If you’ve ever found yourself driving along I-10 in New Orleans East, you’ve likely seen the remnants of a theme park in the distance. For many, it’s a constant reminder of everything lost during Hurricane Katrina. Six Flags New Orleans was once a joyful place, but now, it's one of the most well-known abandoned places in Louisiana and it's slowly being reclaimed by Mother Nature.

Let's take a walk down memory lane and learn how this old New Orleans theme park began.

First things first: do not go into Six Flags New Orleans.

There are no trespassing signs everywhere, and security cameras to ensure you don’t break the rules. It’s not safe, and no one wants to end up in court… or the hospital.

The park first opened as Jazzland in 2000, but it wasn’t as successful as everyone had hoped.

From the location to the attractions, it was mostly a flop. I remember coming here as a teenager, but I can see why it wasn't the success everyone was hoping for. For starters, it's far from downtown New Orleans, so it was really difficult for tourists to get over to this side. From jump, everything about this park just fell flat, despite having the best of intentions.

Two years after opening, a new leasing agreement was signed and Six Flags New Orleans took over. They invested $20 million in upgrades and reopened in 2003, but once again, it wasn’t a huge success. In fact, it was one of Six Flags’ least profitable parks. By the time the park closed, Six Flags had put $44 million into park upgrades.

The last day the park was open was August 21, 2005, eight days before Hurricane Katrina struck.

The park was actually scheduled to reopen a week later… but before the storm, we all thought that we would resume normal operations in about a week. We were so wrong.

The park was submerged in 4-7 feet of water after the storm, and it took over a month for the water to drain.

The park’s location didn’t help. The low-lying area of New Orleans East combined with its proximity to Lake Pontchartrain plus the park’s drainage pumps failing all added up to disaster. Because the water was a brackish mix, it caused massive corrosion to the rides and various attractions, resulting in up to 80% of the park being damaged beyond repair.

Not much can withstand a solid month of saltwater submersion, as many of us are well aware.

That didn’t stop Six Flags from salvaging some of the rides, through.

A year later, Six Flags took some of the rides and relocated them to other parks around the country, including Batman: The Ride, Bayou Blaster, Road Runner Express, and Sonic Slam.

Think about that next time you jump on an amusement park ride in another state.

With no plans to reopen, Six Flags and the City of New Orleans have been in a bit of a battle over what happens next.

There have been many bids to develop the land, with ideas ranging from community parks to strip malls. There was even one pitch to keep it as an amusement park.

We doubt it'll ever be an amusement park again.

Currently, the city rents it out every now and then for movies to be filmed there, like Jurassic World.

Hopefully, it'll transform into something useful sooner rather than later.

There is hope though! This abandoned theme park in New Orleans was recently purchased and plans to redevelop the area is in the works! It looks like the new site will be called Bayou Phoenix, and it will include a hotel, a family entertainment center, a sports complex, a film studio, tons of shopping opportunities, and even an indoor/outdoor water park. Follow along with the renovation process at bayouphoenix.com

Six Flags New Orleans isn't the only spot Mother Nature is reclaiming. Here's a road trip to more abandoned places in New Orleans. Like many abandoned places in Louisiana, ghost stores are bound to follow. These creepy places in Louisiana aren't abandoned, but they'll definitely make you feel like you're not the only one in the room. And if you're really brave, you might even want to book a stay at The Myrtles, one of the most haunted places to stay in Louisiana.