Silent Hill Mall

On a Sunday, we decided to take a drive.  A Sunday drive.  We ended up alllll the way down in International Drive.  You tourists who have visited Orlando know where this is.  Almost 12 miles of touristy stuff for tourists to do.   Traffic is a nightmare there.  We normally avoid it.

We decided to go see the Festival Bay Mall.  I had heard from another blogger how desolate and sad this mall was.  A dead mall in the middle of tourist-mecca had me confused.  How is this even possible?

If you go to their official website, it looks great!  Here's what it says, with my changes in yellow:

Festival Bay Mall features a one-of-a kind collection of stores, restaurants and exciting entertainment venues with Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World (closed), Ron Jon Surf Shop, Sheplers Western Wear, Cinemark 20 Theatres, Universal Orlando store  (closed) and many more. Discover Orlando's best family entertainment including, indoor glow-in-the-dark miniature golf at Putting Edge Fun Center  (it's the size of a small store in a mall and just a little sad), Monkey Joe's  (closed) fun-filled inflatable play center and Vans Skatepark  (closed). Hungry? Enjoy great dining options Fuddruckers, Asian Café (never saw it), Subway and Villa Pizza (never saw it.)

I copied this from their website tonight.  Vans has been closed for at least 2 years.

We parked in the empty lot, walked in and walked around.

All those stores are boarded up.

Another section, all boarded up.

It was CREEPY.  I sent these pictures to my nephew and he replied "Silent Hill!!"  I totally felt like I was in a creepy movie/game.

We saw the western store, the Ron Jon's and then nothing for stretches at a time. We passed a teeny store with a woman selling fake jewelry, then nothing for another long stretch until we got to the other end where the sad mini golf place and the movie theater were located, plus a bookstore selling books that I mostly was not familiar with.

On our way OUT.

I just do not understand how this mall died.  It only opened in 2002.   It made us sad, so we left and went to Giordano's for dinner, which was a bit of a disappointment.  The location was not the one we have been to in the past and was TOO small for the amount of people in there.  We definitely won't be back to that location.  What a weird day.