On Thursday morning, January 4, the management of Kellogg's Cereal City USA called the economic development council in Battle Creek, Michigan, and told them that it would not be open for business that day. Further, it would not be open for business on any other day in the future, ever, period. The attraction had closed for good, stunning those who wanted to visit a place with a giant Eggo-branded toaster and a fake cereal production line.

Cereal City USA was intended to replace the popular Kellogg's cereal plant factory tour, which had entertained families for generations when it closed in 1996. But the public never bought into Cereal City USA. When it opened in 1998, its owners had boasted that it might draw 400,000 visitors a year, to a city eager to attract outside dollars. Instead, according to its own accounting, Cereal City USA drew only 162,000 in its first year, and less and less every year thereafter. 2006's estimated attendance was a lean 79,500.

RoadsideAmerica.com may have played some small part in Cereal City USA's demise, due to our wickedly insightful, pull-no-punches review. We may never know, as by the time that we called on Thursday morning, no one was left to answer the phone.

[01/06/2007]

May 26, 2013