palmerleeberry Posted August 17, 2013 Share Posted August 17, 2013 ^Hey, if they managed to have the original blueprints to the Texas Cyclone, then I cannot see why they couldn't rebuild that coaster and make it better than before. PLEASE DON'T BURN ME!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrlittle Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 I was doing my usual Google search for theme parks coming to the Houston area. Anyways, I stumbled upon this photo. It's interesting to look at how they plan to break up the 600 acres of land. Grand Texas recently announced on Facebook that they will be having a press conference soon to announce their final plans for the park and hopefully we will see groundbreaking soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geauga Dog Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 ^Interesting lay of the land. Hopefully they learned the lesson of Astroworkd and left some considerable land for expansion as based on that drawing it doesn't seem to leave much for the theme park to grow on. Looking forward to seeing the actual plans revealed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirkFunk Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Before anyone says, "Oh man, only 85 acres?," please remember that Disneyland Park is approximately 85 acres. This should be adequate for all sorts of big, impressive stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrlittle Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 I found this interview that NewCaney.com had with Grand Texas Theme Park. You can click on the link if you like to read the whole interview. Grand Texas Interview But here is a quote from the interview I found interesting. Guests visiting Grand Texas will be able to enjoy a wide variety of activities. The park will be divided into a number of areas, each focusing on a different element of Texas history. Attractions at Grand Texas will include a total of 3 rollercoasters, including a 150’ high wooden coaster with speeds in excess of 60mph and a steel coaster with one of the highest inversions in the world. In addition to the coasters, the park will also include a full-size steam train, real stage coach line, water rides, 2 dozen amusement attractions, a mile-long equestrian trail, an “agri-tainment” area with petting zoos, pony rides and a working farm, a living museum with trades and crafts, an amphitheater and an adventure park with zip lines, ropes course and other eco-friendly activities. The park will also include a plethora of space for group outings and special events, including air-conditioned catering space. So perhaps a kiddie coaster, a GCI or Gravity Group wooden coaster and some kind of unique steel coaster. Just found this to be interesting. Hopefully, we find out more soon. (Would it be to much to ask for another RMC in Texas?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hriscay Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 ^Even though RMC is slowly becoming my favorite Roller Coaster Manufacturer, I personally wouldn't want one just yet. I haven't ridden Outlaw run, but i have ridden both NTAG and IRat and i personally would rather have a ride like El Toro. Ill take that speed and hills any day over overbank and inversions. The second wooden could be RMC but the first needs to be a real wooden. As for the looping steel ride, I really wonder what it could be. So happy to hear this park is progressing. 3 Roller Coasters, even if one if a kiddie coaster, I will still be there opening day to ride over and over again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zem Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 After EQA I've been doubtful of these various proposed plans for parks in Houston. Hopefully though this actually becomes a reality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PVA62 Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 Maybe they want a YOLO type coaster. Would be a cheapish but exciting ride to help bring people in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrlittle Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 After EQA I've been doubtful of these various proposed plans for parks in Houston. Hopefully though this actually becomes a reality. I still have some doubt in Grand Texas but they took a big step forward by buying the land. I recently commented on their Facebook about when we might hear more news. They commented back today saying this month. Perhaps we will see groundbreaking soon as well if they want to keep the 2015 opening. I happily take a YOLO or a El Torro at the park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palmerleeberry Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 I hate to steal a line from a movie, but . . . "If they build it, then we shall come!" Okay, it's not the same wording, but the meaning is still the same. PLEASE DON'T BURN ME!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djboss302 Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 I think they way to start off would be to have a big steel coaster, a family coaster with a 42-46 inch height requirement, and a kiddy coaster. But I am happy for Houston finally getting a theme park. I couldn't imagine how I would feel if they closed down SFGAm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gisco Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 (edited) Looks like this may be a go. Wednesday the group heading up Grand Texas Theme Park which is being build at SH 242 and I-69 in New Caney, met with the members of the East Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce. The team described the park and what people could expect. in the near future. The 630 acre facility with feature Big Rivers Water Park a 40 acre site which will include a river ride which flows through the already natural forest at the location. Waterslides that wrap around large oak trees. Several roller coasters including one said to be one of the 10 largest wooden roller coasters in the United States. The park is expected to draw from a population of 30 million. The numbers they say for visitors compares with several other venues in the Houston area. The 17 day Renfest brings in over 600,000 visitors. Houston Zoo sees 1.6 million visitors annually, Houston Livestock Show had 2.8 million visitors for 21 days. Another comparison is the Kemah Boardwalk which gets over 4 million visitors annually. The Theme Park is said to be built around Texas history. Also there will be a 6000 seat professional baseball stadium A wakeboard lake where a cable system will tow a person instead of a boat. On the south side of SH 242 are 2 hotel sites and a large RV park. along with 450,000 square feet of retail space and convenience stores. The group hopes to attract over 4.5 million visitors to the site within 5 years of opening. Not just tax base to the area but almost 1200 seasonal jobs and close to 1600 construction jobs. They include seniors and teens in the seasonal jobs. Being a western theme park they will need Old Time Story tellers as an example. The staff that was picked comes from a long running experience The theme park itself will be 150 acres. In the beginning 71 acres will be developed.. That compares to Astroworld’s 59 acres and the 135 acres of Disney’s Magic Kingdom. The difference being, Grand Texas acreage does not include parking acreage as the other theme parks do. It will be divided into 17 sections for different themes and also include equestrian trails. Zip Lines and rope courses will also be part of the park. It will also include a amphitheater similar to the Cedar Park, Texas Center Park. Hosting concerts and hockey games. Timelines were spelled out for the Chamber today: Big River Waterpark 4/15 Hospitality Village 4/15 Destination Fields 5/15 Theme Park Summer 2015 Event Center October 2015 Baseball Stadium 2016 Season Some of the executives include Chief Operating Officer Chuck Hendricks the former 13 year president of Astroworld. Bob Logan the California director of Magic Mountain. Bob Runyon, designer of The Woodlands Market Street is the Chief Architect of the project. Bruce Robinson is the Theme Director. He was responsible for the design of the Angry Birds Theme Park. and Dollywood. Soil tests are now under way and heavy equipment should start arriving in early January. Grand Texas article [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] Edited November 7, 2013 by gisco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ernierocker Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 I still almost don't want to believe this is a actually happening until construction equipment starts moving dirt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 ^I know what you mean--so many of these projects never get off the ground. But I wish them well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrlittle Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 I guess with all the recent news from Grand Texas, the other park that was supposed to be built in Houston wanted to make sure we knew they were still around. A quote from Earthquest Institute Facebook. EarthQuest continues to progress on the pursuit of funding. The developer Mr. Brown a former senior executive with Walt Disney has brought his own style and global connections to the effort. The EMCID board remains supportive and encouraged by his great progress. Mr. Brown remains focused on the development of a large scale theme park with all the original concepts from before but with vast improvements to scale and scope. Sigh...Anyways, Grand Texas at least owns the land and looks a lot closer then any of the proposed parks in Houston. But yeah still waiting on the construction to start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnychen Posted November 8, 2013 Author Share Posted November 8, 2013 Here some more news on Grand Texas. houston.culturemap.com/news/city_life/11-07-13-the-new-astroworld-sets-an-opening-date-houstons-next-theme-park-to-blast-off-in-2015/ Officials with the hotly-anticipated Grand Texas Theme Park unveiled fresh details of their upcoming 630-acre entertainment district, capturing the imaginations of those longing for a worthy successor to the long-shuttered Six Flags AstroWorld. Located along Highway 59 just north of the New Caney exit, the amusement park is expected to open by summer 2015 with seven theme areas devoted to Lone Star history and culture. The Montgomery County Police Reporter blog notes that the project will feature several roller coasters, including one slated to be one of the 10 largest wooden roller coasters in the nation. Grand Texas' Monty Galland assured the East Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce that the theme park is only a single component of a larger plan that involves 450,000 square feet for retail and dining, multiple hotels, an RV area and a 6,000-seat stadium designed for minor league baseball games. "Instead of big swaths of concrete, you will see water slides that wind around the towering oak trees." Also on the drawing boards is an elaborate water park that will tap into the region's natural landscape, surely a nod to EarthQuest, the ecologically-minded amusement park planned for a plot of land a mile south of Grand Texas. "Big Rivers Water Park is a 40-acre site where we will integrate the natural surroundings that is already there. Instead of big swaths of concrete, you will see water slides that wind around the towering oak trees and the lazy river will meander through the forest setting that is already there," Galland explained during the meeting. Along with two hotels, the water park will open several months before the theme park. The Police Reporter says additional nature-themed amusements — a wakeboard lake, equestrian trails and zip lines — are planned throughout the entertainment district as well as an outdoor amphitheater for concerts and hockey games. To see Grand Texas to fruition, theme park owners have assembled a team of industry heavy-hitters that includes former AstroWorld general manager Chuck Hendrix and one-time Six Flags Magic Mountain director Bob Logan. Bob Runyon, who designed Woodlands Market Street, serves as chief architect of the project while designer Bruce Robinson (formerly of Angry Birds Theme Park and Dollywood) will oversee all theme concepts. By 2020, officials anticipate 4.5 million annual visitors to the theme park district, which will bring roughly 2,000 new jobs to the area. As many as 1,600 construction workers are expected to be used during the building process, which begins in January. Grand Texas marketing director Ashley Higson was unavailable for comment on Thursday, but promised CultureMap that more details will be released in the next week. Stay tuned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zem Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 I highly doubt this project will be completed by 2015. I'm still skeptical of these sorts of projects although it seems like they may be contracting out RMC to design the wooden coaster. I feel like houston would really benifit from a smaller park like Funspot in orlando rather than a giant amusement park with Fiesta Texas and Over Texas not being a horribly long distance away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteornotes Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 It does seem like this is getting closer to actually happening. Though like many, I'll believe it's real when construction actually starts. Anyone know if there's a team already in place for their baseball stadium? dt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ernierocker Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 I would say the Astros but I doubt they could fill the 6,000 seat capacity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djboss302 Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 I would say the Astros but I doubt they could fill the 6,000 seat capacity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richtrav Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 ^Even though RMC is slowly becoming my favorite Roller Coaster Manufacturer, I personally wouldn't want one just yet. I haven't ridden Outlaw run, but i have ridden both NTAG and IRat and i personally would rather have a ride like El Toro. Ill take that speed and hills any day over overbank and inversions. The second wooden could be RMC but the first needs to be a real wooden. As for the looping steel ride, I really wonder what it could be. So happy to hear this park is progressing. 3 Roller Coasters, even if one if a kiddie coaster, I will still be there opening day to ride over and over again. Does anyone know the relative cost between building an Intamin Plug-and-Play and an RMC job, all else being equal? I'm pretty sure RMC would be cheaper, just don't know by how much. Or vs GCI (have they ever built anything that tall?). I think an Intamin would probably blow their entire roller coaster budget, but I don't know how much RMC charges. Evidently Apocalypse was not cheap: https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/l91ISfcuzDw&autoplay=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_koppen Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 It seems a bit unrealistic to anticipate 4,5 million visitors by 2020. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airtime&Gravity Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 ^I think they mean 4.5 million visitors for the whole complex, not just the park. If Kemah really does bring in 4 million a year like an earlier article says, 4.5 million for Grand Texas is a possibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrlittle Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 (edited) http://blog.chron.com/primeproperty/2013/11/developers-have-big-plans-for-grand-texas/?cmpid=staffblogshcat#17943101=0 The plans for Grand Texas appear to be taking shape, with new renderings showing an elaborate and Texas history-themed amusement and water park on the more than 600 acres of piney woods in East Montgomery County. The project’s leaders, who closed on the land this summer, have previously said the new park could fill the void that AstroWorld left behind. The first phase of construction, which includes building infrastructure and clearing land, will start early next year. The original plans for this project included the Grand Texas theme park and Big Rivers Water Park. At a press conference Wednesday, the project leaders announced that the newly named “Grand Texas Sports and Entertainment District” will include an amphitheater, a “Downtown Texas” area with space for hotels and retail, an RV park, baseball fields and sports complex. These ventures will be financed by developers independent of the theme park’s investment group. Developers declined to disclose the price of the venture, but said they received no upfront money from the East Montgomery County Improvement District. Big Rivers Water Park is slated to open in April 2015 and the Grand Texas Theme Park should be ready by December 2015. http://houston.culturemap.com/news/city_life/11-07-13-the-new-astroworld-sets-an-opening-date-houstons-next-theme-park-to-blast-off-in-2015/?utm_source=sf_twitter Officials with the hotly-anticipated Grand Texas Theme Park unveiled fresh details of their upcoming 630-acre entertainment district, capturing the imaginations of those longing for a worthy successor to the long-shuttered Six Flags AstroWorld. Located along Highway 59 just north of the New Caney exit, the amusement park is expected to open by summer 2015 with seven theme areas devoted to Lone Star history and culture. The Montgomery County Police Reporter blog notes that the project will feature several roller coasters, including one slated to be one of the 10 largest wooden roller coasters in the nation. Grand Texas' Monty Galland assured the East Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce that the theme park is only a single component of a larger plan that involves 450,000 square feet for retail and dining, multiple hotels, an RV area and a 6,000-seat stadium designed for minor league baseball games. Also on the drawing boards is an elaborate water park that will tap into the region's natural landscape, surely a nod to EarthQuest, the ecologically-minded amusement park planned for a plot of land a mile south of Grand Texas. "Big Rivers Water Park is a 40-acre site where we will integrate the natural surroundings that is already there. Instead of big swaths of concrete, you will see water slides that wind around the towering oak trees and the lazy river will meander through the forest setting that is already there," Galland explained during the meeting. Along with two hotels, the water park will open several months before the theme park. The Police Reporter says additional nature-themed amusements — a wakeboard lake, equestrian trails and zip lines — are planned throughout the entertainment district as well as an outdoor amphitheater for concerts and hockey games. To see Grand Texas to fruition, theme park owners have assembled a team of industry heavy-hitters that includes former AstroWorld general manager Chuck Hendrix and one-time Six Flags Magic Mountain director Bob Logan. Bob Runyon, who designed Woodlands Market Street, serves as chief architect of the project while designer Bruce Robinson (formerly of Angry Birds Theme Park and Dollywood) will oversee all theme concepts. By 2020, officials anticipate 4.5 million annual visitors to the theme park district, which will bring roughly 2,000 new jobs to the area. As many as 1,600 construction workers are expected to be used during the building process, which begins in January. Grand Texas marketing director Ashley Higson was unavailable for comment on Thursday, but promised CultureMap that more details will be released in the next week. Stay tuned. Look at #100 - Are they bringing back Greezed Lightning from Astroworld??? Umm, I think they are bringing back GREEZED LIGHTNIN? This is the park Houston needs. I count 5 coasters. Edited November 13, 2013 by robbalvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hriscay Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 The website is finally back up and running. It's has several artistic renditions of what the park will look like. Several attractions can be seen. Also their choice of real photos on the main page are pretty interesting. I think in the 3rd picture they are using El Toro as a picture, hopefully this has is something of a teaser. Anyways, please check it out. Glad they removed the Boomerang Picture. I didn't want that to be a launch ride, so un-original. http://grandtx.com/ P.s. if that wasn't El Toro, what was it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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