I've heard so many wonderful things about Yogi's Cave, and it makes me sad that I never got to experience it in its original form. Based off of pictures and Youtube videos, it looked like a wonderful attraction. The (adorably crude) animatronics, the music, the waterfall, and all the other little touches really made it look like a special attraction.
My first experience with the cave was Paramount's Treasure Cave. At the time the Yogi Bear theming had been removed, the animatronics taken away, and the indoor waterfall/stream turned off. The
Yogi Bear animatronic was replaced with some
random bed, and worst of all the cave was themed to Dora the Explorer. (I kid you not- you could hear Dora's voice over in the cave, prompting you to help her find the "Big Red Hen.") I still loved playing inside, but it was nothing to write home about.
The cave's first few years under Cedar Fair were laughable. If I recall correctly, there was basically no theming inside the cave. All the Paramount references were stripped from it, leaving it as just a walk through a big concrete tunnel. Not to mention the fact that the entire thing had fallen into horrid disrepair.
In 2010, they plopped some old Haunt decorations into the cave and gave it a pirate's theme. Plastic treasure, old Haunted River props, and plenty of
skeletons with eye patches filled the attraction. Outside, the residence of the landing beside the outdoor waterfall (which previously housed the Yogi Bear animatronic and the weird bed structure) was taken up by a boat from a past Kidzville ride, which was dressed up to look like
a pirate ship. This makeshift theme lasted until the attraction's end two seasons later. Even though it probably cost the park next to nothing to do, the theming was nice and the experience was pretty cool. I did enjoy the final days of the attraction.
My guess is that the cave was removed in 2013 because it was in such awful disrepair. Check the photo album below. The outside was overgrown, covered in moldy gunk, and chunks of the facade were actually falling apart. The inside was dirty, smelly, and just plain gross. (It was also sad that the waterfall no longer worked.) Perhaps it would have taken too much money to fix up the attraction. Another theory is that the cave wouldn't have gone with any other structure in Planet Snoopy. The rest of the area is clean and fresh looking, while the cave was dirty and rustic looking. (Not that I disliked that- that was imperative to the awesome theme and feel of the cave.)
With that said, a Peanuts theme for the cave would have been epic. I agree with Nicole, it be great if there was still a fun house for kids.
Now, let's check out a few memories of Yogi's Cave.
Check out this photo gallery of pictures from Treasure Cave's final incarnation.