Ghost Town in the Sky reopens after 3-year closure

After years of false starts, Ghost Town in the Sky has finally reopened its gates.

The Ghost Town in the Sky theme park in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, has finally reopened to the public, some three years after bankruptcy forced its closure.

Only limited sections of the park are operating at present, with its new owner planning to phase in further attractions over the next two years. Currently, the park's iconic chairlift is back in action, along with the Ghost Town museum and a selection of arcade games. In addition, three new zip lines have been installed at the base of the mountain that houses Ghost Town in the Sky.

Initially, the park is charging separate fees for use of the chairlift and the zip lines. Rides on the chairlift cost $14.95 for adults and $7.95 for children, and include a bus tour of the Western Town area (which will fully reopen in 2013). All three zip lines can be experienced for $39.95 per person. Both attractions will be open daily during the summer season.

Several other attractions are expected to be restored to action over the coming weeks, including the park's 1929 Carousel, Canyon Canoes, Sky Fighters (a flat ride featuring jet plane-themed vehicles) and Wagon Train.

A second phase, due to be completed by summer 2013, will see the restoration of Ghost Town in the Sky's biggest draw, the Western Town area. Boasting two saloons, a jail, a schoolhouse and church, the area will be the scene of live recreations of life in the "wild west".

The final phase will see the installation of a religious attraction, dubbed Holy Land, at the top of the mountain. New owner Alaska Presley had previously stated her aim to convert some areas of Ghost Town in the Sky into a Christian theme park, with a large statue of Jesus being installed on the the park's highest point.

Ghost Town in the Sky closed into November 2009, just two years after being rescued from a previous bankruptcy. Presley acquired the park for $1.5 million at auction earlier this year, later buying its rides and attractions for $500,000.