The themed amusement park Pirates World in Dania, Florida, was a hit from the start in 1967. While the amusement park drew in huge crowds, Pirates World is best remembered by locals for its amazing concert lineup. Here we share the history of this famed theme park.
While his efforts are largely lost to history, real estate magnate C.T. Robertson wrote the book on Florida theme parks long before Disney, MGM Studios, and Universal lorded over the Southern vacation hot spot. After moving to Fort Lauderdale in 1963, Robertson set his sights on 100 acres of land in neighboring Dania with the goal to create an amusement park and movie studio to capitalize on growing tourist traffic and birth an East Coast entertainment production hub.
In seven short years, his concept would include a premier concert venue and television station, and would gift the world one of the strangest films ever made. Similar to the pirate lifestyle that inspired it, Robertson’s park dealt with constant battles (with local officials), violent, fiery clashes (between patrons and police), and two sunken ships…