I've had dreams inside this house for YEARS, and I'm just now realizing it's a real place I visited with my family as a little kid.

something I will always love about old 'futuristic' things and scifi is the wildly varying expectations in how technology would develop. teleporting to work or taking the hovercraft? absolutely! a computer small enough to fit in a coat pocket? inconceivable!

192 is always an odd stretch of road. It tried to be the Disney away from Disney but ended up just being a depressing area where the people who work at the parks go home after work.

I'd live in it. I love dome homes, hobbit houses, rock houses and other oddities. I have a regular old Victorian terrace, decorated and furnished in period style but full of voice activated lights and other smart tech. So updating something like this would be right up my alley! The only concerns I would have would be 1/. It's in Florida, which is hot, swampy and full of crazy people and killer wildlife, and 2/. I can't imagine Seventies foam being especially fire resistant...

Wow well that took a dark turn for Roy... upon further research, a close acquaintance of his hit him with a hammer twenty five times...dark. While the house became outdated, you have to admire Roy and Bob's ambition

Highly flammable and room acoustics that will drive one on the edge of sanity. Aaaah the future :D

Obviously the reason it failed is because it wasn't a roller disco.

Xanadu creeps me out, something about it just unnerves me, even before it was left abandoned. Good video though!

I'm from Kissimmee (born and raised) so I always love watching these videos you do about all of our weird and quirky attractions. Thank you for the nostalgia.

I appreciate how you drop in the fact that he was murdered in his own home with such detachment. That was (unintentionally I'm sure) utterly hilarious

I visited the WI one several times as a kid. One of my favorite childhood memories. I loved the curved shapes, especially the bed and seating area, and the "tree." As a kid I dreamed of living in such a cool futuristic home. As an adult all I can think about is what a nightmare it would be to clean, or to easily store stuff in curved spaces.

Thank you for the time travelling episode. We visited this home in 1986 just before our sons set off into their life journeys. Ironocly I have just been archiving our family pictures and came across the pictures of us all in different parts of the 'house'. Fun times, I had hair and was young, one constant my good lady is still beautiful. On to the future "what we're about too become Great Grandparents .....................Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I totally remember this house. My family visited EPCOT in August of 1983 just as Xanadu was having its 'Grand Opening' and we just happened to stay on Hwy 192 less than a mile away. We had previously been in the Wisconsin Dells area in 1981 and had heard about the Xanadu there. Although bigger, this one just looked more bizarre and did have more of a tourist trap feel to it, if that is possible. The whole thing was very hard sell. Ironically I went on to become an Architect, but I can't say I was inspired by this structure. However, I did know about the hammering death of the designer as he was notorious in the late 80's vanguard construction scene. I did see that Xanadu one more time about 5 years later, and it oddly looked outdated even then. Like so many others, we simply drove by on our way to EPCOT. I remember seeing a local TV commercial they were running at the hotel where they had celebrity impersonators talking about the building. All very odd. As the video says, it was the house of the future but from the mindset of the 1950s - all very push button and not very autonomous. Oddly fitting that Roy ended up living in a conventional home in Hawaii. As far as costs go, as of 2020, the average cost per square foot for home construction in the USA was $123, when adjusted for inflation (forgive the pun) this balloon shaped home of 6000 s.f. cost $110 a square foot, a slight savings but not enough to offset the complexities and awkwardness imposed by the design, configurations, and general look - classic example of a designed fixated on the design of space and not the use of it. Modern variants and composited insulated building units and true AI home automation have replaced the spray and pray construction. (pray it will stay 'standing' that is) Great video that was a strong memory from my 8th grade summer.

I was so sad to see them tear this down. The height of its popularity was when it was abandoned.

It all came true via todays "Smart Home" and " Internet of things". Great vid showing concept to fruition over the decades.

I remember this place, well, remember seeing it on 192. It’s sad to see something like this torn down since what it predicted/shown exists and it’s proven now that homes like that can withstand a Cat 5 hurricane because of its design.

Fails or not, this guy was a visionary. Were it not for people like him, everything today....basically wouldn't be like everything is today. Good for him for trying.

I predict in the future... that Expedition Theme Park will remain one of the best channels on YT

I remember visiting this place when I was a kid. I was in awe of the Commodore64's in every room! So glad that you did this episode as this place was a constant landmark in all our visits to Orlando!

Want your house to burn to the ground in under ten seconds... build it out of polyurethane foam.

My home state may have some of the most ridiculous news stories come out of it, but boy do we have some interesting relics!

You see, this is why you never showcase what could be "The Future." It ironically dates you, fast.

There was also one of these in Gatlinburg, Tennessee when I was a kid in the late 70s / early 80s we went through Xanadu while there on vacation. I remember as a 10 or 11 year old kid it was amazing and so "Jetson's" futuristic.

My wife has a high school yearbook that has senior pictures of students inside of the Xanadu in Gatlinburg TN.

As a 6 year old, I remember the magic of Xanadu. It was like a hobbit house full of talking computers and plants and water features. I wanted to live there.

Dear god- the aesthetics of this house are killing me. I hate it so much but its so interesting. So violently 80's futurism. Makes me want to vomit, but also open the next door and explore the next room, only to vomit again. I hate that I love this

When we would go to Orlando as a kid, my dad and I would stay at the 4 story pyramid shaped Days Inn just down the road from this. Always wanted to check it out.

I remember visiting it in the 90s. The spray foam had been worn away in some of the touchable parts of the house demonstrating one of the many drawbacks to this construction method. My dad, an architect, took the family there- he continues to live in a 200 year old house in a world heritage area so it clearly did not inspire him!

How awesome would it be if it still existed just as it was when it opened? That would be futuristic nostalgia I guess? To be able to walk through it and see how the future was imagined in the early 80's with the knowledge that an Amazon Alexa is all you need today. You also have to love how they imagined that a multi armed robot would wash dishes..lol. Great video! I can't imagine the time you spend researching information. Kudos!☺

I went there several times when I was young and loved it. I never knew there was actually another one. The actual sign for it was actually still there and visible until just a few years ago. I mostly remember playing in the small "cave" like areas.

First time I went to Orlando (1987), it seemed like such a cool place, but we never visited. Shame. Loved this episode.

"Roy Mason was sadly murdered in 1996" I'M SORRY, WHAT?

That's funny The Last Starfighter is playing on the TV inside the Xanadu house

*In E.T's voice* Foooooam Hooooome!

I visited the original Xanadu in the dells several times growing up. It was a fun place as a kid in the 80s. Lots of fun times with my family there.

I’m loving the space themes from Defunctland and Expedition!

At 14:05, the house looks like a Lovecraftian Spider Monster version of Baymax.

The Arizona house was much more pleasing to the eye. The Orlando one looks kind of cool from far away, but once you get close it looks honestly pretty hideous.

Please talk about more stuff from Wisconsin Dells! “The waterpark capital of the world” is sure to have a ton of abandoned attractions to cover!

I remember going during the summers of the early 90s, and looking back Im glad I got to experience Xanadu. It really was a perfect example of the weird and unique "tourist traps" that surrounded Orlando.

My entire childhood, that foam house sat atop a huge hill in the Dells (WI) which was everyone's summer vacation spot around here. In all the years I never once saw it open or a car in the lot, and we visited the Dells frequently. It wasn't something anyone did, I guess that's why there is such a lack of photos. Pirates golf was a welcome attraction that sits on that plot of land today.

Man, they had the right idea with finding a way to make homes affordable at least. Which is, and still was, let's be real, something that seems out of the grasp of modern architects.

I went to this home as a teen and LOVED some of the concepts and the hurricane resistance. The upper room with visual access thru out the house was great!~Truly sad to see it in this shape..

I never got to go here when it was open, sadly. I remember seeing it (rotting/decaying) every time my step father went to work at the hotel next door. I was always so curious as to what it looked like when it was new. Hell, given the changes on 192, I would find it difficult to even prove it ever existed to my wife and daughter without videos like this.

I remember visiting Xanadu when I was like 7 maybe. I know the building was there for years after they closed. I was so sad when they finally removed it. It was a part of the Kissimmee/Orlando experience, you were almost there. I would always get excited and knew Disney/ I4/ International Drive, were very close.

I have a promo video from when this place was opened. It goes through and talks all about the house features etc

A place where nobody dared to go The love that we came to know They call it Xanadu (It takes your breath and it'll leave you blind) And now, open your eyes and see What we have made is real We are in Xanadu (A dream of it we offer you) A million lights are dancing and there you are, a shooting star An everlasting world and you're here with me, eternally Xanadu, Xanadu (Now we are here) In Xanadu (Xanadu) Xanadu, Xanadu (Now we are here) In Xanadu Xanadu, your neon lights will shine for you, Xanadu The love, the echoes of long ago You needed the world to know They are in Xanadu (With every breath you drift away) The dream that came through a million years That lived on through all the tears It came to Xanadu (The dream you dream, well, it will happen for you) A million lights are dancing and there you are, a shooting star An everlasting world and you're here with me, eternally Xanadu, Xanadu (Now we are here) In Xanadu (Xanadu) Xanadu, Xanadu (Now we are here) In Xanadu (Xanadu) Now that I'm here Now that you're near in Xanadu Now that I'm here Now that you're near in Xanadu Xanadu!

You can see that games like Fallout and the first bioshock game were inspired by the predicted designes for the future at that time. Crazy.

0:23 why does Xanadu look like a crack house on Tatooine?

Disney Corp. did build their city, called Celebration starting in the 90’s and it is still growing (>10,000 live there currently). It is more like Mayberry than Xanadu though. Median home sold price is around half a mil with many selling north of $2.5 million.

I'm glad I was able to visit this home as a kid when my Mother brought my Brother and I to visit Disney.

🎵🎶Xanadu... Xanadu... (Now we are here) In Xanaduuu...Xanadu, your neon lights will shine, for youuu, Xanadu!🎶🎵

I remember my parents stopping by this to find it closed in the 90’s when we went to Florida for a holiday. It was cool as we went to Water Mania instead and I rode the Wipe Out same day I was 13. After the Wipe Out I felt like a man and no longer a boy!

I’m glad that this was never built as a standard or widespread. It would be an internet of things based always on-DRM based surveillance nightmare.

we passed by this house for decades and never went it. it got so old so quickly it became a running joke, "house for the future from the 80's!"

I drove by this all the time when I used to do deliveries in Kissimmee. I had no idea what it was so this video was very cool.

Sounds more like they were trying to recreate The Jetsons.

This is a really cool look into Xanadu! It was Adam The Woo's KZfaq channel a handful of years ago that first made me aware that Xanadu was even a thing. He went to the location where Xanadu once stood and all that he could find there were some light fixtures and electrical boxes in a field of grass. Still, even if it was gone by that point, Adam me curious about this defunct attraction. And I thank Expedition Theme Park to finally giving me the look into Xanadu that I desired! And also, this place looks like a building designed by Akira Toriyama and found on Planet Namek. XD

I remember hearing about this place as a kid, but I'm not sure if we drove past it when we went to Disney for the first time in 1996. Might've been torn down already. I have a vague recollection of the sign, but that could be from a documentary or something on tv. I am so fascinated by the idea of Xanadu, it should've been bigger than it was. Sad to hear about Roy Mason, may he RIP.

The folly of trying to predict the future. An infinate number of variables to consider. Like video calls, it's available for everyone with a cell phone, but most prefer to use voice only or text.

I went there as a kid, on a family trip to Disney World. I was a nerdy kid, and to be honest, I liked Xanadu. I figured the tech was mostly fake, because it wasn’t actually the future yet. Surprising, really, how much they got right. Our aesthetics are more traditional, but we have stuff like Alexa, and really, I am typing this on a tablet straight out of ST:TNG after watching a short video over a global computer network. Also, looking back, this Really looks like it belongs on the cover of a Yes album. And I love Yes album covers. I wonder if that was an influence.

I remember as a kid driving by it so confused and curious about what the hell it was. By that point it was abandoned and decrepit but I still wanted to go inside!

YES!! This has always been one of the coolest defunct roadside attractions to me. God what I wouldn't give to go back in time and check out this place (abandoned or not) so unique, so out there, so otherworldly in its design. I probably wouldn't want to live in a house like this, but man, it would be cool as hell to visit. Now, when's the video on World of Orchids coming? 😁🌸 (the old website is on wayback, fyi)

I went to the one in Gatlinburg, TN as a kid... went every single trip... magical memories.. thank you!

Omg I’ve seen the title, had to pause the video and go for a wee, back in a bit........ Right I’m back, can’t wait to see this one Sam This was fantastic, thank you. I saw the house on Blue Peter and always wanted to visit. When we started going to Orlando a million years ago we drove past this place hundreds of times but I’m sure it had closed down by then. I think the sign is still there as a momento of the past. Cheers Sam.

I think I remember watching a video on KZfaq a long time ago about someone exploring this abandoned place. Pretty cool that your covering it now.

That ending where you note that the new condos were made of regular building materials and not made of foam really made me chuckle.

The sign (seen at 18:38) actually stood until around 2015 or 2016.

I literally pass the spot this use to be at every day 192 is a shell of what it once was hookers and drug addicts Roaming around ruins of what once was I hope it makes a recovery

We went there when it opened in the mid eighties and I was blown away. I was also six.

I have been to the Wisconsin dells one when I was a child. My mother kept going on about no closets in the house and who would build a house without storage space.

Fantastic content as always, thanks ETP!

That is crazy. I drove by it so many times, yet never went into it. It was so outdated, yet so on point with the future of what is now, at its time. This was another awesome video. Thank you again.

I remember driving past Xanadu on Disney trips in 1993, 94, 95, 97, 98 & 2000. The 1st few years it looked open and if I remember right, had tourist brochures in the hotels I stayed in - I may have one or two in my plethora of ephemera I saved from those years. Gonna have to dig around in my garage.

One day, you should make a video on a ride called Le Monstre (the monster) that resides in the six flags La Ronde theme park in Montreal, Canada! :D it is the tallest two-tracked wagon wooden coaster in the world and is quite the old coaster, I feel like it deserves its own video! :D

Its funny i remember Water Mania from my youth living in Orlando, but i vaguely remember this ,my mom remembers it

I wonder where the blue attraction sign went off to and if it's kept somewhere in a museum or private collector's home.

We live right down the road from here. Drove by it often as a teenager but never visited. Had many a date night at King Henry's feast down the way. Great video.

Polyurethane is really flammable. Not something you’d want to use to build a house.

@Expedition Theme Park really love what you do with this channel :) also I would watch more abandoned buildings / strange builds type vids.

Awesomely done

Hell yeah!! A new Extinct video!

As a Floridian I not only remember this being done but I remembered advertisements for this place and reading about the concept and different magazines and stuff I guess that's a kid. If there is no Rosey fuq it I just want a Rosey.

Great video! When I was around 13 in the early to mid '80s I visited the one in Gatlinburg. Having grown up watching the original Star Wars films I thought that house was so cool.

I remember, as you said, driving by it but never going in. Thanks for this retrospective.

Great video 👍

This has my name on it, I’m assuming it’s mine now.

Really great video

I missed ALL the good stuff! I'd take a Xanadu house any day over any of the sterile homes of today!

I visited this when I was a kid. I loved it back then. I love things that were different and modern. Sad that it is gone

This is a very pleasant surprise. I grew up in kissimmee and would pass this place everyday. I never got to see the inside as it was closed in the 90s. Thanks for covering this place

While this house did not turn out so well, including the technology in it, I wonder how much it inspried others interested in home automation.

Was this place related to the "Flintstone House" in California? That's another strange dome shaped building that seems similar, except it's not white.

I remember going past it in 96. I thought about going to check it out but decided not today. Years later I was coming off the Florida turnpike onto US 192 and had the radio on. "HEY! Anybody out there go to that eyesore tourist trap calling itself the home of Tomorrow or some silly thing? Well, if you never did then you never will. That mistake will be erased soon now it finally sold and planned removal are it's true future".

Passed this a ton of times and could never get my pop to stop there.

Yay!!! You finally got to do Xanadu!!!!

Love your videos.

Have none of the people who’ve named their doomed pleasure palaces “Xanadu” ever read the Coleridge poem far enough to get to the “Beware! Beware!” part, right after all the ominous cavern and sunless sea bits? It’s a little like naming your transatlantic ocean liner “Titanic” because you heard somewhere that it’s a big boat name and big boats are always good, so “Titanic!” I mean, just a _little_ research is all it takes, guys…

Sam, just wanted to say I’m a big fan and thanks!

Oh I get it....ELO and Olivia Newton John used to roller skate there, pretty cool!