Damn I always thought it only cost a couple million at most, that's insane. Would you know why they're so pricey? Doesn't seem like that much would go into it. And in that case, this is nothing to get excited bout, as it probably crushes the chance of a legit theme park coming anytime soon.
To expect a full-fledge 5-10 coaster theme park at startup is unrealistic. Hard Rock tried this crap and it failed miserably. Most successful theme parks started very small, at about this scale, built a following, then grew out from there. Six Flags got big by buying up parks who had already done their growing pains stages, Astroworld included. Take a look at what Astroworld was on opening day for an idea of what I'm talking about. From what I've read, the expectation is that this new park will open with two coasters tops. I would suspect possibly a wooden coaster and a family coaster would be realistic, along with a package of flat rides and a cheap water ride or two. Using the "Texas" theme, they'd be wise to follow the model of a park like Silver Dollar City, who used their theming to build around such ideas as great food, cultural experiences (craft demonstrations) etc., then began to build larger and more expensive thrill rides as their revenues grew. It's a model that has obviously worked before.
The real reason that Astroworld was torn down was it was determined the last was more valuable than the revenue the park generated. The fact that people purchased reasonably priced season passes and utilized the park as a baby sitter for mobs of youths didn't help the family atmosphere. The bottom fell out of the economy after they closed the park, so it took a while for the land to sell, but apparently there is going to be a major investment in the last (mostly by the Livestock Show and Rodeo that was announced last December.
I hate crappy live music and stunt shows man. Hate em'. Just give me rides, not cheap tricks. Not driving out to some suburb and paying $50 to watch some out of shape, minimum wage jabroni play Moody Blues covers.
Astroworld was top five in attendance for Six Flags. They made an error in closing the park and not everyone on the board agreed with the decision. It was definitely a day care, as my parents would drop me and my friends off and we would stay nearly all day. But Six Flags didn't close because it wasn't profitable, or attendance was bad.
Don't think it would be fair to compare Hard Rock Park to this one. Hard rock park is in a tiny metropolitan area. This is being built in a metro of six million plus and growing fast. They will probably have about four to five roller coasters, and who is to say how large or small those coasters will be.
Spoiler Oh, LORD. Here we go again. Didn't some reporter recently expose the EMCID as a completely corrupt organization? They were all totally lining their pockets during the EarthQuest boondoggle.
"The theme of Grand Texas will have its roots in Texas history, with educational exhibits and including a replica of a Native American village. "It's not a Six Flags style park, it's got a lot more to it than rides," he said. "It will have entertainment, live music and stunt shows among other attractions." " Kiss of death right there, before they even begin. You can't do this crap on the cheap like this. This region needs a major-dollar, major-quality them attraction area, like Universal Studios in Orlando, or Disney, or a REAL Amusement Park which offers thrills and excitement all day long, to make it worth the expense and time. Something that Six Flags offers, something Asroworld USED to offer before it turned into a ghetto, something that will make kids salivate for months just dreaming of going there on their school trip. Show me a kid who will get that excited about a 'replica of a Native American Village', and stunt shows and live music. Lame. Spend the money to do it right, or don't do it at all.
That's true about Hard Rock -- it wasn't in a big city for sure. Even so, it's more business smart to start on a smaller scale and build out. It also allows you to judge factors that you may not be aware of before you get started and adapt your business model to what is working and what isn't. But specifically regarding the coasters, there was a video with the official renders from the company that said two roller coasters, one being a wooden.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/s3Ab8_VZXN4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> This thread made me go back and look at all the old rides. Makes me wanna go to to SA or DFW...
Maybe I'm way off here, but didn't it have something to do with the Texans and Rodeo not allowing Astroworld to use their parking?
That’s what we need. They got Disney World in the east; Disney Land in the west; why not make Disney City? Ranch? Range?
Heard these rumors since I was about 8 years old. Turns out, the "Disney is buying up land near us" story is an urban legend that's told in multiple cities around the country. It all stems from how secretively they bought up land around Orlando for DisneyWorld. They're not opening a new gate in the US any time soon, as far as I can tell.
Some EMCID members, like Frank McCrady, but it was mostly Marlin-Atlantis and Whitestone that were investigated. There was some shady stuff going on which is what killed Earthquest. I trust Contour and their track record.
families, especially kids and teens, don't give a rat's ass about texas history. they go to theme parks to ride motherf'n rides, not to learn what they should learn in school. this is going to be a fail on the scale of the port of houston cruise terminal.
props for staying true to your ^^^^ ClutchFans character and not capitalizing neither Houston nor Texas. much respeck, yo. [hits chest twice with fist]
