Ironwood Hills

If the town of Ironwood Hills has ever seen better days, they must have been long ago. Judging by the flickering neon signs here and there and the broken fire hydrant (apparently the victim of an altercation with a police car) spewing water into the street, at least some basic utilities still function in this dark and dismal place. Visitors arrive at the decrepit downtown area surrounded by boarded up businesses, litter on the sidewalks, abandoned vehicles, and tall weeds growing up through cracks in the pavement.

Venturing out of the town proper, passing an old theatre, basketball court and vaudeville posters, one traverses a long bridge that leads to the remains of a carnival, now drenched in rain and flooded. To the southeast, a wooded path leads to a forlorn cemetery; to the east, a laboratory hides in a shack along the waterfront. If you like what you see, the centrally-located Rocket Motel seems to be open, its sign still lit and its odd staff waiting to serve you. High above, positioned on a steep rocky hill, a cobweb covered mansion looks down on the scene. The sim's pathways snake this way and that, so it might take a while to discover all the delights it has to offer.

And here and there throughout Ironwood Hills, one encounters creepy doll children: observing from a stroller, playing hopscotch, sitting on a grave, parked on a television, and so on. They seem entirely self-absorbed and uninterested in itinerant visitors. If you enjoy your visit, please consider leaving a contribution in support of the sim, and those who enjoy photography might be interested in joining a photo competition, which ends on September 15 — information is available near the landing point.