Michael Jackson memorial complex may include golf course, theme park

A memorial complex honouring the late King of Pop Michael Jackson may possibly include a golf course and an amusement park with characteristics of the star’s famous Neverland Ranch. The inclusions are the latest addition to plans for honouring the ‘Thriller’ star.

Odie Anderson, who is president of the project in Gary, Indiana, has said that already a Jackson family museum, a performing arts centre and a 300-room hotel are slated to be built on about 100 acres of city-owned vacant land along Interstate 94.

The museum, performing arts centre and hotel likely will be built on 10 acres of city-owned land in downtown Gary, said Anderson.

"Everything is in the planning stages at this point, but we're moving on a fast track and we're looking forward to actually breaking ground sometime in 2010," the Daily Telegraph quoted Anderson as saying.

It is believed that the project would be built in phases, with the museum, arts centre and hotel built first, followed by the golf course and theme park.

Then developers might build a monorail system to connect the two areas, Anderson said.

Project officials still are considering whether to build a replica of the Jackson family home or have a bus tour of the Jackson family's former haunts.

The theme park will have roller coasters, trains and other rides familiar to anyone who sought thrills at Riverview or was a guest at Jackson's Neverland Ranch in California, said Anderson.

"We're trying to extract the best and come up with a combination that made Riverview so attractive for kids of all ages as well as (have) special themes of Neverland that would be reminiscent of the Jacksons," he added.