[Boris]

Dinosaur City seeks '08 opening in Montgomery County


By BRAD HEM
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

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Location of Dinosaur City East Montgomery County could become home to a dinosaur theme park complete with dinosaur skeletons, animals and mock fossil digs, park developers announced Thursday.

..............................................

The park, which also would include an IMAX theater, water park, conference center and hotel, is expected to provide up to 1,000 jobs and could draw more than a million visitors a year, said Frank McCrady, president and CEO of the improvement district.

A destination tourist attraction would also draw restaurants, retail and hotels to the area, providing tax revenue and making the district's investment worthwhile, he said.

"It's going to be a tremendous amenity for our area and for the city of Houston," McCrady said. "It's a win for our entire area."

The park's creator is "Dino" Don Lessem, author of 47 books and an adviser to the movie Jurassic Park and Walt Disney Co.'s Animal Kingdom.

Dinosaur City would be like a mini-Epcot Center, "not an amusement park but an experience park," said Don Holbrook, the park's site selection director for the developers.

Kids would be able to excavate dinosaur bones from mock dig sites. Various birds, emus, alligators and other animals would be on display. And wooded walking trails will feature dinosaur replicas, Lessem said.

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http://www.chron.com...ss/4307187.html

____________________________



I hope this plan goes through.

[woody_hawkeye]

I am glad this got posted here. I do not know why they chose to go out to I59. Why not I45?

Boris, on Friday, November 3rd, 2006 @ 4:52pm, said:

Dinosaur City seeks '08 opening in Montgomery County
By BRAD HEM
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

TOOLS
Email Get section feed
Print Subscribe NOW

RESOURCES
More on the theme park
Location of Dinosaur City East Montgomery County could become home to a dinosaur theme park complete with dinosaur skeletons, animals and mock fossil digs, park developers announced Thursday.

..............................................

The park, which also would include an IMAX theater, water park, conference center and hotel, is expected to provide up to 1,000 jobs and could draw more than a million visitors a year, said Frank McCrady, president and CEO of the improvement district.

A destination tourist attraction would also draw restaurants, retail and hotels to the area, providing tax revenue and making the district's investment worthwhile, he said.

"It's going to be a tremendous amenity for our area and for the city of Houston," McCrady said. "It's a win for our entire area."

The park's creator is "Dino" Don Lessem, author of 47 books and an adviser to the movie Jurassic Park and Walt Disney Co.'s Animal Kingdom.

Dinosaur City would be like a mini-Epcot Center, "not an amusement park but an experience park," said Don Holbrook, the park's site selection director for the developers.

Kids would be able to excavate dinosaur bones from mock dig sites. Various birds, emus, alligators and other animals would be on display. And wooded walking trails will feature dinosaur replicas, Lessem said.

...........................

http://www.chron.com...ss/4307187.html

____________________________
I hope this plan goes through.

[Trae]

Who would want to be on IH-45? That is one nasty freeway (until after 1960). Plus, the areas around 59 are more wooded. It wouldn't be as far north, either (development on 59 is not as much as 45).

[Boris]

[TexasArchitect]

AWESOME!!! and thanks for the link, i'll be forwarding it to all my co-workers who complain about not having a theme park for their kids.

[moni]

Great news for Houston!

[KimberlySayWhat]

I was thinking about this literally just minutes ago, wondering if anything would come of it since we hadn't heard anything in months.

Thanks for the update!

[lockmat]

Is there another dinosaur park like this in the US?

[Subdude]

There are, or at least were, a number of roadside dinosaur parks, but this is the only one of this scope I'm aware of. Last summer I was in a dinosaur park in northern California. Nothing fancy, just big dinosaur statues, but it was fun.

[Pumapayam]

lockmat, on Thursday, June 21st, 2007 @ 3:48pm, said:

Is there another dinosaur park like this in the US?

One article claims to be opening in 2008, while the other in 2011/12

So is this the same project?

[Subdude]

Pumapayam, on Thursday, June 21st, 2007 @ 4:39pm, said:

One article claims to be opening in 2008, while the other in 2011/12

So is this the same project?

I'm sure the 2011 date is more correct. They could never have this ready by next year.

$500 million?!

[citykid09]

So how will this thing compare to other theme parks in size (acres)? The roller coasters are a new thing, they didn't mention them in the older articles. Maybe the Chronicle can give a more in-debt article on it.

Watch some big name company come in, buy it, and shut it down (Six Flags )

[houstonsemipro]

Wow! This going to be a awsome project for Houston! I can't wait for this to get off ground.

citykid09, on Thursday, June 21st, 2007 @ 6:47pm, said:

So how will this thing compare to other theme parks in size (acres)? The roller coasters are a new thing, they didn't mention them in the older articles. Maybe the Chronicle can give a more in-debt article on it.

Watch some big name company come in, buy it, and shut it down (Six Flags )

Six Flags is just a name, they don't have the money like they use to. I'm glad Six Flags is out of Houston market.

[KimberlySayWhat]

Yes, the roller coasters mentioned are new. It looks like it's going to be bigger than orignally thought.

This post has been edited by KimberlySayWhat: Thursday, June 21, 2007 at 7:43 PM

[musicman]

i should have ordered OnStar in my new car, just so i could find this place.

This post has been edited by musicman: Thursday, June 21, 2007 at 8:12 PM

[moni]

It would be fun just to watch it being built. I understand construction begins in 2008 and ends in 2011/12 if all goes according to schedule. This is a big deal!

[KimberlySayWhat]

Five years is a long time.

I'm glad they changed the name.

[Mister X]

I'm glad they changed the name too. Dinosaur City sounded so cheap - like Gator Land or Snake Pit or something that would be found along a highway in the middle of nowhere. But, Earth Quest Adventures sounds almost like something they would build at Walt Disney World next to Epcot. It sounds a lot more 'high class'.

Plus the new name allows for more themes than just Dinosaurs. Now they have other natural phenomenon to play with. If they do this right, they could make this place be like a museum of natural history - with rides and shows so people of all ages stay interested longer. Most theme parks have cultural themes, like nations, peoples, and human accomplishments - so it seems kind of refreshing to use themes that are based on natural science, like geology, weather, and space themes. It would also be great if they had animal exhibits there too.

This is such fantastic news for Houston. This area has been deprived of a decent theme park for years (that includes the last 10 years that AstroWorld was opened.) This park has such awesome potential. East Montgomery county has a lot more natural beauty than the south loop. All those pines should keep the park nice and shady (hopefully they won't go overboard with the clear cutting). But even if they do, the trees surrounding the outside the park will make this park have a much more aesthetically pleasing atmosphere. At AstroWorld, you could never truly escape from the reality of city life (you could see power lines and freeway blight from many places inside the park). Also, I think the short trek away from the city (about 30 miles from DT) will make this park seem like more of a destination than AW did.

I didn't have high hopes for Dinosaur City as it was originally announced a few months ago. A 50 acre park with no rides just sounded boring. But if money and acreage is any indication of how good EQA may turn out then now I expect this park to deliver. Hard Rock Park is a new theme park going up at Myrtle Beach. The sketches I've seen are pretty impressive. That new park will be 140 acres and they are spending $400 million and they are starting off with several roller coasters. EQA is 150 acres and $500 million. I wouldn't expect EQA to be as good as some of the more established theme parks in the nation right off the bat (in terms of actual park size and ride count), but this park will be off to a great start.

Six Flags had such a dismal choke hold in the Houston area for so long. There was no competition, so they never thought they had to invest in AstroWorld. But now that they have gone the way of the dinosaur (get it) there seems to be a real incentive for other theme park developement. Although they kept AstroWorld crappy for the last 10 years, no one else would have dared try to start a new theme park from scratch as long as they had their large presence here (not that AW was that large). With the new coaster being built in Kemah, talk of adding roller coasters and rides at Splashtown, speculation about rides in Galveston, and now this huge boost at Earth Quest Adventures, the Houston area may finally be on the map in terms of family friendly entertainment.

[RedScare]

musicman, on Thursday, June 21st, 2007 @ 8:11pm, said:

i should have ordered OnStar in my new car, just so i could find this place.

Just listen for the dueling banjos. When you hear them, it will be just around the bend.

[wxman]

You know they closed AW because of a big name developer bought it. Well the last time I checked a couple of weeks ago, it was a big open grass field with no activity. THANKS A MILLION %$^$@%^

[citykid09]

wxman, on Friday, June 22nd, 2007 @ 1:42pm, said:

You know they closed AW because of a big name developer bought it. Well the last time I checked a couple of weeks ago, it was a big open grass field with no activity. THANKS A MILLION %$^$@%^

And thats the way it will stay until they announce plans for the worlds largest Wal-Mart.

I know they already announced that it would become an "urban center" But stuff like that never goes through in Houston.

Also may become a Costco or Sam's

[Subdude]

Quote

I'm glad they changed the name too. Dinosaur City sounded so cheap - like Gator Land or Snake Pit or something that would be found along a highway in the middle of nowhere. But, Earth Quest Adventures sounds almost like something they would build at Walt Disney World next to Epcot. It sounds a lot more 'high class'.

I kind of liked "Dinosaur City" but then again I've always had a weakness for the kind of roadside attractions you describe. "Earth Quest Adventure" isn't bad, but it sounds like something a marketing consultant would dream up.

[VelvetJ]

Mister X, on Friday, June 22nd, 2007 @ 10:31am, said:

I'm glad they changed the name too. Dinosaur City sounded so cheap - like Gator Land or Snake Pit or something that would be found along a highway in the middle of nowhere. But, Earth Quest Adventures sounds almost like something they would build at Walt Disney World next to Epcot. It sounds a lot more 'high class'.

Plus the new name allows for more themes than just Dinosaurs. Now they have other natural phenomenon to play with. If they do this right, they could make this place be like a museum of natural history - with rides and shows so people of all ages stay interested longer. Most theme parks have cultural themes, like nations, peoples, and human accomplishments - so it seems kind of refreshing to use themes that are based on natural science, like geology, weather, and space themes. It would also be great if they had animal exhibits there too.

This is such fantastic news for Houston. This area has been deprived of a decent theme park for years (that includes the last 10 years that AstroWorld was opened.) This park has such awesome potential. East Montgomery county has a lot more natural beauty than the south loop. All those pines should keep the park nice and shady (hopefully they won't go overboard with the clear cutting). But even if they do, the trees surrounding the outside the park will make this park have a much more aesthetically pleasing atmosphere. At AstroWorld, you could never truly escape from the reality of city life (you could see power lines and freeway blight from many places inside the park). Also, I think the short trek away from the city (about 30 miles from DT) will make this park seem like more of a destination than AW did.

I didn't have high hopes for Dinosaur City as it was originally announced a few months ago. A 50 acre park with no rides just sounded boring. But if money and acreage is any indication of how good EQA may turn out then now I expect this park to deliver. Hard Rock Park is a new theme park going up at Myrtle Beach. The sketches I've seen are pretty impressive. That new park will be 140 acres and they are spending $400 million and they are starting off with several roller coasters. EQA is 150 acres and $500 million. I wouldn't expect EQA to be as good as some of the more established theme parks in the nation right off the bat (in terms of actual park size and ride count), but this park will be off to a great start.

Six Flags had such a dismal choke hold in the Houston area for so long. There was no competition, so they never thought they had to invest in AstroWorld. But now that they have gone the way of the dinosaur (get it) there seems to be a real incentive for other theme park developement. Although they kept AstroWorld crappy for the last 10 years, no one else would have dared try to start a new theme park from scratch as long as they had their large presence here (not that AW was that large). With the new coaster being built in Kemah, talk of adding roller coasters and rides at Splashtown, speculation about rides in Galveston, and now this huge boost at Earth Quest Adventures, the Houston area may finally be on the map in terms of family friendly entertainment.

I could not have said this any better. Every sentence was exactly on point.

OMG, if they do this right, it could be a GOLD MINE for Houston. This sort of thing could be the catalyst for attracting people to Houston from further away than east Texas, to spend their vacation money. I've always felt that whomever was the first to build a new park in the Houston area would be setting themselves up for success. It is a "perfect storm" for success......if done correctly. With a $500 million price tag, I would hope they wouldn't skimp out on the details or try to cut any corners. Big scary rides, a large selection of family friendly attractions, "runner" lights on the coasters at night, little dinosaurs on the tops of the lamp posts, Themed gift shops, etc. It's the details that makes the difference. Do this thing right the first time and the entire region will benefit.

This is excellent news. I'm so very excited about this.

This post has been edited by VelvetJ: Friday, June 22, 2007 at 4:05 PM

[Mister X]

I added this project to Editor's master list of Houston projects.

A theme park may not be the type of project that should be included on that list so I will remove it if Editor tells me to. But I thought it would be appropriate because there are other projects that are on the list that are 25 miles from DT (like the Endevor Tower on Clear Lake) AND I think this park will make a significant impact on the city if built. Lots of jobs, lots of money involved.

Plus, the longer that list is, the happer I am to be living in Houston!

P.S. - I wonder if the name of this thread could be changed to "Earth Quest Adventure", or am I pressing my luck.

This post has been edited by Mister X: Friday, June 22, 2007 at 4:16 PM

[Subdude]

Mister X, on Friday, June 22nd, 2007 @ 4:13pm, said:

I added this project to Editor's master list of Houston projects.

Thanks.

Quote

P.S. - I wonder if the name of this thread could be changed to "Earth Quest Adventure", or am I pressing my luck.

Done.

[musicman]

danax, on Friday, June 22nd, 2007 @ 6:31pm, said:

Could start gettin some them there highrise condominiums going up.

that first step's a BIG one!

[Mister X]

danax, on Friday, June 22nd, 2007 @ 4:31pm, said:

Has anyone figured out who the entity is that is planning to build this? The last article only mentions the East Montgomery County Improvement District and that there's a bill in the State legislature waiting for the governor's signature, so it sounds like the State is putting up funds but the author leaves us guessing.... It says that this site was chosen from 64 sites around the country, so obviously this wasn't just EMCID's idea.

This might spur development in New Caney.

Could start gettin some them there highrise condominiums going up.

I found an old article in the Chronicle archives. Much of the info is outdated but it might shed some light on the entity planning to build this. The article says the developer is 'Project Rex, LLC' - whatever that is.

WARNING! OLD INFORMATION written 11/23/06

http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive....id=2006_4233744

If this project does spur development in New Caney, it wouldn't be the first time a theme park on the outskirts of a large metropolitan area transformed a rural area into a tourist town. If this park takes off, you won't need ONSTAR to find it. The park will be in between the row of hotels, motels, putt-putts, and shopping centers.

This post has been edited by Mister X: Saturday, June 23, 2007 at 1:05 AM

[Mom22Blessings]

I didn't know Onstar gave directions. I thought that was what a GPS was for.

[Trae]

At 150 acres, this is almost twice the size of Astroworld. From the descriptions and things like that, it looks to be like a Busch Gardens as well. I wouldn't mind a Busch Gardens type park in Houston. The one in Williamsburg, Virgina is top-notch. Some huge roller coasters, family rides, and animal exhibits.

[Deut28Thirteen]

Trae, on Thursday, June 28th, 2007 @ 5:07pm, said:

At 150 acres, this is almost twice the size of Astroworld. From the descriptions and things like that, it looks to be like a Busch Gardens as well. I wouldn't mind a Busch Gardens type park in Houston. The one in Williamsburg, Virgina is top-notch. Some huge roller coasters, family rides, and animal exhibits.

That is a real nice park. I have been to it about 2 or 3 times. My moms side is from Va. Beach/Norfolk. Williamsburg is a nice little city with a nice small collage. Six Flags was not that bad untill the last five years it was up and it was still sad to see it go. I hope they keep some pines when they build this park too. I did not know about this but I an glad we are building it.

[Trae]

Yeah, I have been to Williamsburg, VA. Nice town. Busch Gardens was the highlight of the trip down there. If Earth Quest Adventures turns into a Busch Gardens, I am all for it.

[wxman]

Trae, on Thursday, June 28th, 2007 @ 8:30pm, said:

Yeah, I have been to Williamsburg, VA. Nice town. Busch Gardens was the highlight of the trip down there. If Earth Quest Adventures turns into a Busch Gardens, I am all for it.

Or Kings Dominion outside of Richmond. Virginia is awesome!

[Trae]

How the hell do these cities get these parks, but Houston got nothing? I am just glad we are getting something now at least.

[KinkaidAlum]

Trae, on Friday, June 29th, 2007 @ 12:19pm, said:

How the hell do these cities get these parks, but Houston got nothing? I am just glad we are getting something now at least.

Well, Williamsburg is a huge tourist draw and Virginia Beach is a MAJOR destination in the summer. It also doesn't hurt that the park is located in a fairly large metro area (Hampton Roads with a population of about 1.7 million) and is within an easy drive (under 300 miles) of New York City, Philly, Baltimore, DC, Charlotte, Richmond, Raleigh, Greensboro, Columbia, Harrisburg, New Haven, Albany, Scranton, Pittsburgh, Hartford, and many other major areas respresenting about 55 MILLION people.

By comparison, Houston is very isolated.

[Mister X]

How many people live within 300 miles of New Caney? That would include the Houston Metro, DFW metro, SA and Austin Metros, Corpus and RGV, East Texas, most of what's left of Louisiana and all the little towns in between. I would guess it's somewhere around 20 million. The parks in Virginia may serve a larger market, but there are at least a dozen other large theme parks that they have to compete with that also serve the same 55 million that the Virginia parks do.

This park might turn out very nice based on the size, location and money they are spending (keeping fingers crossed), but I think when the developers say they are going to focus on the regional crowd, they mean the immediate 6 million in the Houston area in 2011 or 12. This will be a regional park. 6 million is more than enough to create a strong base of support. And there will be a lot less parks to compete for the 20 million people within the 300 mile radius of EQA than the 55 million within the 300 mile radius of the Virginia parks. I can only think of 3 big theme parks in Texas.

Whatever the population figures are for EQA, they were about the same for AstroWorld. But there were a lot of factors working against AW that a park in New Caney won't have to deal with, specifically, parking issues, space to grow, a bad reputation, outdated attractions, the neglect of an evil, poorly managed, heartless corporate empire. (Don Lessum says that EQA will be the culmination of his life's work - I consider that a very good sign)

Some of the older press releases about this park say that they expect EQA to be the second highest tourist attraction in the state in their second year, only behind the Alamo. I'm optimistic about the success of this park but unless they are planning something extremely unique and spectacular, it's hard to imagine EQA drawing more attendence than Six Flags over Texas, SeaWorld, or Six Flags Fiesta Texas in only 2 years of existance. But what do I know? I'm sure the newness factor might bring in a few extra tourist from outside the Houston area. But personally, I'd just be ecstatic for a nice-sized, clean park with a pleasent atmosphere and lots of good coasters, theming, and landscaping (everything that AstroWorld wasn't), something Houston can be proud of and will be able to hold it's own in the enchanted, yet brutal world of theme park competition.

This post has been edited by Mister X: Saturday, June 30, 2007 at 2:37 AM

[Trae]

You know, Astroworld wasn't that bad until like '02 for me. Serial Thriller came in, and was the park's first real roller coaster in a few years. It was pretty good until the Texas Tornado closed, and then place got REALLY dirty. Was too bad.

Earth Quest Adventures will be out in the open. Don't know what the landscape is like in New Caney (can someone tell me). Parking shouldn't be an issue, 59 traffic shouldn't be an issue. It would also be closer to the airport.

[Mister X]

I agree, AW wasn't always a bad theme park. I really thought that any problems it had could have been fixed if only the company that owned it cared about it. I grew up going to AW and had a season pass for several years when I was a teenager, but even at it's peek, I remember my friends and family always complaining about how AW wasn't as good as Six Flags over Texas. Everyone I knew thought it was too small and would constantly compare AW's shortcomings to the better overall experience that SFoT provided.

Back in the 80s, the coaster collection at AW was very good (for the time), the park was kept clean and well-maintained but even then AW always had to take a back seat to the better theme parks in the nation. I always thought it had something to do with the lack of shade trees and the fact that you could always see so much of the city from inside the park. Although AW started out life with very good theming, you could see the Astrodome, the freeway and power lines from inside the park. It was probably just built in a bad location from the start, although the views of the Houston skylines was pretty cool from the tall rides.

AW wasn't a shady park in the early 80s (and before) and it always seemed less comfortable (too much hot sun in the face) than SFOT. Just when the trees were finally beginning to mature enough to supply the park with a better atmosphere is when the operations started going down hill. This is why it burns me up that all the trees were removed, it took almost 40 friggin' years to grow them and only a couple of months to cut them all down. AW started off as a barren, swampy field and after everything that was done on that piece of land over the last 37 years it has returned to the barren field from which it came. Unbelievable!

I've drove by New Caney on HWY 59 about 10 years ago, I remember nothing but a thick pine forest along 59 from Humble to Nacogdoches (that was my destination). It sounds like the park will be near Caney Creek. It would be awsome if somehow they could incorporate the running creek and all it's natural beauty into the park layout and landscape. Busch Gardens in Virginia has a river running right through the middle of it. Stuff like that is what will give a theme park a good atmosphere. It isn't always about the rides or even the size. I think it is about escaping reality for a few hours every summer. I don't want to see the harsh mechanics of the real world (utility lines, freeways, ect) while in a theme park, only fantasy or at very least well-groomed natural settings. If EQA turned out anywhere near as good as BG, then life would be complete.

[Trae]

Are there any hills up in New Caney? Also, Six Flags over Texas is in the middle of Arlington. The park is big enough to where you don't see much of the city when you are in the middle, but around the outskirts, you can hear freeway noise (two freeways passing by it), and airplanes (DFW Airport is real close by).

[KimberlySayWhat]

My aunt said this park is practically going to be in her back yard. Now my uncle wants to move.

[Mister X]

I'm sure we will be hearing plenty from the disgruntled neighbors. Luckily the project seems to have the blessings and cooperation of East Montgomery County, but no doubt there will be some people screaming about a project this big and all the people it will bring into the area which will interfere with their nice secluded lifestyles. Personally, I would love to have a roller coaster in my back yard, but I admit I'm not normal.

Yeah, SFoT is very good, but it isn't as great as parks like BG and Disney when it comes to providing an escape from reality. But even though I rag on DFW all the time and SFoT may not be the perfect theme park, I would be very happy if EQA was modeled after it. I've always liked the way the paths at SFoT were like getting lost in a maze. Because it was one of the the first theme parks built anywhere, it grew and evolved in a unique way. I remember as a kid, it was so easy to get lost there. I think that adds to the fantasy.

But more than likely a new park will be built in a circular layout like Islands of Adventure and Hard Rock Park. There is a certain logic to it, people don't get lost as easily, but I think it's cool trying to find your way around a theme park and not knowing whats around the bend. But really I'll be happy with any layout as long as the park is pretty and the atmosphere is good.

This post has been edited by Mister X: Saturday, June 30, 2007 at 5:39 PM

[Trae]

I hope the park goes to at least 200 acres. I thought this thing was pretty big, until I started looking at how large other parks are. Fiesta Texas is 200 acres, SFoT is at 250 acres. Bush Gardens Tamp is at over 300. I guess I shouldn't complain much though. Hopefully this park is big enough to support some nice roller coaster rides. That's all I care about. I plan on being in Houston in 2011, so I'll visit the park. I wonder what the resort hotel will be like. Also, which side of 59 is this on?

[Mister X]

Park acres are kind of a funny measurement to go by. The numbers always seem to vary depending on where they come from. The figures I keep seeing on SFoT is that it is 200-212 acres, I just did a google search and typed "six flags over texas acres"

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari...-8&oe=UTF-8

But how many of those acres are used for the actual park? I would guess it's right around 85 acres for the part that people walk around and the rides are built on. SFoT has a very large parking lot which is probably 75 acres, a large pond near the front drive which is probably at about 40 acres, and several acres that are used by for offices, maintanance and storage areas.

AstroWorld was on a 109 acre plot. The actual park including the last few vacant areas was about 75 acres, the water park was about 15 acres. I would guess about 10 acres were used for offices and maintenance areas. Some of it was leased to the car dealership (I think). They never included the parking lot in the count because they leased that from Harris County.

Discovery Kingdom (formerly Marine World) near San Francisco is on 135 acres, the parking lot is only about 50 acres and the actual park feels about as big as SFoT. I would guess they use about 75-80 acres for the actual park. There is a large animal section, 8 roller coasters, several theatres, and many flat rides.

But I agree, I also hope they add another 50-100 acres as a buffer zone to EQA, but the only thing that really matters is how they use the acres. I wouldn't be surprised if the county secures more acres for the park. The area they are talking about is west of 59 near Caney Creek. On the satellite image it looks like about 500 acres of continuous forest around that area. But I don't know exactly where the 150 acres are within that pocket that they are talking about building the park on.

I think to get a real idea about what to expect from EQA would be to check out the illustrations and model of the new Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach. It is being built on 140 acres and is costing $400 million. Project Rex claims to be spending $100 million more for EQA, so I hope that means it will be even cooler than HRP.

Here is a link to the rendering of Hard Rock Park. Try to find the photos of the model of HRP - it is awesome.
http://www.hardrockpark.com/press/J_Hard_R..._Rendering2.jpg

This post has been edited by Mister X: Saturday, June 30, 2007 at 9:31 PM

[Trae]

A dinosaur, or "earth" theme is much easier to work with, so hopefully we will see more rides. Would be amazing for them to buy up the whole 500 acres (or most of it) for expansion.

[wxman]

Anybody in the market for buying land? Now is the time to do it in New Caney. You are about to see a sleepy little town in the woods transform into an urban mega attraction. Think about it...Condos, hotels, resturants, the theme park, road expansions. Not only will you see New Caney explode in population, but Kingwood, The Woodlands, Spring, Conroe...anywhere within 20 miles of the park.

By the way, I went to Kemah tonight and they already have the roller coaster built. All that's left to do is put the rail on it. The entire wood structure is in place. It's amazing at how small the space was that it sits on.

[wxman]

Earth Quest Adventures is one step closer to reality. Gov. Rick Perry has signed legislation paving the way for tax incentives to draw the park to E. Montgomery County.

[Trae]

wxman, on Sunday, July 1st, 2007 @ 10:47pm, said:

Anybody in the market for buying land? Now is the time to do it in New Caney. You are about to see a sleepy little town in the woods transform into an urban mega attraction. Think about it...Condos, hotels, resturants, the theme park, road expansions. Not only will you see New Caney explode in population, but Kingwood, The Woodlands, Spring, Conroe...anywhere within 20 miles of the park.

I doubt The Woodlands, Conroe, or Spring explode. New Caney, if you draw a straight line, is where the Hard Tollroad and I-45 meet. The towns that I think will explode are the ones in between Porter and Splendora. Also, Porter Heights to the west of the park site. All of the towns are not even as far north as Conroe. Splendora is just north of Highway 242, but it is still south of Conroe.

[KimberlySayWhat]

Here's the article:

Perry signing is major boost for planned theme park
Houston Business Journal - 10:49 AM CDT Friday, July 13, 2007
Print this Article Email this Article Reprints RSS Feeds Most Viewed Most Emailed
Earthquest, a massive Disney-style entertainment complex north of Houston, is a step closer to reality after Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed enabling legislation for tax incentives to lure the project to East Montgomery County.

The rest:
http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories...09/daily57.html

[Trae]

Quote

The project is expected to cost more than $600 million and cover 250 acres, with a $150 million spa hotel also to be built on the site.

Damn, when did the extra 100 acres get added on? That is great.

Is this the right section for this project?

This post has been edited by Trae: Friday, July 13, 2007 at 1:11 PM