More than eight years have passed since Six Flags Astroworld shut its doors, leaving the Houston area without a full-size theme park.
After years of development and planning, the 630-acre Grand Texas Sports & Entertainment District will open in 2015 in New Caney, Texas (northeast of Houston). The Grand Texas complex will include the Big River Waterpark, a baseball stadium, RV resort and more entertainment options like a “Downtown Texas” shopping district.
Site work in New Caney began over the summer.
The 71-acre Grand Texas Theme Park component will include seven themed areas devoted to Texas history and culture.
Seen above, the Main Street area, complete with a riverboat, will welcome Grand Texas guests. The theme park will include typical theme park fanfare such as roller coasters, a steam engine, midway games and other classic rides. But the park will also include other offerings such as a real stage coach line, equestrian trails and other eco-friendly attractions.
The Pecos Territory pictured above seems to include a mine-train-style coaster and a Mack Splash Battle-style ride. It looks very Disney-esque (which isn’t a bad thing).
The Grand Boardwalk area of the park includes more traditional flat rides such as a ferris wheel and carousel.
The below 3D rendering video gives a more realistic look at what the theme park may look like when it opens:
Below is a tentative timeline that was recently released for some of the Grand Texas components:
- Big River Waterpark: April 2015
- Hospitality Village: April 2015
- Destination Fields: May 2015
- Grand Texas Theme Park: Summer 2015
- Event Center: October 2015
- Baseball Stadium: 2016 Season
Grand Texas is one of two entertainment resorts proposed for the Houston area, the other being EarthQuest Adventures, which would also be built in New Caney.
To learn more about the Grand Texas plans, visit their website and Facebook page.
What are your thoughts about the Grand Texas project? Discuss in the comments section below.
Not sure if new Grand Texas Theme Park could be looking to buy a ride or 2 from the former Freestyle Music Park (Myrtle Beach, SC). I could picture Grand Texas getting B&M Time Machine sitting coaster… as well as Vekoma Hang Ten kiddie/family coaster. Those are some ideas.
Can’t tell if the proposed mine train coaster is a wood coaster or steel coaster. I believe Grand Texas may be getting AstroWorld former Greezed Lightnin’ coaster (Schwarzkopf shuttle loop, identical/similar to Montezooma’s Revenge at Knott’s Berry Farm and Kentucky Kingdom’s former Greezed Lightnin’). In the flat ride collection, there will be a Ferris wheel and merry-go-round carousel, and I’m guessing a Zierer chair-o-planes wave swing ride (similar/identical to Gotham City Crime Wave at Six Flags Over Georgia, Whirligig at Six Flags Fiesta Texas & Six Flags Great America, Lasso at Darien Lake, and Wave Swinger at several Cedar Fair parks), and children’s area. I’m hoping that Grand Texas will have at least 2 water rides (like a Hopkins Rides shoot-the-chutes or log flume ride… and Intamin river-raft ride)… 1 drop tower ride (either by Intamin or S&S Worldwide)… and 1 or 2 upcharge attractions (like a SkyCoaster and/or Go-Karts).
It’s been nearly a decade since Six Flags Theme Parks closed AstroWorld. I see Grand Texas having potential at becoming a theme park power player, and giving the Houston metropolitan area something to be proud of.
I thought that Earthquest fell through and was ‘dead’? Screamscape said that they stalled. But that aside, the parks looks pretty good, Astroworlds’s closure was tragic (epically since of the 8 coasters not scrapped right away, only 3 operate and 2 of which have since been scrapped including the only Togo Ultra Twister ever built in the states (which while not known for quality, it was something different)), but if Greased Lighting does go there, it’ll be up to 4, meaning only half of the rides that were spared have will operate again, i could go on about how Cedar Fair salvaged more roller coasters from Gauna Lake for other parks (though Big Dipper still sits there), but i won’t, and if they do actually open (unlike Earthquest at this point), they’d be a nice place to visit, too bad Texas is a little too far out of reach (i have to shamefully call Mount Olympus my home park, or Great America which i’d rather call my home park)
The proposed Earthquest theme park didn’t really get off the ground, for a number of reasons, and was subject of a recent KPRC-TV investigation. Again, I see this proposed Grand Texas theme park becoming reality, that I do pray and hope won’t disappoint. My fingers are crossed that Grand Texas could and might be looking to acquire Freestyle Music Park’s Time Machine coaster, if Kentucky Kingdom doesn’t get it… and Grand Texas also possibly acquiring Hang Ten coaster as well.
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What’s the name of the park going in at New Caney, Tx. and when is it going to open.