2025-06-02

Wright’s Barnyard / Hollywood Park - Lansing

Address: 2635 Bernice Road, Lansing, IL 60438

Part of a Chain: No

Still in Operation?: No

Year Opened: 1956

Year Closed: 2006

Tokens or Quarters?: Tokens

Wright's Barnyard in Lansing, IL, was a beloved family entertainment center that opened in 1956 founded by Burt and Millie Wright. The venue began as "Golden Acres" and evolved into a multifaceted amusement park featuring go-karts, mini-golf, batting cages, arcade games, and a dining area. Unfortunately, Wright's Barnyard closed in 2006, with its land being repurposed for the expansion of Interstate 80/94. It was a nostalgic place for many, and its closure marked the end of an era for local family entertainment.

Initially, the Wright family founded multiple family entertainment centers, including locations in Lansing, Crestwood (Wright's Hollywood Park), and Valparaiso, Indiana (Zao's Island). In 1994, the Lansing and Crestwood locations were acquired by Chris Paliga, a former manager under the Wrights. Paliga rebranded both locations as DZ's Hollywood Park. Later, in 2015, Family Entertainment Group (FEG) purchased the Crestwood location from the Paliga family. FEG then rebranded the facility as In The Game Hollywood Park, to align branding with their other FECs. This sequence of ownership changes indicates that while Wright's Barnyard and In The Game Hollywood Park originated from the same family of entertainment centers, they have operated independently under different ownership structures since the mid-1990s.

At some point in the late 1990s/early 2000s, the original Lansing location changed it's name back to Wright's Barnyard, as that was the name on the sign when it was demolished in 2007.

Reference:

https://www.city-data.com/forum/chicago-suburbs/1246811-wrights-barnyard.html

https://www.nwitimes.com/bygone-region-institutions-wrights-barnyard/article_0e760d58-72a0-5fdc-843b-ae7e5b40a7ac.html

https://fegllc.com/feg-goes-hollywood-with-the-addition-of-hollywood-park-family-entertainment-center-in-crestwood-illinois

https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-ad-for-wrights-barnyard/169841877/

https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-ad-for-wrights-barnyard/169841877/

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