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AutoWorld



 
 
AutoWorld was an indoor theme park in Flint
Flint, Michigan

Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River , 66 miles northwest of Detroit, Michigan. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city had a population of 124,943, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan....
, Michigan
Michigan

Michigan is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Anishinaabe language term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, USA, built to make the town attractive to tourists. The theme park opened in July 1984 and was originally set up as a Six Flags
Six Flags

Six Flags, Inc is one of the world's largest chains of amusement parks and theme parks, based on quantity of properties. The company maintains 21 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, water parks and family entertainment centers....
 amusement park venture. However, it went bankrupt
Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay its creditors. Creditors may file a bankruptcy petition against a debtor in an effort to recoup a portion of what they are owed or initiate a restructuring....
 and closed during its first year. After an attempted revival in the summer of 1985 and other attempts at making the complex viable, it was demolished in 1997 and the land sold to the University of Michigan-Flint
University of Michigan-Flint

The University of Michigan?Flint is a selective public institution located in Flint, Michigan, United States. It is one of three campuses in the University of Michigan system....
.

AutoWorld's first area was located inside a big dome, the insides of which were designed to look like long-ago Flint.






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AutoWorld was an indoor theme park in Flint
Flint, Michigan

Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River , 66 miles northwest of Detroit, Michigan. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city had a population of 124,943, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan....
, Michigan
Michigan

Michigan is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Anishinaabe language term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, USA, built to make the town attractive to tourists. The theme park opened in July 1984 and was originally set up as a Six Flags
Six Flags

Six Flags, Inc is one of the world's largest chains of amusement parks and theme parks, based on quantity of properties. The company maintains 21 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, water parks and family entertainment centers....
 amusement park venture. However, it went bankrupt
Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay its creditors. Creditors may file a bankruptcy petition against a debtor in an effort to recoup a portion of what they are owed or initiate a restructuring....
 and closed during its first year. After an attempted revival in the summer of 1985 and other attempts at making the complex viable, it was demolished in 1997 and the land sold to the University of Michigan-Flint
University of Michigan-Flint

The University of Michigan?Flint is a selective public institution located in Flint, Michigan, United States. It is one of three campuses in the University of Michigan system....
.

AutoWorld's first area was located inside a big dome, the insides of which were designed to look like long-ago Flint. The first display that one encountered was a small cabin, inside of which was a mannequin. When one pressed a red button on the outside of the cabin, a film was projected onto the mannequin's face. The mannequin was supposed to be Jacob Smith, founder of Flint. The mannequin/film would welcome the visitor to AutoWorld and talk about the beginning of Flint. In the center of the dome was a Ferris wheel
Ferris wheel

A Ferris wheel is a nonbuilding structure, consisting of an upright wheel with passenger gondolas attached to the rim.The original Ferris wheel was designed by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., as a landmark for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago....
, and nearby were a carousel
Carousel

A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotation platform with seats for passengers. The "seats" are traditionally in the form of wooden horses or animals, which are often moved mechanically up and down to simulate Horse gait#Gallop, to the accompaniment of Music loop circus music....
 and other attractions.

Out of the dome was an area with a giant car engine, a wall with a rotating display of old brand shields, and an attraction depicting the past, present, and future of automobile assembly. The Industrial Mutual Association Auditorium section had rides that featured robot
Robot

A robot is a virtual or mechanical artificial agent. In practice, it is usually an Electromechanics which, by its appearance or movements, conveys a sense that it has Intention or Agency of its own....
ic puppet
Puppet

A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by a puppeteer. It is usually a depiction of a human character, and is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
s, an IMAX
IMAX

IMAX is a film film format and projection standard created by Canada's IMAX Corporation. The traditional version of IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and than conventional film display systems....
 theater, and a two-story ramp that exhibited a history of the effect of automobiles in popular culture.

AutoWorld was featured in the 1989 movie
Film

Film encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the film industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or special effects....
 Roger & Me
Roger & Me

Roger & Me is a 1989 United States documentary film directed by independent filmmaker/author Michael Moore. With sarcasm and irony, Moore illustrates the negative economic impact of the late General Motors Corporation Chief executive officer Roger Bonham Smith's summary action of closing several auto plants in Flint, Michigan, costing 30,...
 by Michael Moore
Michael Moore

Michael Francis Moore is an Academy Award-winning United States filmmaker, author and Modern liberalism in the United States political commentator....
. Footage of AutoWorld being demolished was shown in the 1997 film The Big One
The Big One (film)

The Big One is a movie filmed in 1996?and released in 1998 by Miramax Films?by Michael Moore during his promotion tour around the United States for his book Downsize This!....
, also by Moore. The site is now home to the University of Michigan-Flint
University of Michigan-Flint

The University of Michigan?Flint is a selective public institution located in Flint, Michigan, United States. It is one of three campuses in the University of Michigan system....
's William S. White Building, which houses much of the English department.

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