Earth Quest Adventures

[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]

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]

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]

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.

[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.

[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

[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]

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

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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]

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?

[Mister X]

I'm about to explode. If Houston Buisness Journal reports anymore good news today I may pass out. First the report of a new 47 story skyscraper for downtown Houston, then a report about the Astrodome Hotel Complex receiving fianancial backing, and now this story about EQA moving forward.

The new report says that EQA is now going to be 250 acres and $600 million! And Disneylike! - Sounds like quality all the way baby. Who said that Friday the 13th was unlucky. As a theme park and skyscraper enthusiast, This may be the best news day in the history of HAIF! (so far)

[moni]

Yes, it is very exciting. Houston is really growing in the right direction and maybe HAIF had something to do with it. You all should be proud.

[Pumapayam]

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.

Well, this is better than the incentives he promoted for the Trans-Atlantic Corridor, but I am still mad at him.

[Boris]

Here are a couple of websites mentioned in the article. No info on EarthQuest but gives an Idea of their work:

http://www.dinodon.com/

http://www.exhibitsrex.com/

[Trae]

The new article mentions nothing about the roller coaster rides. Are they still in the plans?

[Mister X]

As a devout bleeding-heart liberal democrat, I would vote for Perry as Queen of Texas if an election were held today. I might regret it tomorrow however.

Signing legislation to make it easier for EQA to be built in Mongomery county may be the nicest thing (maybe the only one) he's ever done for the Houston area.

Thanx Gov.

[Mister X]

The new article mentions nothing about the roller coaster rides. Are they still in the plans?

I noticed that too. But since the price is up to over $600 million, I would bet that rides are included, probably some good ones too. I bet HBJ didn't mention it because there was no mention of rides from the original announcement back in November.

At 250 acres and the amount of money they are investing for the park, it would be ridiculous (not to mention suicide) to not include rides. They will need them to get the masses to drive 30 miles out of town. I don't think they could expect to get 2.5 million visitors a year with just some fiberglass dinosaurs.

[Trae]

Your right. No doubt some rides will be included. I want some big ones, too, like the Titan.

[moni]

I'm about to explode. If Houston Buisness Journal reports anymore good news today I may pass out. First the report of a new 47 story skyscraper for downtown Houston, then a report about the Astrodome Hotel Complex receiving fianancial backing, and now this story about EQA moving forward.

The new report says that EQA is now going to be 250 acres and $600 million! And Disneylike! - Sounds like quality all the way baby. Who said that Friday the 13th was unlucky. As a theme park and skyscraper enthusiast, This may be the best news day in the history of HAIF! (so far)

Also, don't forget "Snow Mountain"

[HankHillsBrother]

I am still having a hard time believing that EQA is a real project and that it will actually be built. I don't want to be pessimistic I really want it to be built! So many times there have been big announcements about projects but then fell through. This one is REALLY REALLY huge which makes me apprehensive until I see the groundbreaking. Maybe my company will get to work on it! Over the years I have seen several parks planned but never built such as a water park on the site of the now Wal Mart SC at Katy Mills Mall and another on I10 between Fry and Mason near where the former Indigo Earth was planned. I can't imagine what 600 million dollars will buy in the way of a new theme park. That is Disney style money. That is incredible. I am all for it. Everyone says the Houston area needs a nice new theme park built outside of the city. I cringe every time I drive by the old AstroWorld site and see a big overgrown lot. I can't see how that is making much money, but I digress. The New Caney area up there is a good location that I never considered. If you have been to the Ren. Fest near Plantersville then that might give you an idea of the big pine trees and pretty forests that can be incorporated into the design of a theme park. If this place is built, hopefully the people that have the means to do a project like that will also have the sense to not clear cut but design the park in the woods as much as possible. Summer visitors would rather be in the nice shady relatively cooler woods than in an open sweltering area.

I am hoping for the best and wanting it to be built. It could really bring a fantastic change to our area if done well.