The largest of these, at 850 acres, was announced for Laurel, Maryland, in 1972. The proposal was canceled after fierce opposition from local residents convinced officials to deny the park permits,Leonard, Kevin. "Marriott theme park, Redskins stadium once planned in Laurel" , The Baltimore Sun, May 31, 2013. and the plans were moved to Manassas, Virginia, in 1973, where it faced even stronger opposition from local residents and the National Park Service.Zenzen, Joan. "Great America in Manassas", Battling for Manassas: The Fifty-Year Preservation Struggle at Manassas National Battlefield Park, Penn State Press, 2010. The planned opening of the flagship park was delayed repeatedly until Marriott abandoned the idea late in the decade.
