Entry No. 39 — the Oklahoma City file — filed under: abandoned
Gandini's Circus Ruins
“rusted animal cages, a hollow bus skeleton … exactly as they were abandoned”
Tucked behind a chain-link gate on a weedy lot off Kelly Avenue, the rotting hulks of an early-1900s circus winter camp — rusted animal cages, a hollow bus skeleton, derelict trailers, and train cars — sit exactly as they were abandoned decades ago. Local historians debate whether "Gandini's" ever existed by that name, but the eerie wreckage of the Clyde Bros./Hagen Bros. circus operation is undeniably real, private, and viewable only from the driveway gate.
The story
Locals call it Gandini's, but circus historians will tell you there is little record of a big-top act ever touring under that name. What actually sat down to rot on this patch off North Kelly Avenue was the winter quarters for the Clyde Bros. and Hagen Bros. circuses. Decades back, when the road season wrapped, this was where the troupe pulled off the asphalt to park sleeper trailers, lock up the heavy iron animal cages, and lay up the fleet until spring. Then one year, the convoy never left.
What remains today is a ghost fleet being slowly reclaimed by Oklahoma brush and red dirt. Look past the tree line and you can make out the hollow ribs of an abandoned bus frame, slumping trailers, rusted cages, and old rail cars stripped to raw oxidized iron. The weirdest detail isn't just the rust—it's the geography. This eerie slice of itinerant circus history sits ringed by standard Edmond subdivisions, creating a surreal glitch between manicured suburban sprawl and abandoned history.
What it's like
Spotting the site requires a sharp eye on Kelly Avenue between 2nd Street and Danforth. Watch for an unmarked driveway dipping into the tree line on the left. Pull up to the rusted chain-link gate and cut your engine—that gate is as far as you go. The lot is strictly private property surrounded by residential backyards, so your vantage point is strictly street-side. Time your visit for late fall through winter; summer foliage blankets the lot and hides the wreckage completely. Aim for dusk, peer through the gate with a flashlight to catch the silhouetted frames of the cages, then drive a block down to Sonic for a late-night milkshake to snap yourself back to suburban reality.
The move: Drive to the rusty gate at dusk, peer through at the overgrown derelict frames with flashlights, then follow up the creepy mood with late-night milkshakes at the Sonic a block away — the contrast of mundane suburban routine against a genuinely haunted-feeling ruin is the whole point.
📍 Before you go Watch for it off Highway 77 at the North Kelly Avenue exit, then look for an unmarked driveway tucked into the tree line on the left — it is easy to overshoot, and the rusted gate at the end of that drive is the only legal vantage point. The lot sits ringed by Edmond subdivisions, so this is firmly private property: view from the gate, never hop it, and keep things low-key for the neighbors. Summer foliage swallows the wreckage, so leaf-off months from late fall through winter give the clearest sightlines. Pair it with a wander through historic downtown Edmond a few minutes south.
- 📍 Edmond
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Kelly Ave between 2nd St and Danforth, Edmond, OK 73003
Hours: Mined 2026-06-07 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Hopewell Baptist 'Teepee' Church — Double down on Edmond's strange architectural relics by driving seven miles to Bruce Goff's 1948 teepee-shaped church built from oil-field pipe.
- POPS 66 — Balance the silent rusted decay off Kelly Avenue with the neon glow and 700-soda wall of Route 66's landmark eight miles east.
- Alley Records — Trade roadside ghost-circus lore for an alleyway vinyl speakeasy seven miles south in the Britton Road district.
Good to know
Can I walk past the gate to explore the trailers?
No. The property is private and sits directly adjacent to residential neighborhoods. Stay outside the rusted driveway gate on Kelly Avenue to avoid a trespassing citation.
What is the best season to view the ruins?
Late fall through winter. During the leaf-off months, bare trees give you a clear line of sight to the bus skeleton and cages that summer brush hides.
Was 'Gandini's' a real circus?
The name is a local urban legend. Historical documentation connects the site to the winter operations of the Clyde Bros. and Hagen Bros. circuses.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Atlas Obscura · Only In Your State · abandonedok.com · Reddit · okcfox.com
last checked: 2026-06-07