By Juliana Octavini
Two recent stories involving well-known attractions in the United States may seem somewhat concerning when placed side by side.
Old Town in Kissimmee has just been sold for approximately $24.5 million. Shortly before that, Fun Spot America Atlanta permanently closed and is now auctioning off nearly everything that remained at the park.
To add to the coincidence, Fun Spot and Old Town are almost next door to each other in Kissimmee.
That makes the question inevitable: is something happening to these smaller attractions in the area? Is Old Town at risk of closing? Could the problems in Atlanta reach Fun Spot's parks in Florida?
The short answer, based on what we know so far, is: there is no indication that Old Town or the Fun Spot parks in Orlando and Kissimmee are closing.
But the two stories are interesting precisely because they offer a look behind the scenes at a part of Central Florida tourism that usually receives far less attention than Disney and Universal.
And that is where this story becomes more interesting for travelers—and for people who live in the area as well.
First: Old Town Kissimmee Was Sold, but It Is Not Closing
The most recent story involves an address that is very familiar to anyone who spends time along the US-192 corridor.
Old Town was acquired by Todd and Radha Rambilas of R-S Equity Services in a transaction worth approximately $24.5 million, completed in September 2026. The deal covers about 23 acres and much of the entertainment district.
And here is the most important information for anyone who has already started imagining bulldozers arriving at the property:
there has been no announcement that Old Town is closing.
Quite the opposite.
The new owners have publicly said they plan to invest in the complex, improve common areas, renovate spaces, and bring in new experiences and businesses—all while preserving the nostalgic character that sets Old Town apart.
In other words, so far this is much more a story about renewal than closure.
For Those Who Have Never Been: What Exactly Is Old Town?
Some Brazilian visitors may drive past the area several times without realizing exactly what is there.
Old Town is located at 5770 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway in Kissimmee and has been around since 1986. Rather than operating like a conventional theme park, it was designed as a kind of small American town from another era, with brick streets, retro storefronts, shops, restaurants, bars, and entertainment.
The complex is home to dozens of businesses and became especially well known for its classic car gatherings and cruises. A major renovation completed in 2019 also added the 86-foot Ferris wheel—about 26 meters tall—that is now part of the property's skyline.
And there is an important distinction: entering and walking around Old Town is different from buying a ticket to a traditional theme park.
You can stroll through the streets, explore the shops, attend certain events, and decide where you want to spend money.
That is exactly what makes Old Town an interesting option for an evening away from Disney or Universal—especially for travelers staying in Kissimmee.
It is also featured here on Jornada in our guide to things to do near Orlando.
What About Fun Spot Kissimmee? Is It Practically Inside Old Town?
That proximity can create an important point of confusion now that Old Town has been sold.
Old Town and Fun Spot America Kissimmee are separate attractions, even though they are directly connected within the same tourist area and may feel like a single large complex to visitors.
Fun Spot Kissimmee is located at 2850 Florida Plaza Boulevard, while Old Town is on W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway.
This means that the sale of Old Town is not the same as the sale of Fun Spot America.
They are separate businesses.
And that distinction becomes even more important in light of the other story that emerged in recent weeks.
Fun Spot America Atlanta Really Did Close
Fun Spot America Atlanta, located in Fayetteville, Georgia, had its final day of operation on August 2, 2026. The company had announced the decision in June.
The park did not begin as Fun Spot.
The property had operated for decades under several different names before Fun Spot America acquired it in 2017, making it the company's first expansion outside Florida.
In recent years, it gained considerable attention among roller coaster fans, mainly because of ArieForce One, a Rocky Mountain Construction coaster that opened in 2023.
Even so, that was not enough.
CEO John Arie Jr. told local media that the location suffered from low attendance and that keeping it open no longer made business sense.
That detail is essential to understanding what happened.
There was no announcement that Fun Spot America as a whole was shutting down. The problem was specifically tied to the performance of the Georgia location.
Now Even the Rides at Fun Spot Atlanta Are Being Auctioned Off
Anyone who imagined that the park might eventually reopen received a fairly definitive sign this month.
A liquidation of the former Fun Spot Atlanta's assets has begun.
The online auction began in September and ends on October 14, 2026. It includes rides, go-karts, arcade games, restaurant and concession equipment, maintenance equipment, and even infrastructure from the park.
In other words, this is not simply a matter of removing a few attractions.
It is effectively the dismantling of that operation.
But there is one curious—and enormous—exception.
ArieForce One is not included in the auction. According to information released this month, Six Flags acquired the roller coaster, which is expected to be moved to another park in the chain and reopen in 2028 or 2029.
For roller coaster fans, then, the attraction apparently will not disappear. It will simply have a new home.
But Is Fun Spot Atlanta Connected to the Orlando Parks?
Yes. Very much so.
These are not simply different parks using the same name through independent franchises.
Fun Spot America is a family-owned company founded by John Arie Sr., whose history in Florida began decades ago. The brand opened its Orlando park in 1997 and later expanded its operations in Kissimmee. The move into Atlanta came in 2017, when the company acquired the former Fun Junction USA.
Therefore, Orlando, Kissimmee, and Atlanta were all part of the same Fun Spot America operation.
And that naturally brings us to the question that probably matters most to travelers with an upcoming trip.
If Atlanta Closed, Could Fun Spot Orlando Close Too?
So far, there has been no announcement indicating that.
In fact, when it announced the closure of the Atlanta location, Fun Spot made a point of stating that its two Florida parks would remain open.
The website that once served the Atlanta location now displays a farewell message and directs visitors to Orlando and Kissimmee. Eligible annual passes and gift cards also continue to be accepted at the two Florida parks according to their respective terms.
It would therefore be incorrect to interpret the Atlanta closure as evidence that Orlando is next.
They are very different markets.
And that difference may be the most important part of this story.
Atlanta Is Not Orlando—and That Makes a Major Difference
An attraction can be excellent and still be in the wrong place for the business model it is trying to sustain.
Orlando receives an enormous flow of tourists made up of people who arrive in the city already looking for entertainment.
And attractions like Fun Spot occupy a distinctive place in that market.
They do not necessarily have to convince someone to travel to Orlando solely to visit them. They can compete for a few hours within a trip that is already happening.
A traveler may be passing through International Drive, finish the day's plans early, look for something to do at night, or want a simpler outing away from the major resorts.
And then they find Fun Spot.
In Kissimmee, the combination with Old Town reinforces that logic even further.
Visitors can have dinner, browse the shops, watch the car cruise, and add a few Fun Spot attractions to the same outing.
Atlanta did not have exactly the same tourism ecosystem.
The CEO himself acknowledged that even a highly praised roller coaster like ArieForce One could not generate the attendance needed to sustain that operation.
That does not mean the Florida parks are immune to economic challenges. No company is.
It simply means that we cannot take the performance of one location in Fayetteville and automatically apply it to Orlando.
In Fact, Atlanta's Closure Could Refocus Fun Spot on Florida
There is another way to view this decision.
With Atlanta no longer part of the operation, Fun Spot is once again concentrated in the market where it built its history: Central Florida.
Two locations remain today:
Fun Spot America Orlando 5700 Fun Spot Way, near International Drive and the Universal area.
Fun Spot America Kissimmee 2850 Florida Plaza Blvd., next to Old Town and along the US-192 tourist corridor.
For anyone who has never visited, Fun Spot belongs to a very different category from Disney, Universal, or SeaWorld.
It has roller coasters, multi-level go-kart tracks, children's attractions, and thrill rides, but the overall concept feels more like a traditional American amusement park.
Fun Spot Orlando, for example, is home to White Lightning, a wooden roller coaster, as well as the well-known SkyCoaster and go-kart tracks.
We have covered it in greater detail in our guide to Orlando attractions beyond the major theme parks.
Taken Together, the Two Stories Reveal Something Interesting About Kissimmee
This is where I find the two stories most interesting when they are viewed side by side.
On one side, a company shuts down an entertainment operation that failed to attract enough visitors in Georgia.
On the other, local investors spend approximately $24.5 million to acquire a traditional entertainment district in Kissimmee—and announce plans to invest in it.
The two moves are almost opposites.
And they are a reminder that tourism in the area is not limited to the major resorts.
There is an entire economy of restaurants, small parks, independent shops, family attractions, dinner shows, nightlife, and businesses that depend on travelers who set aside a few hours of their itinerary to step outside the Disney and Universal bubble.
The US-192 corridor is a good example.
Travelers driving through Kissimmee will find themed restaurants, shops, hotels, attractions, and a tourism landscape that looks very different from the International Drive area.
Several options in this area also appear in our guide to themed restaurants in Orlando and Kissimmee.
What Could Change at Old Town Going Forward?
Here, we need to separate what has actually been announced from what would be mere speculation.
The new owners have said they intend to:
- improve common areas;
- renovate existing spaces;
- introduce new experiences;
- attract new businesses;
- preserve Old Town's traditions and nostalgic character. So far, no detailed plans have been announced specifying exactly which stores will arrive, which spaces will be modified, or how much will be invested in renovations.
There has also been no announcement that the traditional car gatherings will end. The information released so far points precisely toward preserving the complex's traditions.
So I would be cautious about any claim that Old Town will be “transformed,” “demolished,” or cease to exist as we know it.
There is no evidence of that at this time.
What does exist is a change in ownership accompanied by a promise of modernization.
And personally, I think that is the most interesting challenge for the new owners: improving Old Town without removing the very things that make it Old Town.
Because Too Much Modernization Could Also Be a Problem
Old Town does not compete with Disney Springs by trying to be Disney Springs.
Nor should it.
Part of the place's charm lies in its slightly kitschy, American, nostalgic feel. In the classic cars. The storefronts. The little shops. The Ferris wheel. The ability to simply walk around without entering yet another large complex planned down to the smallest detail.
Trying to make it too upscale could erase the very thing that makes it distinctive.
On the other hand, a complex with four decades of history naturally needs to keep evolving so it does not become merely a reminder of tourism from another era.
That balance between nostalgia and renewal will probably be the most interesting thing to watch in the years ahead.
And there are signs that the area continues to attract businesses. In 2026, for example, Hamburger Mary's announced that it was moving to a location in Old Town.
In other words, the current picture is not one of abandonment.
It is one of transition.
What Does All of This Change for Travelers Heading to Orlando Now?
For now, very little.
If your trip is already scheduled and Old Town was part of the itinerary, there is no known reason to remove it because of the sale.
If you were planning to visit Fun Spot Orlando or Kissimmee, the Atlanta closure does not change those plans at this time either.
The company's two Florida parks continue to be promoted and operated normally.
What changes is what will be worth watching from this point forward.
At Old Town, new shops, attractions, renovations, and changes to common areas may begin appearing as the new owners put their plans into practice.
At Fun Spot, it will be interesting to see whether ending the Atlanta expansion leads the company to concentrate its investments on its two Florida properties.
But any conclusion beyond that, at this point, would be speculation.
So, Are These Stories Bad News for Orlando Tourism?
I would not describe them that way.
The closure of any park means a loss of jobs and a recreation option for the community where it operated—and in that sense, the closure of Fun Spot Atlanta is clearly significant for Fayetteville.
But there is no evidence that the brand is experiencing an equivalent contraction in Florida.
The sale of Old Town, meanwhile, may represent exactly the opposite: new capital entering an attraction with 40 years of history.
Perhaps the most interesting point of the two stories is something else.
Orlando has trained us to focus on billion-dollar investments—new parks, enormous hotels, and high-tech attractions. But there is a much smaller and less glamorous layer of the local tourism industry that must also keep reinventing itself.
That is where places like Old Town and Fun Spot come in.
They are unlikely to be the main reason a Brazilian traveler buys a plane ticket to Orlando.
But they may be exactly what turns an empty evening in the itinerary into a different kind of outing.
And perhaps that is precisely why it is worth watching what happens to them.
Would I Change My Itinerary Because of These Stories?
No.
If I had a trip scheduled for the coming months, I would keep both Old Town and Fun Spot among the possibilities.
Especially Old Town and Fun Spot Kissimmee together.
Their proximity makes it possible to plan a different kind of evening without turning the outing into another full theme-park day. You can walk through Old Town, see the cars if an event coincides with your visit, have dinner in the area, and decide how much time to spend on the rides.
For travelers taking a short first trip and choosing between this and Disney or Universal, we are naturally talking about completely different priorities.
But for those who already know the major parks, are staying in Kissimmee, have a longer trip, or simply want to experience a less obvious side of Orlando, this area deserves consideration.
And, interestingly, the two stories that might sound like warning signs may end up telling a different story.
A Fun Spot park did close. But it was the one in Atlanta.
Old Town was sold. But the new owners say they want to invest in it, not close it.
What is worth watching now is not exactly who will disappear.
It is how these smaller attractions will adapt to a tourism region that continues to change around them.
And that may be a much more interesting story.
