As we move into the October month, many people think of Halloween, fall colors, leaves, raking and candy corn. I think of going to Six Flags AstroWorld. Although Six Flags AstroWorld, located in Houston, TX, closed in October of 2005, its legacy lives on not only in memories of the Houston park, but also through its very own rides that thrilled and created memories during its existence. Join James in a two-part Special Feature as he takes a candid, yet nostalgic look back at the park and rides, through interviews and photos, investigating the park’s past, and a glance as to what has happened to AstroWorld now.
The park opened its doors to the Houston public all thanks to a politician’s dream. Judge Roy Hofheinz opened AstroWorld, USA, the park’s original name, on June 1, 1968, as part of his Astro-Domain that included the Major League Baseball team, the Houston Astros, as well as the AstroDome, to entertain the family of the 20th century. With what was then the cutting edge of the time, the park started out with a small collection of rides: the ever famous Alpine Sleighs that intertwined through a snowfilled mountain, an original hand carved Dentzel carousel, the traditional AstroWay, the Lost World Adventure (better known as River of No Return) that coursed through hilariously epic scenes, among many others. For the next several years, AstroWorld’s popularity continued to skyrocket, thus
calling for expansion and improvements. 1972 saw AstroWorld’s first major steel rollercoaster, the Dexter Freebish Electric Roller Ride. That same year also saw a different kind of addition to the park. Inspired by the success of Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse, Hofheinz felt the need to create a unique character that matched AstroWorld’s distinct identity. In turn, an interesting oddly shaped man named Marvel McFey, a traveling gypsy from space, soon walked about the streets of the Houston park. Marvel was joined by a large cast of other friendly animals such as Samantha Skunk and Freida Frog. As AstroWorld continued to grow and change, so did its visitors interests. Major shows were introduced to the park’s Lagoon Theatre, such as “Dancing Waters” and “Fantasy of Fire.” Both shows featured spectacular firework displays, as well as water fountains and dramatic music. An integral part of AstroWorld’s popular identity was its staff. Interestingly enough, celebrities such as Brent Spiner (Data on Star Trek), Randy and Dennis Quaid, along with movie star Patrick Swayze have all graced AstroWorld’s staff.
Another major change came in 1975, when Hofheinz’s AstroWorld, USA was leased to Six Flags. In doing so, AstroWorld USA became Six Flags AstroWorld, but was still under the vision and control of the Hofheinz. Soon after this transition, a new section was introduced that would rapidly become a popular favorite of the park. Coney Island was opened in 1976, along with its main attraction, the Texas Cyclone. This wooden addition to the park flew around, bringing its riders to new delights. Although the existence of Marvel McFey and his friends were maintained, the change of hands to Six Flags management brought the addition of the Looney Tunes characters such as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. As the Warner Bros. characters grew in popularity, Marvel and his friends faded out of the picture. Under the Six Flags management, several new thrill rides were introduced such as Dungeon Drop, XLR-8, Greezed Lightning, Thunder River and Ultra Twister, with many of these being the innovations of their time. Over the course of the next 30 years, Six Flags AstroWorld continued to draw thousands of visitors to the Houston-area, as well as its own nearby fans.
On September 12, 2005 Six Flags Incorporated issued an announcement that they intended to close the Houston park. Although this did not come as an immediate shock to many theme park enthusiasts, still visitors grieved with sadness when reminded of the famous Houston landmark. Many rallied to save the Houston icon, but to their despair the park officially closed its doors on October 30, 2005.
On October 29, 2005, I was one of the lucky few thousand guests that were able to visit AstroWorld before it closed. AstroWorld hosted an arsenal of 9 roller coasters, over 20 thrill rides and was home to several coaster classics, such as the Texas Cyclone and Greezed Lightning. To this day, I still can remember the distinctive visit. I, along with the other visitors who flocked to the park, tried to savor each ride and each moment, knowing that it was most likely the last time I would ever be able to. I can close my eyes and remember the visit like it was just yesterday.
After arriving at the parking lot toll booths, you could see several of
AstroWorld’s rides already testing and operating. Carriages were falling from Dungeon Drop’s tower and trains were whizzing through Serial Thriller’s twisted track. Upon exiting the parking lot, wading through the security gates and walking past the blue water fountain, I finally was at the main park entrance. Since it was the FrightFest season, two gargoyles greeted me with hideous smiles. Passing through the booths, I headed on into the park, swinging left towards the eastern sections of the park.
The first ride I saw was Dungeon Drop. After passing through the ‘dungeon’ queue, I came upon the end of the queue and rushed past the air gates. I clicked myself in, and wiggled my shoes a bit tighter, just for luck (and comfort!) The ride picked up, and the carriages ascended the 230-foot tower, and rested at the top. Wind was blowing my hair around, as my eyes gazed at the entire park, a moment that was intensely emotional, knowing the park would soon be gone. I was distracted by the view as the carriage plummeted to the ground, stomach in throat, eyes widened. The carriage stopped, and I hopped out of the seat and then headed for my next ride, but not without gazing back longingly to the green giant with a hint of sadness. When AstroWorld closed, Dungeon Drop was moved to Six Flags St. Louis and re-opened for the 2006 season as Superman: Tower of Power.
The next ride was shiny, red and twisted: Serial Thriller. I quickly passed through the queue and hopped onto the Vekoma seats, and pulled the harness down. The ride leapt to life as it cruised through the chain lift, and swung my feet around and over my head. In-line twists and corkscrews turned and flipped my body around, then slowly came to a stop back at the station. Most enthusiasts dub this ride “Hang’n'Bang”, but I just call it Serial Thriller; it has thrilled me, and so many others, time and time again, sometimes jostling me around for good measure. But the last ride had a different feeling, one that let me appreciate the ride’s existence. In 2005, Serial Thriller was shipped piece by piece to New York’s The Great Escape, along with AstroWorld’s only shoot-the-chutes water ride, Tidal Wave.
Hesitantly, I decided to pass Mayan Mindbender, as I could see the line was already starting to go past the line entrance, along with Bamboo Shoot and Thunder River. I quickly snapped a picture of each and headed to my next ride: Viper. Although its small footprint could convince anyone it’s a tame ride, the sharp drop caught riders off guard, rushing them into a vertical loop followed by several figure-8 turns, finally cruising eerily close to the supports to a stop at the station. The painted Serpent on its custom tunnel matched the personality of the ride: quick, unpredictable and fast.
Sadly, The Viper and its serpentine tunnel were both scrapped in 2005, although its trains were transported to Six Flags over Georgia. Likewise, the giant-faced pyramid structure of the Mayan Mindbender was purchased by a diving park in Clute, TX along with the space ship shell of the Intamin Looping Starship, but the roller coaster itself was purchased by Wonderland Amusement Park, in Lubbock, TX. Thunder River, the idea of the respected AstroWorld General Manager Bill Crandall, became known throughout the amusement history, as the ride was the world’s first river rapids ride and soon became an amusement park staple. Thunder River’s course was demolished, and the boats were either scrapped or moved into storage for spare parts.
By now, people were flooding into the park for their last visits, and it showed. The lines for both the restaurants and rides were much longer. After Viper, I headed towards Mexicana, the area decorated with festive flags and more importantly home to SWAT and Diablo Falls. These two rides were installed in 2003 in replacement for Texas Tornado (or Zonga/Taz’s Texas Tornado/Thriller), which was shipped off to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. Ironically, that very same ride has now been removed from the California park and has been sold. SWAT, a new prototype from S&S, was a yellow beast that stood proudly and sparkled brightly in the sun, while its next door neighbor, Diablo Falls splashed around with its blue, red and yellow slides. Diablo Falls was a spinning raft ride that dizzied riders while navigating a twisted slide. The line for Diablo Falls was rather long, so I headed over to SWAT. After rushing through the queue, I immediately sat on the left hand paddle and pulled down my restraint. Spinning rapidly, SWAT flipped me head over heels three times. Not many rides give the strange sensation of being lifted upside down that SWAT provided. Both SWAT and Diablo Falls were moved to Six Flags New England, renamed as Catapult and Splash Water Falls respectively, where the two continue to thrill New England visitors today.
After heading over to XLR-8, I saw its line was the longest that I had yet encountered, but felt I should wait it out. As part of Six Flags’ ride rotation program, this Arrow coaster was the first successful attempt of its kind. In 2002, Six Flags reversed the last two-thirds of the train to provide a different horrifying experience for its Fright Fest event, and they kept it that way. I always enjoyed the backwards effect, so I jumped in. When turned backwards, XLR-8 confused me every time; unknowingly zipping me around the turns and drops, gaining speed each time. The second lift quickly went by, and I saw the remnants of Six Flags WaterWorld, AstroWorld’s wet counterpart. Slides were dismantled and the wave pool was dry. Caught off guard by the dramatic sight, the ride zipped me around again, and stopped back in the station. XLR-8 was rumored to be scrapped at the end of the season, and photos of shredded yellow metal confirmed it so.
After snapping another picture, I headed over to Greezed Lightnin’. This classic was added in 1978, but each different ride always felt faster than ever. The high capacity of this ride allowed the line to move quickly, so I was on the ride in no time. With my hands up, I launched at 60MPH, and flew into the loop, up that first spike, and whizzed back through the station, up the last spike, and up off my seat thanks to an unexpected pop of airtime. The train stopped in the station again, all the riders, including me, wild-eyed and excited, adrenaline still pumping from that last rush were ready for another ride! Almost all of us ran back through the line to ride two more times, then finally once more. In AstroWorld’s last season, the steel coaster reached its millionth ride. In 2005, Greezed Lightnin’ was purchased by Joyland Amusement Park in Lubbock, TX and will hopefully be operational again in near future.
I snapped another photo, and headed over to Coney Island to the
beast that was the Texas Cyclone. The line for this Texan whirlwind was all the way to the second queue house, but I had to wait it out. I had to. The ride was only running one train, as the second valleyed during morning testing, perhaps a sign of the Cyclone’s maverick style. While waiting in line, I met several people who, like me, were all very saddened by AstroWorld’s closure. Each person I met had an enjoyable story to tell, each uniquely reflecting AstroWorld’s huge presence in the Houston-area. The stories only made time go by faster. By this time, the permanent markers had already besieged the hand-rails, but not in vile graffiti, but in a more nostalgic fashion: “Texas Cyclone, we will miss you! Love, Carol and Joseph.” and several other memorials were scribed, scratched and carved into the panels, each with their own story and each their own life. Finally, I came upon the station, and boarded the train. As the train coasted towards the lift hill, all my memories of exciting times with my friends and family flooded my mind. The screams of other excited riders filled the air, as the train began its course, rapidly gaining speed, hurtling through turns, drops and dips. The train rampaged through the final ‘head-chopper’ drop, causing me to duck one last time (even though I know I would be jus
t fine) and finally began to bounce to a stop. With each bounce, another memory, another past ride remembered. Sadly, despite efforts to save the Texas Cyclone, the wooden classic was demolished after AstroWorld closed.
After exiting the train, I ran my hand over the smooth edge of the blue car one last time. I proceeded down the exit ramp, and gazed at the On-Ride photo one last time. My expression was pure joy, a lasting emotion that carries on to this day, charged by my memories. I began my slow trudge to the front of the park and took in all sights and sounds, both mentally and physically (I had over 200 photos that day). The scent of
funnel cakes from Francesca’s lingered around my nose, an essence that is only AstroWorld’s. A pompous happy tune enveloped my ears, a sound only found in Coney Island, and only in AstroWorld. I walked on. I did some last minute shopping, taking full advantage of the huge clearance discount, hoping that somehow the items would keep me from forgetting. I looked at the park exit in front of me and did not want to leave.
Before exiting the park for the final time, I swiftly turned around and took one last gaze, one last look at the park that has entertained me for several years. In a moment of panic, of fear that I might forget the park that I so loved, I shut my eyes and a rush of blood and memories filled my head. Even today, when I close my eyes, my mind vividly remembers those moments. Standing in the middle of the Main Street area, I closed my eyes and imagined, that maybe, just maybe, if I captured this historic, magical place in my mind, my camera, my memories, it will come back; that it will all come back. I reluctantly opened my eyes to a reality that was a nightmare, and with a deep sigh of nostalgia and mourning, I exited for the last time. As I left the AstroWorld area, I turned around and looked at a park that had slowly dissipated into the horizon, and then into my memories.
Note: Slideshow is Flash intensive…
Stay tuned for the second part of this Special Feature Series.