Which 1960s U.S. TV series had its own theme park until 2004?

Not many TV shows can boast their own theme park. However, "Bonanza”, a Western series which aired on NBC from 1959 to 1973, was unusual in a few respects. Not only was it one of the first shows filmed in color, but it also was the second-longest-running Western series in TV history, behind "Gunsmoke."

The “Ponderosa Ranch” was a theme park based on the popular 1960s television series “Bonanza“. The protagonists in the series were the affluent land, timber and livestock-rich Cartwright family, who owned and lived on a large (fictional) ranch named the ‘Ponderosa‘.

The Bonanza-inspired western-style theme park opened in 1967 in Incline Village, Nevada along the shores of Lake Tahoe, a large freshwater lake which straddles the Nevada-California border. Visitors to the theme park could explore a re-created ranch house (with stairs that led to a nonexistent second floor), as well as souvenir shops, vintage car exhibits, and a Wild West show.

Parts of the TV series and two movies were actually filmed on site, and the theme park also served as the location of an annual convention for "Bonanza" fans. In fact, according to Backstage, before it closed in 2004, the park still drew about 300,000 people a year.

Unfortunately for fans, it was sold to the billionaire founder of a software firm, and a dramatic lakefront estate was later constructed at the location.