Ahoy, Weird Erie! Pirates Cove at Waldameer isn’t just a funhouse—it’s a rare, walk-through relic of haunted hilarity, crafted by one of the most eccentric minds in amusement history.

🏴‍☠️ Built in 1972 by legendary dark ride designer Bill Tracy, Pirates Cove is one of only three surviving walk-through funhouses of its kind in the country. Tracy, known for his flair for spooky theatrics and surreal stunts, filled this Erie treasure with tilted rooms, barrel mazes, and pirate figures that glow under blacklight like ghostly buccaneers mid-plunder. His company, Amusement Display Associates, shipped these prefab funhouses across the U.S., but most have vanished—making Waldameer’s Cove a sacred site for dark ride enthusiasts and roadside oddity hunters alike.

Inside, it’s a fever dream of crooked corridors and strobe-lit surprises. You’ll stumble through rooms where water flows uphill, skeletons leer from corners, and gravity seems to take a vacation. It’s campy, creepy, and completely immersive—a walk-through that feels like falling into a haunted comic book drawn by a pirate with a flair for the absurd.

Tracy’s legacy lives on in every squeaky floorboard and flickering lantern. For fans of vintage amusement architecture, Pirates Cove is a must-see before it joins the ghost fleet of forgotten funhouses.