The tone throughout the many developmental meetings, by everyone involved, was to create a major project in Flint that would be beneficial to a community with a saging economy. I personally compliment everyone who labored so diligently to pursue that cause. I am proud of the fact that I was allowed to be a part of AutoWorld's team of experts. I will always cherish and respect those noble friends I made twenty years ago.

I was about 10 when I first visited AutoWorld. I lived in Grand Rapids, and we were there sometime shortly after it opened (I remember I got a free stuffed Bugs Bunny doll on my way in the door). I also remember those mannequins with the projected faces (yes, they were quite creepy), and the Imax film called 'Speed'.

My favorite part of AutoWorld was the rides. At the time I was fascinated by the animatronics, and I would ride them like 6 times in a row to try and see how everything worked.

Sadly, I don't recall much else about AutoWorld. I do remember going back there when it was open shortly for the holidays, and how sad I was that it was not nearly as nice as it was when it had first opened. I'm not sure if it seemed less exciting because I was older, or because it was in bad shape.

Anyway, thanks for this article. Even though AutoWorld seemed to be a bad decision, it was a great part of my childhood. As you said, it is hard to find anything about AutoWorld on the internet (everything seems to come right back here). The pictures are great, and I would love to see more if anyone ever finds some.

Thanks again!

Jon, I was about 10 when I first visited AutoWorld too! Nice.

Here's an update- the Carousel from Autoworld is at a museum for old popcorn wagons and carousel's in Marion, Ohio.

I looked around, and here's a link about the carousel...

http://www.carousels.com/cornfield.htm

This is totaly unrelated to Autoworld but it has something to do with another of our memories as Flint-town kids in the 80's... Pennywhistle place! It opened in 1984 (same year as Autoworld). I remember going as a kid alot and then my first job was there in the summers of 96 and 97. Well I recently found out that it went the same way as Autoworld. I am pretty sad. Does anyone know when it was wrecked? I did some research and found that it was shut down in 2000, but dont know when it was demolished. I enjoyed working there but I knew it was on its last legs the years I worked there.

I am from Garden City and remember going to AutoWorld, I know I was pretty little, must have been about 4 or 5 since it was open from 84-85. I remember the IMAX theater and the rides on the cars. I also think I remember that I really liked their french fries - I think they were the waffle kind. I know we went there 2 or 3 times.

I also remember Pennywhistle Place - went there when we used to go camping all the time and camped by the Huckleberry Railroad

Growing up in Flint (Still living here and attending UM-Flint)I have several fond memories of Autoworld. I remeber when they were knocking down the Old IMA portion of it the building was built so strong they couldn't use explosives and had to resort to the wrecking ball. That was classic.

On a side note it was not demoed for a Library for UM-Flint as a beautiful library already sat across the river, the William S. White Building now stands in its place, a classroom building.

I loved you description of Autoworld. The end of the document did not sit well with me, though. Christopher Guest creates mocumentaries. "Drop Dead Gorgeous" and "On Edge" are mocumentaries. Michael Moore dedicates his time and energy into creating public awareness about Corporate and Political injustice. Although "Roger and Me" was funny, it was not a fictitious depiction, it is a documentary. You and Michael are from Flint, so you know best how the city has changed. Please the guy credit for his work. Thanks.

I was 17 when Autoworld opened. I remember the mayor and the governor were at the opening, talking about how Autoworld (and Water Street Pavillion) would reinvigorate Flint. Sadly, it was not enough. I really enjoyed the rides. I wish it were possible to have video from the park. A 'virtual Autoworld' would be very nice.

i like cheese

Back when I was a Marketing Consultant for Consumers (Power) Energy Co., Autoworld was one of my commercial accounts. It was closed to the public at that time but was still fully operational. Several times during that HOT, HOT summer I would purchase a fast food lunch and make a "customer contact" with the Maintenance Supv. and sit in the air conditioned dome, along side the flowing Flint River, next to the bridge, and eat lunch. It was very cool there and very quiet. It was also very sad. I remember that to this day, over twenty years ago. My son still kids me about what a failure Autoworld was. But to see the project go from a dream, to plans, to construction, to completion, to Grand Openning, to closing and finally to distruction is sad.

I have never been to Flint, so obviously I never visited Autoworld. I recently watched "Roger & Me" again, and decided to do a little online research to find out what happened to this begin indoor theme park that closed so quickly after it was built. I was not surprised, but sad to read, that it was torn down.

It reminds me of Old Chicago. I was born in northwestern Indiana, and once went to Old Chicago. It was an indoor amusement park with a ring of retail shops around the outside of it. I haven't researched it yet, but I plan to. I do know that it, too, was torn down. I think it was in a city called Sandwich, I'm not kidding, somewhere outside of Chicago.

Why do indoor amusement parks not survive in the midwest? Will the Mall of America's Camp Snoopy in Minnesota go the way of Autoworld and Old Chicago? Hard to imagine, you never know.

Thanks for a great tribute to a lackluster piece of Americana.

I was working for Six Flags and was actually the Manager of Operations and Maintenance when Autoworld opened. I tell anyone who will listen that it was probably the best job I ever had. When I got there, about 10 months before opening, there was a lot of work to do, and as a 25 year old, I had the energy to do it. I made a lot of good friends, and stay in contact with many of them today, including Bob Lamb, who is in China, Eric Cole - Chicago and Phil Clark-in Miami.

I was a bit apprehensive at first about what I would find in Flint, but found that the workmanship was superior, the work ethic great and the staff really fun to be around! The winters were rough on a Georgia boy, but we worked indoors, with a beautiful plants and trees where the temperature was always a pleasant 75 degrees, so it really didn't matter all that much.

I still believe that Autoworld was a bit ahead of its time, as many indoor locations have been successful since, but I'll admit, it was in the wrong city at the wrong time. But overall the product was good and the enthusiasm was high. I remember dealing with Michael Moore on the project and years later, I learned to appreciate "Roger and Me" for what it was, and even laughed at some of the AW footage. I've seen his recent work and also appreciate it for what it is/isn't....

I watched as Autoworld was dismantled and hated the thought of all that time, effort and money going down the drain. As a themepark consultant, I still use it as a great lesson (location, location, timing, location)...

I haven't been back to Flint in 18 years, but still keep three pictures of Autoworld on the wall of my office..just to remind me.

I have been searching for Auto World information forever. Growing up in Belleville and with several family members involved in the automobile business, I suppose it was natural that I would flock to this "park". My visits here were probably towards the end of the time here, still I will always remember the little horses who talked to you during the rides, explaining the history and such.

The careousel was always a favorite of mine and while I remember the Ferris wheel I never did go on it. It was so big! I also remember walking past an overpriced candy/popcorn seller.

Once, on a trip here, a carnival was going on out in back of the building and my mother won me a stuffed pegasus playing darts. Actually that was probably on our last trip there.

I wasn't aware of the holiday seasonal events or that the building itself had been torn down. :( Sad to see, but I'll always have my memories I suppose.

Luckily my dad took me to see Autoworld when I was just a kid. I thought it was awesome and was glad to have this experience. I was in automotive heaven! I distinctly remember the ending, walking through a huge life-size engine like something from Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times but only I didn't want to leave... It was the coolest thing I had ever seen! I remember taking a long look as my father and sister waited. It would be my last as Autoworld closed soon thereafter.

10 years later I returned to Flint where I studied engineering at GMI Engineering & Management Institute. I was there the weekend that Autoworld was imploded but that seemed like such a waste. I didn't go too see it. It was such a beautiful building and I couldn't understand the reason for it's destruction. But perhaps it planted the seed for my interest in cars and I count myself as one of the lucky ones who saw it.

I saw "Roger & Me" in my Anthropology class in 1994 as a Freshman at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. I just saw it again last night and could not turn it off. Today, I was intersted in learning more about Autoworld. Thanks for the Information and allowing others to share their experiences. I enjoyed reading this. It is a shame that it is gone but it seemed like that it was doommed from the very beginning. I feel like it is a waste of money because millions of dollars was spent on this project that ended up being demolished. I kept thinking, "Why isn't all this money going toward the families and communities of Flint. I guess people tried to remain positive and hope that they could turn around the community. I guess sometimes optimism can get in the way of reality.

Did you notice on the parking lot sign, that "Autoworld" is spelled "Autoword"?

I was born in 1984 and lived a few blocks from Autoworld until 1987. I don't have any memories of Autoworld whatsoever excpet for when the For-Mar arboretum held some sort of event there in the early '90s. I know I visited Autoworld several times as a young child, but I wish I could have remembered a little of what it was like. I have been forced to formulate my opinion of the complex based on two words, "white elephant." I'd just like to know what it was like and why it was such a failure. The only visit I remember wsa after the entire place had been gutted. Anyway, I don't think this experience should cause developers to shy away from Flint, the city could be saved with the right plan. I just hope that plan comes along.

Oh wow, I am very happy to see that many of you remember Autoworld. I recall going at least once when I was a kid but unfortunatly i do not remember exactly what year that was. Just like many of you i remember the huge ferris wheel because it seemed at the time like the biggest one I had ever seen. I also remember the not quite to par audio-animatronics and dark rides. For some reason i also remember there being like a kiddie rides area set up outside of the dome over by the fence and enterance. You know those litte merry-go-round motorcyle/car like fair rides. I never went on them but remember them somehow. Now I live in FL and work at Disney and most people think i am crazy and making up things when i talk of Autoworld. It's nice to see that other people remember it like me. I think even Six Flags forgets or denies its exsistance.
P.S. notice most Defunct park sites do not ever recognize that it even exsisted.

I went to Penny Whistle when I was like 13 or 14 and remember having a blast. I didn't know it was demolished until I drove by there looking for it. Its just a big park now.

I was hoping to take my nephews there next summer. Does anyone have any pictures of Pennywhistle Place? cwgodsey@oakland.edu

Urban Parks Program Grants (NPS) - County of Genesee: Penny Whistle Place, located at Bluebell Beach, was a major "pay for play" feature that was closed in 2000 due to safety conditions. A feasibility study determined that Penny Whistle Place was no longer safe for public use. The facility was demolished in March 2002. Since 1999, water quality problems have forced the closing of Bluebell Beach for swimming on many occasions throughout the season. $206,774 of UPARR funding was used to install a barrier-free playground and aquatic feature spray ground to expand aquatic alternatives.

http://www.nbc.gov/accomplishments/printreport.cfm?states=MI

I remember begging my parents to take me when I was a 12-year old living in Warren (home of the General Motors Tech Center). Since I like EPCOT Center, I actually enjoyed the entire AutoWorld experience, althought the only thing that still stands out in my mind is the great tasting chicken nuggets and criss-cross fries I ate. Yet when I left, I had a sad feeling that I would never go again...and indeed I never did.

I've lived in Flint since '76. It's not nearly as bad as folks like to make it.. I never did get to Autoworld though, just the IMAX theater after the park itself was closed. I always thought that the whole Autoworld failure was a result of people thinking their agendas would trump the marketplace... people weren't going to go downtown (revitalizing downtown was an agenda item) to a place that couldn't make up it's mind to be a theme park or a museum. (The Mott foundation's educational agenda). If they'd been smart, they would have made Autoworld part of the Crossroads Village complex... the train could have moved people from the 19th century village to the 20th century autoworld.. When autoworld died, it took the Waterstreet Pavilion and eventually the Hyatt Regency with it.

hi

i've linked this sweet nugget of info to a story i wrote about flint...just moved back here after 13 years in d.c. and cali. anyway:

http://www.massivesack.com/_massivesacks.html

- k

I frequently have a thought, almost a premonition, of what could have "saved" flint the way Autoworld was intended to. With its huge skylit dome, the Autoworld building should have been made into a casino. So many of us in Flint enjoy gaming and have to drive to mtpleasant or windsor to do so. And think of the good jobs for u of m students. I just know it would have been a success! Oh, what could have been!

To begin with, I have to agree with the remarks left by Jim on January 1, 2005. Flint is not as bad as every makes it to be. I have lived in this area my entire life, and to me it is home. I love Flint and the surrounding areas. I remember Autoworld, although it wasn't like Cedar Point, it was a nice place to visit. I am very nostalgic and the fact that it is gone makes me sad. I also had the pleasure of visiting "Old Chicago" that was referred to in an earlier comment. Like Autoworld, Old Chicago had a short life and is now gone. Here is a link that will give the history:
www.Negative-g.com/old chicago/OCIndex.html
It is interesting and I think you will enjoy the history. These are parts of my life that are gone but are wonderful memories.

If you came from the Flint area how could you ever forget Autoworld? I was ten in 1984 and Autoworld seemed like the biggest story in the world then. We made the one obligatory trip there with the school and to tell the truth I recall very little from this experience. I remember the cobblestone path, the Ferris Wheel, the lame educational rides (Ughhh, nothing is worse when you are a kid than educational rides), the giant engine, and yes the freaky animotronic puppets. But mostly I just remember thinking that being in 'Old Flint' was a lot nicer than being in the present Flint.

But here is where Autoworld will always stake a claim to some deep recess of my heart and I can't believe that noone has recalled this delightful moment. But Autoworld actually opened up for an entire summer around 1990, when in some magical place at some divine moment someone actually thought, "Let's try Autoworld again". I remember this because I had the very distinct and partially pleasurable honor of actually working at Autoworld that summer. Yes, it was a watershed moment in my life as a teenager when I donned the baby blue polo with the embroidered Autoworld logo on the breast and could call myself...employee. How lucky am I, eh? So they still had the Ferris Wheel, the cobblestone path, and I still thought, "This is nicer than the real downtown". But this time they opened up outside of the building for even more space to host all the good times that were about to unfold. They added a new, bad ride, a tent with a...really...good...singing group (I still can't hear In The Jungle without a cold shiver coming over me), and those rip-off carninval games. That's what I did, the carnival games. I actually took more money from people who came to Autoworld, how do I live with myself? Well, to everyones suprise, it didn't work this time either. What a shame. And eventally I went to college on the other side of the state, graduated, and moved away. I want to end though with just a select few but very defining memories of my beloved hometown, Flint, MI.....Angelo's, Maryland St. (where I was actually born AT home because of a NHL final game, you understand right?), the Flint Generals and the huge block that everyone paints over and over on Hammerburg Road.

Born and raised (still living) in ol' Flintowne (as I call it). Hammerburg block is less than a mile away :P

I remember Autoworld, vaugely as a child. The afformentioned '90 summer occured in during what I now call "Year Five". I explored with wonder, but summer as it opened, various parts were closed off until nothing was left except my ravaged childhood. :(

PS: Angelo's isn't run by the original owners anymore, and the food sucks now. Oh well, there's always Latina's.

I lived in Flint for the first 24 years of my life, from 1960 until 1984. I got married and moved to the Lansing area after graduating from U of M Flint. Having been at U of M Flint in those years I was able to watch the entire Autoworld project come to life during it's construction. AW was built on the site of the IMA Auditorium, which had been a baketball arena and concert venue. I saw Jimmy Carter there at an election eve rally the night before he was elected in 1976 (I still have a commemorative button). The auditorium interior was gutted and used for the portion of Autoworld where the giant engine and rides were located.

I visited Autoworld once, it was in the fall of 1984 or perhaps 1985. Someone at work was handing out fistfuls of free tickets which makes me think that it was more likely 1985. I remember the Jacob Smith portrayal with the image projected onto his face. It didn't strike me as creepy, just cheesy!

My only other memory of Autoworld was on a cold winter morning in the 1990's when I bundled up my two small children and drove downtown to view the demolition of the auditorium portion of the complex. I remember the successive dynamite concussions thumping against our chests, which brought the building down domino fashion from the south to the north. A friend of mine who grew up in Flint thinks the $80 million would have been better spent by giving it to him and allowing him to jet set around the world going to parties and premieres promoting Flint at every media opportunity. I'm sure this concept couldn't have been any worse then the Autoworld idea. I live in Ann Arbor now and don't visit Flint much other than to run the Crim Race now and then.

I went to Autoworld on a trip across country. I was ten. Only thing I disagree with is your description of Roger and Me as a Comedy/ Mockumentary. Its a true documentary, and not that funny.

I've had a couple of folks question my use of the term 'mockumentary' to describe Roger & Me. Here's the deal. A documentary (according to dictionary.com) is "Presenting facts objectively without editorializing or inserting fictional matter." Roger & Me is definitely not a documentary based on that definition. The movie is very biased - it wouldn't be nearly as interesting if it wasn't.

Moore himself has been quoted as saying Roger & Me
was not a documentary, but "an entertaining movie, like Sophie's Choice." Well, I suppose he would know.

I love six flags and Im going

You know.. I constantly shake my head every time I see Roger and Me.. It just reminds me of the 80's and how the rich get richer. and never mind whose mother you have to step on to get what you want..

I am from Michigan.. I remember going to the Water Street Pavilion often.. I recall it was a hell of a drive from Oakland County and the place was desolate when we got there.. I remember the sea gulls in mock flight dangling from the skylight.. I remember the crazy mirrors that stood in the aisle of the hallway.. On the way out.. I remember the colorful houses.. I'm just sorry the tax payers money was squandered that it couldn't have been put to better use.. That the Hyatt Regency took so much money only to be bankrupt.. Why o why did they not give the money to the people and decide on a brain child that could restore Flint.. It may not have come to anything, but at least it would have empowered its citizens..

I'm 18. I wish Autoworld was still around. I would most definately go visit it. It seems like an awesome place.

I went to AutoWorld in the summer of 1990, about 2 years after we moved to the Flint area from Livonia. I was about 12 then and I also remember those waffle fries. They must have brought them back for that one big summer. It was an interesting experience. Something that I will never forget. I remember the ferris wheel and the carousel that they had there. I also remember parts of the place not being open, which I thought was weird for an amusement park. Many of the shops were open, but had very little to buy. My dad worked for GM and in Flint, he took a transfer when GM closed the Fort Street plant in Detroit, at the Coldwater road plant and I think that he wanted to show us, my mom and I, a little of the history of what he did for a living. I also remember that he thought it was a little on the cheesy side also.

Well this past weekend I was at the Ren Cen in Detroit, which is now the GM World Headquarters, and they have "GM World" on the first level with a bunch of old and new cars. Everything from one of the first Buicks to role off the line to the Hummer H2. You can sit in the new cars, but not the old ones. They have movies playing about all the brands and everything that GM does. It reminded me of that 1990 trip to AutoWorld. It was kind of cool to look at the cars, but then made me feel sad for places like AutoWorld. "GM World" closes at 9pm every night and they turned everything off and the place went dark and I thought even more about AutoWorld. A lot went into building AutoWorld and what came out of it, nothing but a giant show made out of the opening and giant show made out of imploding of the building.

I just wish that it would have survived as a momument to what Flint was, so that people could see that Flint was once a great place to be. In Flint's hayday they had one of the best school districts in the state and was one of the places that many towns wanted to be like.

Just some thoughts from me.

Another piece of history, the IMAX at AutoWorld is either the only one or only one of the like 5 that have ever been destroyed.

I was quite young when my family visited Autoworld. We went there often, almost every week, so it takes up quite a bit of my childhood memories. I remember the man with the lighted face, the ?bumps? as my sisters and I called them, the Ferris wheel, the spinning chair on the carousel, the puppets, the ?Wonder wall,? the giant engine, and the Imax theater (gosh how I loved? I think it was called ?Speed.?

I remember when it finally closed down, sat there for years. I remember watching it get torn down.

I miss it a great deal. It fills me with anger knowing I will NEVER be able to see it again.

Pennywhistle place was just recently torn down. I live literally? 3 miles from it. For a majority of my life, we would see it as we crossed the bridge going over Mott Lake.

I was born in Flint in 1976 and lived in Burton until 1998, being 8 years old when Autoworld opened. I remember that the animatronic puppets in the rides reminded me too much of being at Showbiz Pizza (now Chuck E. Cheese's) or Huckleberry Junction in Genesee, both of which we'd already been to. The engine towered above you from its column. I remember going through the park map with my family, wanting to go and see every ride and item. Afterward, we said what most people seemed to say: "Gee, that was nice, but there's not really anything to keep me coming back." That's why hardly anyone showed up after the inaugural season. I remember Flint Journal columnists describing Autoworld as a "schizophrenic theme park," wanting to be a car museum and a theme park, but not enough of either.

Then I remember being a bio student at UM-Flint (Class of '98!), continually seeing from the skywalks the relic that had effectively been closed for over 10 years, wishing the U would hurry up with its takeover of the site, which had been in the works for some time. I remember thinking how great that would be, having something useful there, instead of a flop. When they imploded it one cold Saturday morning in January of 1997, we watched it on WJRT-channel 12. Our house was 2.5-miles away, but the implosion was so loud that it made our two large picture windows rattle! Seeing the devastation from the skywalk the next Monday was amazing. The fact that the IMA portion didn't fall with it is a great testament to the builders and their quality of work.

On a side note: I am sad to hear that Pennywhistle Place was torn down (great memories there) and that Mott Farm will be closed this spring of 2005 due to cuts by the Flint Schools. :-(

Thanks for posting some hard-to-find information on the web about a childhood memory of mine, Matty!

Oh Autoworld! I have fond memories of visiting Autoworld which opened (coincidentally?) around the time my parents got divorced. Nothing more depressing than visiting AutoWorld with your newly divorced dad who's living in his parents' basement. I, too, was freaked out by the manniquin with the projected face. I distinctly remember standing in a long line waiting to ride the incredibly lame ride that wound its way thru a bunch of hallways. After the animatronic stuff, there were just a bunch of boring car displays, which my dad enjoyed, but which I (as a 12 year old girl) didn't really appreciate. I was having some serious AutoWorld flashbacks after seeing Roger & Me again on that "true stories" cable channel yesterday.

My parents grew up in Flint and I nearby [E of Flushing]. Moved away in 1961 and wondered if AutoWorld had any connection with the IMA Bldg. from the stage of which I once sounded a fake trumpet wearing a green felt 'Robin Hood's merry men' costume to open the 'Red Feather' meeting. The 1st Flint Science Fair was also held in the IMA Bldg.. Talking post-Sputnik late '50s folks!

Thanks to Tim L.'s post of 16Feb05 for answering my question about AW & IMA.

Oh yes, Autoworld. Proof positive that sometimes when you have an idea, it's better to take an aspirin and go lay down somewhere. I remember visiting Autoworld on its opening day and wondering where all of the money went. The description of the mannequin in the previous posts is generous. It was more like a $3.00 styrofoam head (the kind my mom would use to style her wigs) mounted on something they borrowed out of Mayor Rutherford's garage.

I remember all of the hoopla surrounding this imaginative plan. The city was going to pull out all the stops. The best and the brightest were hired to create a Disney-like atmosphere. In the end- the city, the Mott Foundation, but most sadly, the taxpayers were left with a kind of stunned look on their faces. Where did all the money go?

My theory is that Autoworld was never meant to succeed. Instead, it was a brilliant plan to help some people get rich. The park was designed to fail. I'll give you a perfect example.

On opening day, more people filled Autoworld than on any other day during its entire run. You couldn't squeeze a flea into the building. You also couldn't move. Lines for the amusement rides were hours long. You couldn't pause to enjoy displays because any time you stopped, a huge traffic jam resulted. Stairways were jammed pack so that egress would have been impossible. If there had there been any kind of emergency, people would have been trampled.

This is proof that Autoworld could have never sustained the types of crowds that its designers projected. It was a farce... a facade. It was con of the first magnitude. It was an 8 on the Richter scale and the city of Flint is still suffering the aftershocks. Most amazing of all, no one ever went to jail.

I didn't think AW would last.The Journal put out a very large special edition about it when it opened.I saved the whole thing.Still have it

I loved AutoWorld and miss it. Its really sad that it was torn down for a parking lot. I mean this thing costed 100 million by the time it was said and done, and athen another 10 million to tear down.. I am not sure what that 100 million in 1983,84,85 is today, but thats a lot of cheese.

After the failure, Bill White of the Mott Foundation wanted that white elepant removed, so they tore it down. I thought it would of a made a great Vistors Center, or a new home for the Slaon Museum... too bad... I miss AutoWorld, thanks for sharing the memories.

Ryan Eashoo, Flint Michigan

Yes AutoWorld was mean't to fail and lots of people mad lots of money on it. I applaud Ryan Eashoo of Flint Michigan. I rememeber his crusade to save AutoWorld. Ryan Eashoo, Cynthia Desgrange and Kristina Lakey all started that group Friends of AutoWorld to save it.. Good Try!

I remember taking my kids to AutoWorld, they loved it, and so did I. The dome was incrediable, and full of life not seen outside of its doors.

R.I.P. AutoWorld.

I wish it were still open. I miss jackin around with friends at Autoworld. I guess I will go jack around at the Former Hyatt Downtown...that too is another sad story...anyone care to elaborate on what happened to the Hyatt

I remember those young people trying to save that building. AutoWorld was a Marvelous place, very special place. Ryan Eashoo and Cynthia Desgrange are hero's in my eye. Gosh its hard to believe that was 10 years ago already.

May AutoWorld Live on in our memories forever!

I never thought something so silly and destined for failure would bring out such wonderful memories for people. I grew up in Flint and it's funny but i miss it. My dad worked for GM so I can remember going to Autoworld a few times. My brother took me there once, he knew the guy who did the voices for the animatronics and he got them to talk to me and say my name. I loved the movie Speed at the IMAX, especially the long spiral descent out of the theatre and out of the complex. I actually saw a copy of it in a computer store one time... I live in San Diego and I met someone out here who had been to Autoworld. I don't know who's idea it was to build a theme park around the automobile but I'd like to thank them for giving me such wonderfully stupid childhood memories.

Hi, I grew up in Flint from 81-94 I don't remember too much about Autoworld, (being in it) but I went there with my grandparents a bunch. I was only 2 when it opened. I always remember driving by it after it closed down, and wishing we could go in to ride the rides, lol. Since I have lived in Flint, I know it has gone down hill. I have family there still and visit often, and my friends still live there also. I am glad I found this on the web. I was looking to see if Penny Whistle was still open, lol. I figured that would have been gone by now too, but it is still up. Thinkin about taking my daughter there this summer. Thanks for your article, and I am gonna check out that movie, I have never heard of it before. Thanks for bringing back the memories!

I spent most of my childhood in Davisburg, and I must have been about 5 or 6 when I went to Autoworld. The only thing that made a real impression was the indoor ferris wheel. While my Dad and I were stopped at the top, he pointed out a bat flying nearby. Maybe that's why I am a neurotic twenty something now! :)

I found this site because I, too was looking for Pennywhistle place online. To tell the truth, I hadn't thought about Autoworld in an awfully long time, but you know what other memory it brought back? Water Street Pavilion. Is that still there?

Christy Toth Smith
Nashville, TN

I remember those kids in the parade. I knew Louise Rose and had the please to meet Ryan Eashoo and Cynthia Desgrange.

Gosh how time flys by. I miss AutoWorld.

I remember the Water Street Pavilion. I used to work around Flint back in 1987, and would go to that place for coffee almost on a daily basis. AutoWorld was there, and it appeared to be pretty well preserved and sealed. What a place for urban exploration! Seeing it sitting, unused, unloved (so to speak) made my heart sink. It will always remain a mystery to me, having never seen it in operation. It is indeed sad for all that time, work, and money to go to such waste.

MrCoffee

Just a comment to Lisa and Christy if you come back to this page- Lisa you mentioned that Pennywhistle "is still up". I hope no site on the web told you that because it was torn down about 3 years ago now. I wanted to save you and your daughter the trip of going out to a torn down piece of flat land. I worked there in its last ailing summers.

I've never seen AutoWorld, it was gone long before I came to Flint. However, I am now a student at the University of Michigan - Flint. I do my work/study as a janitor/housekeeper at the White building that is now at the former location of AutoWorld. I'm writing a book about Flint, and was just doing some research on the history of AutoWorld. Nice website.

Wow. Talk about old memories flooding back. I worked at Autoworld the spring and summer of 1985 as a security officer. It was quite an education for a farm kid right out of high school! I found your site as I was trying to find the girl that got away. Her name was Dreama B. We both worked there and lost touch a year or so after the park closed. I had almost forgotten about Jacob's projected face. It was a little strange wasn't it!
Great site. I'm sure that I will be able to share more as the recollections come back.

Hey everyone. I have really been caught up in Flint, Michigan history and have done some study on Autoworld. I remember going once as a kid, I believe on opening day.

Someone should have known that this park was going to be a failure. Through my research I learn that Downtown revitalization occurs through business and civic involvement not government. The area has recently received some upgrades. The cast iron arches have come back. The Hyatt Regency has been purchased and is still operational as a hotel (Character Inn). There is talk by Kettering University of restoring the river front and the Durant Hotel has recently been purchased (Although details of plan have not been released yet). Flint is slowly turning around.

As far as Michael Moore. His movie is a mockumentary. I don't see why the citizens of Flint love him so much. He made a movie poking fun of the citizens of Flint, critizing GM for moving out Flint, made millions of dollars and then moved out Flint himself.

I remember AutoWorld, but nothing of inside. I never went inside. My father forbid it.

Secretly though, my mother encouraged me to go there and ask for a job. In 1984 I was only 15 years old. I don't know what kind of job I could have had there, but I went. I stood in line on a very hot day for several hours, and didn't receive anything so much as a call back. I remember on that day I left the line and went to sit in the concrete park along the Flint River. I had a blast walking and running under all the concrete waterfalls that made up the whole flood control project. I went to the amphitheater and gazed into the riverside restaurant at the Hyatt. I wondered what hotel food tasted like.

My dad says AutoWorld was a joke from the start. Who goes to museums? was the only positive thing he had to say! :-) My parents lamented the fact that AutoWorld was not intended as a replacement for Flint Park, an old amusement park on the North Side that they remembered from being teenagers in the 1950s. I said Oh, they'll build a rollercoaster ... Who ever heard of an amusement park without a rollercoaster? The marketing of AutoWorld was shockingly abysmal. Cedar Point it was not.

I didn't know for years that it had been demolished. I went to Flint for a visit, and drove downtown. It was gone! I was as if AutoWorld had been a figment of my imagination. Thankfully, I said, Water Street Pavilion was still there, and the Hyatt as well.

I'm glad I found this page today, through the Flint article on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint%2C_Michigan .. I don't know if the group still exists but there were pre-opening marketing materials made for both AutoWorld and Water Street Pavilion. Hyatt put out beautiful brochures for the hotel right before it opened. Someone should have something to scan and post to the net.

I noticed someone above noted the Hyatt is now called Character Inn. I thought Radisson still ran the property but no longer. Character Inn apparently isnt even open as a hotel to the general public -- only certain Christian groups can rent space in there, for meetings and sleeping rooms as a package.

Do they still use Riverbank Park for free concerts and Independence Day fireworks?

Does anyone know if the large block that use to get painted regularly by the Southwestern H.S. still exists?

J. Gaus
Nevada

J Gaus,

The block in front of Southwestern Academy still exist although painting the block is no longer permitted via Don Williamson.

I was like 5 or 6 when I went to autoworld. I don't remember much, it almost seemed like a dream every time it would come to my memory. I remember the two cars with the front ends in the air, on the derby ride and that is really the only thing I can picture. Besides the diamond looking roof. If anyone has any pics of autoworld please let me know! thanx!

I miss AutoWorld, how tragic they tore it down. Flints mentality is tear things down, not build things up.

I grew up in Flint 1978-1991 and I remember AutoWorld.... only went once, but I was sad to hear about it's fate as I moved to Louisiana. I miss my hometown even if it is falling to pieces.

Hi, me again.

I'm back up in Flint right now visiting some friends and family. I've also done a little poking around and should have some additional stuff about AutoWorld up soon. Of course, I procrastinate alot, so take 'soon' with a grain of salt.

For Miles - If we're thinking of the same band, that played in the tent outside, it was a group called Evolution out of LA. They did a rock n roll review.

For Jon G. - Late breaking news, straight from the Flint Journal... Mayor Don Williamson has decided that it's okay to paint the block now, and will even give out cash to the 'best' designs submitted to a board on a semi regular basis. Or something.

Matty,

Thanks for the update on the "rock". Isn't it just like politicians to take a local tradition that has always thrived with a life of its own and organize it, legislate it, approve it, and by doing so KILL IT!

Reminds me of the awesome pick-up games of wiffle ball that just kind of evolved as were growing up as kids in Glendale Hills in Flint. But, as soon as one of the parents got the brilliant idea to have us move the games out of the front yard (we were killing grass and flowers) to a planned out and organized spot in the backyard, the game quickly died, the spontaneity was gone and so were we.

Thanks Don, can I still get a deal on '81 Chevette?

I first read about Autoworld about a year ago (Born in '88) while reading a (negative) book about Michael Moore. Does anyone have any more pics to post? Seems to me like to the people here it is some sort of lost-world where. Or anything about the assorted rides? (Can't have an amusement park, even a semi one, without rides)

It's great to see that AutoWorld online has again sparked controversy, fascination, pride and disgust. I grew up in Flint and loved AutoWorld. Maybe it didn't have a lot of rides, but you had to drive 2 hours to Detroit for Boblo Island or 3 hours to Cedar Point to get anything other than go carts at Playland. It's a sad story in the end though and Flint is still searching for a way to stabilize and become prosperous again.

For anyone connected with Flint, check out the nonprofit network www.flintclub.org. We have nearly 500 people around the world who care about Flint on the email list. Our monthly newsletter has headlines, events, stories and other things you may be interested in.

So glad to find this site! My parents went to some grand opening party at Autoworld. I think I got to go once. All I remember is the ferris wheel. I was born in Flint and lived there until 1991, I was 12. I still have family there. There is some strange force or vibe that draws me to Flint every chance I get. I'm always checking on real estate, pretending I'll move back someday. Just wondering if anyone else out there feels this way. People think I'm crazy for feeling this way about Flint. But I can't explain it. Maybe it's just because it was my childhood, and I remember it as good. Maybe it's just the amazing history in this town. Does anyone remember the University Club when it was thriving? I used to go to lunch there all the time when I was little with my grandmother. I got married in 2001, and we were barely able to have our reception there, couldn't even use the parking ramp, it was falling apart! Regardless, I loved it. and for one short night I felt like a kid again on top of a building in a beautiful restaurant with floor to ceiling windows, looking over, what was from up there, still the beautiful Flint I always remember.

I thought since people had asked about the hyatt regency/character inn, I'd plug in some (admittedly spotty)info, because it's a wierd story, in and of itself. From what I remember, after a number of owners all failed to make it profitable the Hyatt Regency was bought by an uber conservative christian group, the institute in basic life principles (www.iblp.org) and staffed with vollunteers who actually live there. When the deal originally went through, the city was wary that their agenda would ultimately be to close it off to the public and turn it into a private conference center for religious zealots (which it appears is exactly the case) so they put a clause in, that it had to remain open to the public as a hotel. One of the things that the group did to discourage the public from staying there was to ban smoking, the consumption of alcohol, and listening to any type of music that had not been previewed by the staff first, on the premises. (www.characterinns.org)

This caused a big problem the first year after the group took over, as the Flint Jazz Festival took place right behind the place every year at Riverbank Park and the group didn't like the "devil's music" coming from right in their backyard.

MY MOM AND DAD TOOK ME THEIR IN 1985 WHEN I WAS ABOUT TWO I HAD MY PICTURE TAKEN WITH DAFFY DUCK AND BUGS BUNNY.

As a new staff member at the University of Michigan-Flint and a new resident in the City of Flint, I am eager to learn about the history of the university as well as the city. As I was on my way through the University Center on a quiet summer day, I stopped in the student lounge to look at pictures on the wall. There is a photo of a semi-aerial view of the campus taken in 1995 when Autoworld was still intact, but not in use. I was totally intrigued by the photo, and wanted to know more. Thank you for this site.

Even though I grew up in Detroit and went to college in East Lansing, I never heard much about Autoworld. It's a very interesting story, but a sad one as well.

The City of Flint and the Flint Journal have a pictorial history of different events in the city, and the implosion of the IMA portion of Auotworld is recorded on a website. There are about six frames of sucession of the implosion. Also, there is a photo from the flood of March 1947 in Flint. The historians noted that the IMA Auditorium was "calked tight" and withstood the flood. You can view the pictures at:

www.flintj.com/125/paper/galleries/history/index.html

I'm enjoying reading these posts! I, too, was looking for info on PennyWhistle Place. :) But I have very fond memories of Autoworld -- prolly for a different reason than many, though. My now-husband used to work there. He operated the "freaky animatronic puppets" and was inside the roving robot, Bumper T. Fenderbender (not all the time, of course!). I used to sit in the booth with him and laugh my head off at the looks on people's faces as the character would tell them what they were wearing, etc. He also ran the IMAX there and I often sneaked through the backs of the rides to bring him dinner (he wasn't really given breaks!) and let him run to the restroom while I watched the film projector. I enjoyed the atmosphere at Autoworld and often just hung out on their benches, enjoying the peace and scenery. My mother was fine letting us visit alone because she felt it'd be safe; tough to be kidnapped from an inside place, I guess. I do have to question their security, though, if they let me just wander about behind the scenes unquestioned and unstopped! LOL! It's too bad it is gone, though I suppose I can see why. Perhaps it was, indeed, ahead of its time.

Wonderful !

I remember the park when it opened. It was good times going inside the park with my friends just laughing, eating popcorn and riding the Ferris wheel. It was very fun back then, I'm sad to see it go. It was the hotspot for me when I was 16.

i would love some pictures of pennywhistle place!!! Anyone? I loved that place, the big heavy bags you c ould run through. The zip line, the big rope net on the second story. The musical footpads. Loved it!!!! Please send me pics if you have them. andybateman@mindspring.com

No better way to time-travel than the 'net. I grew up in Flint until I moved to the Southern U.S. in 2000. I must have been 4 or 5 when I went to Autoworld a few times. I really thought I was older because I remember so much, but I couldn't have been. With my dad an AC/Delphi employee for the past 16 years, it's all very sad story to me.

I remember the video games they had at Autoworld. And every now and then I laugh when remembering. The games were very death oriented indeed. I especially remember the drunk-driving game. You had to select the kind of drink you wanted, either a martini or beer (maybe something else) and how many. Then the object was to drive home without crashing in to a tree or an oncoming car.

To tell you the truth, you would crash no matter what because the graphics were white lines on a black background in semi-3D. So you couldn't see anything really. And I can't really remember what the difference was when you selected more or less alcohol. My friends and I would take turns to see how much we could "drink" and not crash. The D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse and Resistance Education) program was really teaching us kids life lessons there. :)

That really sucks that Mott Farm is closing as one poster mentioned. People ask me about Flint and why I moved down South. They wonder why I don't really like Flint and would not move back. For one, it's because all the places I had memories of (Autoworld, Pennywhistle, Mott) keep getting destroyed. It would have been nice to share my memories with my (future) kids. Oh well.

I remember Val Rose, Ryan Eashoo, Cynthia Desgrange, Kristina Lakey all fighting to save AutoWorld back in 1995.

Its sad that Flint would allow such a place to be torn down. I miss all the people who we met with to fight to save it. Including Matt Taylor.

I remember being impressed and I have good memories of the place. I was bummed when it closed. My father did a "one man skit" there as Johnny Appleseed.

Wow.....That was so long ago. I still have the photo of it from the Flint Journal from before it went down when we were still trying to save it. GOod times. Spppppaazzzzzzzzzz attack!

The biggest thing that I remember about Autoworld isn't Autoworld itself, but a flood that happened after it was built. I was in grade school at the time, so I don't remember anything specific about it yet. The Flint River ran through the dome. One year, it rained enough to flood. The city did something to keep Autoworld from flooding, which resulted in neighbourhoods flooding. My grandmother's neighbourhood, near Powers High School, flooded. She was at the top of the street and only lost everything in the basement; people further down the street were much worse off.

I just want to thank Cynthia Desgrange and Ryan Easho for fighting to save this once great place in Flint Michigan

Amanda Wright

I have lived in flint my entire life. From 1987 till today. I got to go to auto world when I was around 2 or 3. I dont remember much, just little details like the ferris wheel, the bumper cars[how i remember is beyond me], a few shows and oh yes the giant engine, I do believe it went in circles but i may not remember much at all. I lived on Franklin and Delaware right around that area on the east side. I got to meet Micheal Moore personally as he visited our school. I had some good memories of flint, and some bad ones. My father was a drug addict through out my life and we were not able to keep anything nice, but I still love him.

Mammaries of Autoworld? Sure, I gots me a ton. We used to poke around in its wreckage circa 1994-95. Drunk on malt liquor, we took the steam engine replica and repeatedly smashed it into a DDA car. While an auto show was going on under the dome, a gal pal of mine and I snuck in and had sex on the lunar vehicle display. Final mammaries? very drunk... whiskey. 4 a.m. the night before it was blown to smithereens, me and 3 friends pulled down the safety fence, liberated a few canoes from the Jacob Smith diorama, and sent them over Hamilton Dam. The next morning my windows shook from the implosion. When I found out the north wall was still standing I had to take credit. One of us must've disconneccted some wires during our drunken sojourn through the dome.

I worked at Autoworld for those first 2 summers. First year at the main gift shop (cant remember the name) and then at the nice resturant upstairs. The one thing that I remember that still drives me crazy...is the barber shop quartet that sang the same 5 or 6 songs all the time...day after day...week after week. I heard it in my sleep, in the shower, driving around town. Those guys drove me crazy. It smelt nice inside, I also loved the criss crossed fries, remember the craziness of opening day, man, the crowds fell like a lead balloon after that first day. The paper flowers (which were $2.50 each) That line worker singing with the robot (who soon replaced him on the assembly line) the song "Me and my buddy!" The song ended with the line, "we make your dreams come true!" Yeah, dreams of the unemployment line...thanks Buddy!
I still have my Autoworld employee badge a fresh faced 17 year old kid on it. I've come a long way since then. I remember meeting then Governor Jim Blanchard and former Mayor Jim Sharp and how proud and happy they were. The smiles didnt last long! I left Flint for good shortly after. It was the best thing I ever did. It's a shame whats become of my home town. Im embarrassed to mention where I am from. Flint has become such a sad sad place. Jacob Smith, Charles S. Mott and Frank Manley are turning in their graves.

It's ashame that no matter what is done in Flint, only the bad things are reported in the media. If it is a good community event, it may or may not get mentioned. I was raised to never visit flint because of the crime.... hence the reason i missed out on the Autoworld experience. I now work in Flint... I like it. I enjoy the history, and guess what, the people here are not all car thieves. I feel bad for Flint because of what the media and politicians do to this community. I bet if the residents of this community came together and took it back, Flint would be great. I also bet there are some local churches that could help make this happen by focasing on the young people.

My dad was a Carpenter and helped build the Hyatt, Auto World, and Water Street Pavillion. They were all beautiful buildings. It is sad what has happend to them and to the City of Flint. I have been on the roof of the Hyatt (3 days before opening day!), and was inside Auto World several times before it opened and after. We attended the pre-opening day events. We were allowed in before the general public because of my dad working on it. While the idea behind Auto World may have not been great, the workers took great pride in that building! It was truly a piece of art! I have pictures and mementoes that I will always treasure of Auto World. It was sad to watch it being torn down.

Flint is a dying city. I only wish there was a way to save it! I hate to tell people that I am from there. I lived in Flint until 8 years ago. It is and probably always will be "Home" to me. But there isn't much left.

People say Flint is dying and there is a way to save it. First is to get rid of the dead weight money crooks running things, mainly the city council.. Support investors such as the landbank who are doing things with vacant buildings and land. The biggest thing is us as citizens to have a presence there. Go eat at the torch or Haloburger, visit the local shops that are still open and craving your business. During the daytime with UM the streets are busy. Once there is an accomadting atmosphere for a nightlife, Flint will experience a renissance comparable to downtown Detroit or Grand Rapids.. The ingredients are there.. SUPPORT FLINT

Its amazing how many people actually remember Autoworld. What makes this sad is that the people who created this ACTUALLY THOUGHT that this was going to revitalize the City of Flint. My family has pictures of when Autoworld opened up. They went that summer. My mom was actually 7 months pregnant with me and my twin in the pictures and my older three brothers and sisters loved Autoworld. Too bad they tore it down. Its kind of sad how the city that is known for its beauty of the automotive industry is sadly destroying itself. We are destroying the places which brought Flint alive in its heyday. I work in one of the local hotels and its sad when people who graduated from high school here in the 40s and 50s and went on to have successful careers come back to their hometown to find it destroyed. Just this past summer, Kettering was having a reunion for its 1st graduating class of the GMI Institute. A man who had lived here 40 years ago tried to comfort his wife in the lobby of the hotel because she was crying at what Downtown flint had looked like just that afternoon after they had driven down there. She vowed never to return here again. I find that to be so horrible that our history is being destroyed. Why would the city destroy the old IMA building. That is our culture. Does the city know how many historical figures set foot in there? I was talking to an old nurse at Hurley hospital and she was telling me how when she was 13 yrs old, she was at an event and sat right behind Charles Stewart Mott, the man who had such great passion for this city.

Buick City has been razed and now Buicks old headquarters is soon to be razed. Flint's culture is being ruined because we are destroying our automotive culture. These are the people and places which gave their life for this city-heck, they even gave money out of their paychecks to build the old IMA arena. Well, I guess it all doesn't matter now for the auto industry, seeing that Delphi just filed for bankruptcy. That will soon kill more automotive jobs in this city.

I love Flint. After I graduate from college, I will move away, but I will return with the intent to make a difference for this city. I want to see a prosperous and thriving downtown with tall high rises and individuals with smart minds living and working within the city.

-Stephen

I'm so glad I found this site. I recently moved from the metro Detroit area where I have spent my entire life, to the Flint area. Since we have been here I wondered about Autoworld - what was it, and WHERE was it. This site has answered my questiosn.

I wonder: Why is it I never went there, and why don't I remember a single person I knew going there? I was 13 in 1984. Didn't they do any marketing to the Detroit area? Maybe we in Troy blinked and just missed it!

Thanks again! Very interesting, and I can't wait to check out all the links.

Elaine Urrutia

I used to live in the Detroit area and remember that Autoworld did broadcast some commercials there. They used the slogan "Six Flags Autoworld. Leave the Real World Behind". It was very disappointing that it couldn't succeed. I went there once and had a great time. But as Michael Moore said in his movie "Roger & Me", some people don't want to celebrate human tragedy while on vacation, since that was when GM was closing several plants in Flint even though they were making record profits. It sure was a great shrine to cars.

We visited Auto World after it had been open just a little while. I liked it a lot and thought it was really well done. I am glad you have set up this site to help me remember.
The thing is, it wasn't a place that you would go to over and over. If you had been there once, you probably wouldn't be excited to go back. As someone said, it wasn't really an amusement park and it wasn't really a museum.
Here in Anderson, Indiana, there is a big controversy b/c a entrepreneur had a similar plan, had gathered lots of ppl who believed in him, and wanted our mayor and city council to give him a large, desirable piece of (former)GM property to create this museum 'thingy'. The mayor did some research and never gave the man any encouragement. So the man made big headlines in the local paper when he said he was taking his marbles and going elsewhere.
In my opinion, one Auto World on this planet is (was) enough.

I'm 19 and was born in Feb. of '86 right here in Flint, MI...in a hospital that no longer exists(St. Joe's). So unfortunately I never got to visit Autoworld...although I may have visited it when I was still in the whom? Any who, I still live in Flint with my family. This month marks 30 years of service with General Motors for my dad. He's a journeyman millwright. He worked at Buick City for many years. When that closed in 1999 they moved him to the foundry in Saginaw, called SMCO, or Saginaw Metal Casting Operations where he continues to be a millwright. He ran production for a couple years when he first hired in, but decided he hated it, and knew he was vulnerable if lay-offs were to hit. His father retired from the Chevy manufacturing complex known as "Chevy in the hole". There are no more plants left down in the hole. The last Delphi plant down there was closed about a year ago. And yes, Flint is a very dying city. I own the movie "Roger and Me" and it's very sad. But I still love my city and my family still drives GM cars and I think Flint and many surrounding cites are still very much dominated with GM vehicles.

Hi, My name is Robbie. I was born in Chicago,but grew up in Wisconsin. My mother grew up in Flint. My dad (from Gary Indiana) met her while they where both in College. I remember my fond memories of coming to Flint every summer for two weeks to visit my grandparents for a family reunion. My "papa" as we called him took me (then 12 yrs old) to the grand opening when all politcians came open then place. It was sooo hot and sunny. Just a beutiful day. I was bored "young" and wanted just to go inside and see it. The next day he took me.....I loved it. I am sad to see it didn't work out. I think this project was way before its time. Six flags pulled the plug way to early on Flint. My "Papa" passed in 1991 at 79 yrs and I was about to turn 19 yrs old. This place reminds me of him. I miss him. He was a wonderful grandfather to me as a young boy. I'm glad to took me. My favorite part. -The robotic spot welder. Go figure. But also that concrete block by the railroad tracks that was always spraypainted by "vandals/artists" is that still in Flint"? .................Robbie

I found this site while doing research for a paper in my college Urban Geography course. We saw the movie "Roger & Me" in class and I was looking for the exact information about AutoWorld and I found it. Reflecting back on the early 1980's it is truly sad what has happened to the manufacturing sector of the United States economy. While other industries grow, it seems as though the american manufacturer is always being undercut by foreign competition and taking it on the chin. My heart goes out to all of those in Flint who lost jobs and please always know that you are in my prayers.

I remember going to Autoworld in the late '80's and early 90's. I, like many of you who posted comments was a little kid when I visited Autoworld. I was born in Flint in June of '86. I lived in Mt. Morris until '88 and moved to New Lothrop, about 35 miles from Flint. I remember my Grandparents took me to Autoworld quite often. Unfortunately, I don't remember a lot of the inside of the park, but a few things stick in my head. I remember that IMAX movie, Speed, quite well, espacially the part where the cars go through and you feel as though you are left standing in the dust. I also remember the bumper cars and when Autoworld was on the demise, my Grandpa and I were the only ones in the ride, with our bumper car hitting all the parked ones. I also remember the big ferris wheel and my Grandpa ripping a big one at the top when we stopped! Oh how I suffered on that ride! The other only memory I have of Autoworld was during the Christmas of 1989 of 1990. I remember this lady up on stage singing the song Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and her calling me up on stage to sing with her and I forgot the words. She gave me a kiss when we finished the song and I was so embarresed! Hahaha. I sure do miss that old place. As far as I'm concerned, that was the coolest place in Flint. I love going to The Machine Shop now, but I think if I had a choice, I'd pick Autoworld in a heartbeat. By the way, I also remember Pennywhistle Place. I went there on a field trip once, sometime around 1992. All I remember was the big net kids crawled across. That was cool. Anyhow, nice website. I will be back to read the Autoworld memories periodically.

We're studying the effects of the structural unemployment that GM so affectionately spread through Flint in my economics class and the poverty/crime rate increase since the factory closing astounded me. All the sources Ive read, and the documentary 'Roger and Me' make Flint sound like a real drag of a place to live, but when I stumlbe across post sites like this people generally seem nostalgic about Flint. Do you think its a good place to live? Is it better for some than others? Do the students that attend the University stay in FLint, or fo they leave? What do you think is the biggest differnce in Flint since the factory closure? Im sorry if these questions are invasiove, rude, or rediculous, that is not my intention, I am just eager to here from someone who actually experienced the affects of the change, instead of a Detroit reporter or my econ teacher.
Sincerely

Chelsea
Fargo, ND

Chelsea,

Well, I actually live in Flushing...right next to Flint. But, I guess I would say it's okay to live in Flint if you're one of the 10,000 that work for GM in this city. Flint is currently listed as the 4th most dangerous city in the U.S. But we still have Hurley Hospital and a few other medical jobs that I'm sure pay fairly well. I know that there are a couple of accounting firms around here. We also have U of M, Mott, and Kettering as far as teaching positions, but are probably very limited. We have alot of low-paying retail and restaurant jobs....I mean alot. For quite a few years I believe retail jobs were the largest employer in the county. But I think within the last year or so, manufacturing reclaimed the title....which is what we like to see.

My dad worked at Buick City until they closed it down in '99. He now works at the foundry in Saginaw called Saginaw Metal Casting Operations. I own the movie 'Roger and Me' and although I think Michael Moore put the film together fairly well for the amount of money he had to spend, and it being his first film...I don't think he did enough research to fully support his theory that GM is such an evil company. With the passing of the Free Trades Act and the increasing number of people buying foreign cars, GM had no choice but to downsize the company. Ford and Chrysler have done the same, but since GM is the largest automaker, it gets the most publicity and ridicule.

I could really say alot more about this. But let me know what you think and I can elaborate more if you'd like.

AutoWorld was a fun place, I miss going there. I was born in 79' and remmeber going on Opening Day. It was bigger than life. I also remeber going to watch it Explode, it was a sad day in Flint.

I remember Cynthia Desgrange, Ryan Eashoo and friends trying to Save it. Louise Rose and Matt Taylor filed a injuntion to stop it, but eventually the Mott Foundation Won.

I saw "Roger & Me" in my Anthropology class in 1994 as a Freshman at the University of Michigan. I just saw it again last night and could not turn it off. Today, I was intersted in learning more about Autoworld. Thanks for the Information and allowing others to share their experiences. I enjoyed reading this. It is a shame that it is gone but it seemed like that it was doommed from the very beginning. I feel like it is a waste of money because millions of dollars was spent on this project that ended up being demolished. I kept thinking they must of wanted this place to fail. They could of made it into a museum or mall. :(

I think people who are leaders in Flint Michigan need to think better than this. We need people who have passion to make Flint better. People like Dayne Walling, Ryan Eashoo and Matt Schlinker.

Rest In Peace AUTOWORLD! We will forever love you.

I remember Autoworld. I went there when it first opened, I was 16 years old. I don't remember much of the visit, i just remember it wasn't that exciting. Maybe because I had been to Cedar Point, Knot's Berry Farm and Disneyland already and it didn't quite compare. I have a better memory of Safetyville when it was at Kearsley park. I was only 8 years old then. I left Flint when I was 18 and joined the Army. I go back home maybe once every 2 years. My parents moved out of Flint to Linden so i don't really go into Flint when I visit. It is depressing to see it the way it is now.

I live in Hawaii, I can see Aloha Stadium (where they play the pro bowl) from my bedroom window. I do miss Flint but I don't think I could ever live there again.

Anyone on here from Flint Central that graduated around 1986? Our class must be the worst class in the history of the school. We never even had a year book or any reunions...that I know of.

Michael Moore is an idiot!

Marc

i was only 5 years old,but i still remeber the great day i had at autoworld.i pained me to see it closed,since i really wanted my kids to see it.maybe in the future,there will be a autoworld 2

I worked at Autoworld in 1984. I was 17. I graduated from Central in '85 and left for Ann Arbor. I worked at "The Humorous History of Automobility" and I still remember its inane theme song, which I had to hear 8 hours a day every day. I remember that I was recruited to work there because I was a good student, like it was some privilege. I had to take the job because jobs were scarce and I wanted to save up enough money to get out of Flint. I snorted a lot of ground-up No-Doz during those days, just because the repetitiveness of the job put me to sleep.

I remember going to Autoworld when I was younger I can't quite remember what year. I was a very weird experience. I do remember getting my picture taken there the kind where you dress up in old fashioned clothes. I also remember the ferris wheel and cobblestone path. For pennywhistle place it was TERRIFIC I think mt family went there atleast once a week during the summer and Mott Park too which is no longer open. Kind of sucks that I can't share those experiences with my children.

One more comment. I took my son to Mott's Children's Health center today, which I heard of through a referral. The organization who referred me gave me a xeroxed map, and among the landmarks on the little map is "Autoworld" - so now I know where it was. They could probably use a new map.

I went to Autoworld when I was 9 years old in 84. I thought it was pretty cool from what I remember. Everything that a boy could ask for. Shiny cool cars. Crazy, artificial robots "animatrons". The memory that always stuck with me for some odd reason was some of the art work that was on the wall. There was a painting of a Delorean rusting away in a field. The car was last made in 1982, but by 1984 it was a ghost of a car because the Queen of England had all of the molds thrown into the English channel. An artist must have put his thoughts about the car into that painting. In my mind the painting was for-shadowing in a spooky way, if you relate it to Autoworld. A cool design, a supposedly good idea, a lot of money and time put into something and all of a sudden it's over.

Ha, does anyone ever think...for a minute...that Michael Moore is the problem with Roger&Me and specifically FLINT?

That man made a few cool million bucks on Flint and moved out. Take this scenario. The movie pushed GM's decision to close plants in Flint. GM was (and still is) getting their collective behinds whipped by non-US auto makers. They close plants to help stave off cash problems (uh, remember, Chrysler went belly-up in the early '80s?)

Lardbutt Moore puts Flint's woes on the screen and gets even more publicity from the liberal media. Hmmmm. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot! Let's advertise things like "Pets or meat" and try and get other big businesses to move into town. You think Toyota, pharma-companies, tech-companies want to be associated with a town best known for "Pets or Meat" or even worse....Autoworld!

Advertise your misery...not good for a free economy to encourage investment...they chose to be liberal and use "public" money to "create" an economy. It failed! Now, the liberal mayor wants to have a City Assembly Plant, pubically owned! HEY IT WAS CALLED COMMUNISM! IT FAILED TOO!

Stupid liberals!

Stephen, your doctor called. He wants you to stop watching Fox News for a few months to get rid of the brainwashing.

Really, look what you've done.. taken a fine site about Autoworld and painted all over it with your political graffiti. You just have to leave your mark, don't you? In case you feel the need to vent that potty-talk again, why not try the Yahoo! message boards where it's more appropriate.

Notice I didn't challenge anyone of your statements - that was intentional. Your comments are so distanced from reality that they're not worthy of discussion.

Btw, Matty, great job, your coverage of Autoworld would be worhty of entry into an 'online museum of Americana', if there was one.

Michael Moore and Ryan Eashoo are two people who are helping Flint. Flints problem is if we don't talk about it, its not a problem. When in fact it only gets worse and worse.

I am currently a student at Kettering University. I visited the campus area and the museum and saw some pictures of the Autoworld attarction. I thought it would be cool to see only to learn that it had been torn down many years ago. During my time at Kettering I must say that I hate the Flint area. It is dirty, downtrodden, and depressing. If it wasn't for the school I would have absolutely no reason to live there.

I remember Autoworld. I went there once. I remember begging my parents to take me there when we were out that way for our annual visit to Frankenmuth. I remember thinking it was both cool and creepy at the same time. I think we still have a few of the phtos we took but they're all at my parents house in Grand Rapids... and I live in Florida now.

Ah, AutoWorld! I was the public relations manager that worked for Six Flags the first 9 months of its interesting life. We were all very enthusiastic about the project, if not a bit concerned about opening a major theme park in Flint.

I vividly remember the people I worked with at AutoWorld as being terrific. We had after hours gatherings in the ball crawl and at the restaurant ... then rode the bumper cars and the other rides. Anything to amuse ourselves in Flint during a cold winter evening.

What a shame the park never caught on. Lots of energy and creativity went into it ... and yes, it should have been billed as a museum more than an amusement park. When the fastest ride if "Fred the Carriageless Horse" at 3 miles an hour, we're not talking thrill seekers.

Thanks for bringing back some great memories!

first of all Auto world was never part of 6 flags 6 flags backed out of the agreement at the last minute. yes I remeber going to auto world when I was living in flint and i still think it was a waist of money.

Auto world, I was 4 and recall it. I thought the fake indoor flint river was real cool considering the real one was 600 ft away from the building. Autoworld was an Idea that on paper seemed better then reality. Just as I would never go to a peach world museum in Georgia, No-one would come to Flint to see an auto museum/park. That said the building is gone now and the parking Lot is still in use for U of M and the William S. White(WSW) building is now on the site as yet another building in the University of Mich-Flint complex. And I am their 5 days a week at class. However that said if anyone goes down South Saginaw St. these days you will see Flints slow rebirth. All of the buildings are having their old 70's fake facades torn off and restored back to the pre 50's/war look. Many of them have new tenants and some are being converted to lofts and are about done. Also, the old arches across South Saginaw were remade and erected a few years back. U of M now takes up a rather large portion of the downtown including the water street pavilion about 70-80% of Flint now is a "safe" place. Sure the north end is still riddled with slums etc. But what city can claim a perfect all around population and area? That said the Flint of the 80's is no more and that's a good thing. Will it ever be as Big as it was before?, probably not. We still have far to go but have come a good long way as well. I think Flint will continue to experience a rebirth as people from Detroit move north to afford a home that's not 400,000 for a cardboard box. Also their is talk recently of U of M making the old Durant Hotel (incidentally directly across the street from the WSW building) into dorms (top floors) and retail on the bottom floors. For those whom still think of Flint as the 80's flint if you show up you may be surprised in what all is going on.

I grew up in Flint until i as 13. I remember going to Auto World ONCE. I sit up for hours on end, wondering what happen to beautiful Flint. Sometimes i cry. I wish it were the way my grandparents remember the city. I search the internet and read the history and hang my head to what has happened. It truly is saddening to me.

Flint 4 Ever.

Love,
Rob.

I am very interested in any pictures of the carousel that was once in Auto World Museum. As I grew up in Crystal, Michigan where the carousel was located in 1936. Please any pictures would be appreciated. When I was 15 a picture was taken of me on this carousel, for the history of Crystal. Please any pictures may be sent to my e-mail address.........Thank-You......Tracey

answer to
"I wish it were still open. I miss jackin around with friends at Autoworld. I guess I will go jack around at the Former Hyatt Downtown...that too is another sad story...anyone care to elaborate on what happened to the Hyatt"

Posted by Velvet Touch Books at March 29, 2005 07:29 PM

I went to high school with the owner son, and he told me that due to the low visitors he was making no money and he decided to close the doors, as Hyatt is a franchise he could not afford the outragous fees the franchise was charging him

I grew up in Flint,Mich.live there for over thirty years. I remember what Flint used to be and what it has become now. Autoworld was a joke from day one.And if you do some checking in some past Flint Journals the current Mayor made this statement"Wake up citizens of Flint your city is dying" How true. Autoworld was a waste of money and time for the city of Flint to put their hope that this park was to put money back into the City of Flint. And now since GM has said Adios Flint and Hola Mexico, the citizens of Flint are looking for others to invest in the city by bringing in "some type of business". Like what? Hey I know what have UofM buy the old Durand Hotel, turned it into a dorm and that should help put back Flint on it feet. When GM left the city you have to understand not only did it take jobs with it but also cold hard cash.TAX BASE. When the tax base goes down so does the value of your house and when that happens the crime rate goes up. My dad once told me that the "truth is hard for some people to swallow". The citizens of Flint need to wake up and to understand that Flint will never be the way it used to be. IThe North end is getting worse so is the East side and slowly the South side. Sounds like cancer to me.MMMMMM How do you know this? I have friends on the Police and Fire dept. who see the stuff first hand who have told me the drug problems of the 80's has come back with a vengence.So don't candy coat the City of Flint "Rebirth" and be honest with yourself. I'm surprise with what is going on in City of Flint. I'm content with the choice I made by moving away from that place for a better life for my family. Life is too short for you to say to yourself " I should have moved long time ago when I had the chance but now I can't".

I was born in 1982 and lived in Waterford from 1986-1992. Unfortunately, I never made it out to Autoworld but we did visit Crossroads Village and Pennywhistle Place a few times. I can't believe that Pennywhistle Place is gone...although it sort of makes sense. Those of us that grew up in the late 80s-early 90s (and before) had the distinct honor of playing on play structures that are now deemed "unsafe." You know, complete with metal everything, barely any cushioning under the play equipment and stuff like that. Anyway, that was a tangent, but I do remember a little bit about Pennywhistle Place. I remember the zip cord thing and the metal musical things on the ground. I also remember those little water jets mounted on walkways that you could aim at people. Also, you can't forget those lame water slides that were about three feet tall. Man, I hadn't thought about Pennywhistle Place for years! The Internet really can be a great nostalgia trip.

I rememeber those kids fighting to save autoworld. Mayor Stanley at the time wouldn't allow their Float (or group) in the Fourth of July Parade. So these young high schoolers made a Save The IMA & Autoworld Float and concealed it with "Neighborhood Watches of Genesee County".. They put a sheet over the original float, and then once they got going down the route, they tore it off and revealed the real Float. It was amazing.

At the time people tried to stop the parade and get them out, but the guy kept driving!! They gave out pamplets on their cause, matches and candy... it was very cool and memorable.

I've lived in Flint since '79. It's not nearly as bad as folks like to make it.. I got to Autoworld 7 or 8 times, just the IMAX theater after the park itself was closed. I always thought that the whole Autoworld failure was a result of people thinking their agendas would trump the marketplace... people weren't going to go downtown (revitalizing downtown was an agenda item) to a place that couldn't make it go. But they didn't try to damn hard either. I hear AutoWorld was mean't to fall, in fact I hear a lot of people made a TON of money of it. Also the city of flint and mott foundation just kept it around long enough to deplete the tax write offs. Val Rose, Louise Rose, Matt Taylor, Ryan Eashoo & Cynthia Desgrange worked hard to save it, and expose the FRAUD. but nobody listened... :( now its nothing, gone forever!

AutoWorld is missed, loved and remembered.

www.FlintLiving.com

I was born in Flint over 37 years ago when my Dad worked for GM but we moved away from Michigan when I was 5. I had never heard of AutoWorld until I saw "Roger and Me". It's an interesting movie from a historical aspect but I disagree with Michael Moore's whole premise. Private corporations, like GM, do not solely exist to provide people jobs and stimulate local economies. The exist to provide the maximum amount of return to their shareholders. And if they can achieve this by laying off a few thousand people, they will. It's cruel, but it's reality. So Moore, the self-professed socialist, doesn't understand it when GM or other companies layoff employees when profits are in the billions. How are GMs profits now? Where's Michael Moore lamenting GM's plight? After all... It's not the CEO and upper management that's suffering, it's still the factory worker and local economies. The Department of Defense recently decided to close the air force base in the town of 35,000 where I grew up. This will result in a loss of over 4,000 jobs and will decimate the local economy beyond Flint-like conditions. Where's Michael Moore coming to our defense? C'mon Michael... Doesn't fit your agenda, does it.

I went to Autoworld shortly after it opened with my family. We drove all the way from Owosso. We were so bummed. Most of the rides didnt work, and it cost a fortune to eat in the cafe. Dad and Mom were not happy about that, but i wanted my burger and fries. It must have been a after they reopened it that i went with a friend of mine and his father for another visit. I dont rememeber anything being different, and it was a qucik trip. Funny how parents realized they wasted their money and wanted to get out asap. To bad they turned the place into a parking lot. It could have been used as something. So sad. My memories are faint, but i remember having a good time and so did my sister even though the rides didnt work. Thanks for the pictures and the memories.

Flint is a joke. The people who are running the city is a joke. And for those people who think that Flint will bounce back, think again. Does any one out there think that downtown Flint is going to bring a dead horse back to life? I know : Come on give it a chance right ? Wrong .Leave while you can because the ship is sinking and you got a crazy captain at the wheel. I know that alot of people out there are saying : Oh, the memories of what it use to be .Well the last time I checked you can't pay the bills on "MEMORIES".

I never went to Auto world and really never heard of it...What rides did they have?

I'm looking to purchase some Flint memorabilia like tshirts, bumper stickers, pins, any ideas on how to get a hold of that stuff?

I was cleaning out the basement recently and ran across a scrapbook with an AutoWorld brochure and a map of the complex. I live in Minnesota and was visiting my grandpa in Ann Arbor. Being 13, I didn't notice any negatives to the experience, except that it seemed that the designers weren't sure if they wanted a theme park, an amusement park, or a museum, so it wasn't any of the above. I enjoyed it, as far as I can recall, though I'm not surprised it didn't survive.

To the person who said that it wasn't a Six Flags production, the official logo on the brochure says Six Flags, and their web site lists it.

Autoworld opened when I was a month away from 3-years-old. I do have fuzzy memories of it from the Christmas openings in its last years. Not yet 10, I was convinced Autoworld was the most interesting place in the world, intensely frustrated that it wasn’t open more frequently. I remember the animatronics, as they were fascinating and terrifying all in one, especially the talking horse. Nobody has mentioned the remote control car racetrack or the bumper cars. There was also a frog puppet that lived in a wagon or a downsized replica of an antique car. I especially enjoyed the derby ride and remember my cousin's name "Katie" being (coincidentally) spray painted on one of the cars teetering above the track we rode on. I also remember the downward spiral walkway with the life-sized dioramas of early driving and the way the mud looked wet and lifelike in a scene depicting a man stuck on a dirt road. Autoworld had a smell too, like cotton candy and popcorn. I want to see more photos of it. Kudos to Matty. I’ve since escaped to St. Louis, MO and am happily relocated in the 1900-era brick suburbs. http://www.msu.edu/~atchiso5 is my site.

I grew up in Flint from 1961 to 1987 when I left for greener pastures. I was one of the THOUSANDS who applied for a job at Autoworld in the old Sears building downtown. Although I never got a job there, I did go on to work for the Flint Convention & Visitors Bureau at Water Street Pavilion. We were heavily involved in year one and two of the marketing of the facility. Although the entire staff tried very hard to market the concept, outside of Autoworld, there wasn't much for folks to do in Flint. If Autoworld had been built later, after other things had opened, it might have had a better chance. Also, if the entire auto industry had supported the facility, it might have lasted a bit longer. GM only gave $400,000 of the $80 million in construction costs. Ford & Chrysler gave NOTHING. Also, the city of Flint wanted a museum, Six Flags wanted a theme park. It was marketed as a theme park and it just wasn't. People wanted huge roller coasters and they got history, so the Six Flags marketing promise failed miserably.
In the end you have to give it to the politicians. At least they tried SOMETHING. When the city continuously had an unemployment rate of 24% in the '80s, putting together Autoworld, Waterstreet Pavilion, Windmill Place, and Riverbank Park were incredible achievements for a city that size.

I was born in '86 and I actually remember AutoWorld...I don't know if it's possible or not but I think my grandparents took me there once when I was about 4 or 5...I remember a carousel and the big motor thing. I've lived in Flint all my life and it's so depressing how the city seems to be dying. If only there was something to make it more vibrant...

Wonderful site!
I also worked at Autoworld for the 2 seasons they were opened. I worked in the replica of the old Bryant House Restaurant. (fine dining $25.00 to $50.00 per person) and we had to turn people away. The restaurant alone could have helped with the upkeep. Also holding weddings on the balcony, receptions and proms could have been held there. But as usual in my city of Flint the city council never has been able to see past there own bank accounts.

For you Mike Moore fans, Mr. Moore NEVER lived in Flint and wouldnt have lasted 4 hours in a plant. He grew up in a upper middle class city about 10 miles east of Flint. And where does he live now?
Again great site.
P.S. Anyone remember Safetyville in Kearsley Park?

My dad took me to Autoworld a few times, but I'm sure only because he got free media passes. At the time he was a producer at WNEM TV 5 in nearby Saginaw.

For some reason, what sticks out the most in my mind was the "spiral staircase." It must have been in the "museum" portion of the park and wasn't so much a staircase as a spiral ramp. All along the ramp on the wall were neon signs and pictures and flashy displays. As you walked upwards, you could "experience" the history of the automobile. I still have an Autoworld Christmas ornament with the Six Flags logo on it. It was given to us for free, I'm sure.

We also went to Waterstreet Pavilion. I remember a nightclub-like atmosphere and seemed to be a pretty happening place. It's kinda cool to see U of M left it structurally intact for the most part.

As for Pennywhistle Park, I went there a few times and actually have pictures of me there with my family. I attempted to take my own children back there a few years ago and was disappointed to find it closed. It may have been torn down completely since then, but at the time, it was still entact, just fenced in and overgrown with weeds and brush. Even the flags were still flapping in the breeze.

I'm now 27, and about a year ago I worked for WEYI TV 25 in Flint and found demolition footage of Autworld. What an amazing building that could have been put to good use instead of yet another parking lot.

I went to High school in Flint, Twp and I remeber Auto World and how that was about the only entertainmnent in the downtown area that stood out. I loved Imax Theater. After Auto world closed they did keep Imax theater Open for a few months after wards then they closed Imax theater. The automatrinic was ok, I think they should of talked to Disney that created the automatronic. auto world was built on the old IMA lot. one had to go via the bad area of Flint just to reach Auto world. I final moved out of Flint when I got a job offer in Anahiem,California. the one thing I always noticed that Auto world was never big enough for the crowds they was expecting. The advertisment was for a In door theme park not a museum. and I to was there on opening day and took me hours just to walk a few feet. what I do not understand is why did the city refinance autoworld at the tone of 8 million dollars more when experts said this would need to be revamped. 6 flags backed out knowing that would of hurt there reputation. I have a few neighr