Disneyland and Six Flags may conjure up images of log flumes and roller coasters, long lines and egregiously priced cotton candy, but it's not always fun and games. Here are six theme parks where it's more propaganda than Pinocchio, more geopolitics than Goofy.
RED DEAD REDEMPTION
Where: Druskininkai, Lithuania
What: Grutas Park
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Step back into the halcyon days of Stalinism, experience the joys of Gulag life, immerse yourself in the warm embrace of totalitarianism -- and when you get a bit peckish, enjoy a tasty meal of "Nostalgija" borscht, "Deer's Eye" cocktail, and "Reminiscence" starch jelly in the cafe. The brainchild of entrepreneur Viliumas Malinauskas, who purchased dozens of statues of communist figureheads left discarded and vandalized in the wake of Lithuania's independence, Grutas Park is actually intended as a reminder of the dark days of totalitarianism. It's not all doom and gloom, though: There's a playground for the kids and the Gulag train, which puts a lovely spin on being sent to Siberia in a cattle car in the dead of winter. Just make sure they haven't read Animal Farm before heading to the petting zoo.
PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP/Getty Images
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