Memories Of Astroworld

[Pumapayam]

Edited April 28, 2009 by Pumapayam

[Vertigo58]

That was a great response up above!

However, try speaking to former Madison High School alumni and I bet that have so much more info than the rest of us other other neighborhood pals.

My 1st girlfriend & her school mates would have all the inside skinny on such knowledge. Astroworld was in their backyards.

[sevfiv]

Same one as above, from a postcard:

[lockmat]

Six Flags Declares Bankruptcy

NEW YORK -- The amusement park company Six Flags says it has filed for bankruptcy.

The New York-based operator of 20 theme parks in the U.S., Mexico and Canada said Saturday that the filing in a federal bankruptcy court in Delaware is part of its plan to reorganize and shed $1.8 billion worth of debt.

Company CEO Mark Shapiro said the move won't effect the day-to-day operations of the parks.

Six Flags said it actually had a great year in 2008. It saw 25 million visitors and posted record revenues.

However, it said it needed to do something about its crushing debt load.

An earlier plan to work out an out-of-court deal with creditors wasn't successful.

That logic and the avenue to allow that happen just makes steam come out your ears.

[IronTiger]

Six Flags just hasn't been doing well. They need to sell, sell, sell (only down to Over Texas, Over Georgia, St. Louis, Magic Mountain, Great America, Fiesta Texas) and KILL Mr. Six forever! They should've sold AstroWorld instead of demolishing it, for one...

[foxmulder]

Six Flags just hasn't been doing well. They need to sell, sell, sell (only down to Over Texas, Over Georgia, St. Louis, Magic Mountain, Great America, Fiesta Texas) and KILL Mr. Six forever! They should've sold AstroWorld instead of demolishing it, for one...

Fiesta Texas is lame...and so is the Dc one. They should focus more on service in the park. Rules/policy's are not the same everywhere. Magic Mountain was a big eye opener...

[kylejack]

Six Flags just hasn't been doing well. They need to sell, sell, sell (only down to Over Texas, Over Georgia, St. Louis, Magic Mountain, Great America, Fiesta Texas) and KILL Mr. Six forever! They should've sold AstroWorld instead of demolishing it, for one...

They shouldn't have sold Astroworld at all. They said it was profitable but they were selling it because they got a good offer. Now I'm happy to see their company burn.

[KimberlySayWhat]

I wouldn't care if they closed Fiesta Texas and Over Texas. If we can't have one they don't need one either.

[foxmulder]

They shouldn't have sold Astroworld at all. They said it was profitable but they were selling it because they got a good offer. Now I'm happy to see their company burn.

The park was profitable...How ever, they didn't get a good offer on the land... Check out sixflagshouston.com for the full details.

[lockmat]

The park was profitable...How ever, they didn't get a good offer on the land... Check out sixflagshouston.com for the full details.

Holy Cow, I don't know whether to be happy or sad about this news!!! From the timeline of that website:

2006

*Dungeon Drop tower relocated to Six Flags St Louis.

2007

*Greezed Lightnin' rollercoaster relocated and scheduled to open at Joyland park in Lubbock, TX.

*Mayan Mindbender rollercoaster and Gunslinger relocated and scheduled to open at Wonderland park in Amarillo, TX.

[KristinDaugherty]

Holy Cow, I don't know whether to be happy or sad about this news!!! From the timeline of that website:

2006

*Dungeon Drop tower relocated to Six Flags St Louis.

2007

*Greezed Lightnin' rollercoaster relocated and scheduled to open at Joyland park in Lubbock, TX.

*Mayan Mindbender rollercoaster and Gunslinger relocated and scheduled to open at Wonderland park in Amarillo, TX.

AFAIK, Joyland is having trouble with the soil Greezy is supposed to sit on. That's why it has yet to be reinstalled.

Dammit.

[lockmat]

AFAIK, Joyland is having trouble with the soil Greezy is supposed to sit on. That's why it has yet to be reinstalled.

Dammit.

I checked out their website. The minute it's installed, it'll be the best ride they have.

[IronTiger]

Light a candle tomorrow evening, for it was that day that Astroworld closed forever. Five years ago.

I regret to say I never went into the park, but I can probably think that if the park had continued past 2005 and had been spared the ill-thought maneuvers of then-Six Flags CEO Kieran Burke, its untimely death would be delayed. The recession probably could've killed it, as well as any damage caused by Ike. I can also imagine that the Dungeon Drop would've been heavily avoided after the "severed cable cutting off feet" incident (it was the same model and ride type).

Anyway...

Do you want to share some thoughts, memories, etc.?

[foxmulder]

Light a candle tomorrow evening, for it was that day that Astroworld closed forever. Five years ago.

I regret to say I never went into the park, but I can probably think that if the park had continued past 2005 and had been spared the ill-thought maneuvers of then-Six Flags CEO Kieran Burke, its untimely death would be delayed. The recession probably could've killed it, as well as any damage caused by Ike. I can also imagine that the Dungeon Drop would've been heavily avoided after the "severed cable cutting off feet" incident (it was the same model and ride type).

Anyway...

Do you want to share some thoughts, memories, etc.?

Um...It's next month! Ugh...i miss it so bad.

[IronTiger]

Um...It's next month! Ugh...i miss it so bad.

Dang! You are indeed correct...but at this point five years ago, Astroworld WAS doomed, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

[foxmulder]

Dang! You are indeed correct...but at this point five years ago, Astroworld WAS doomed, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

I think at this point the waterworld demo stuff had just started no?

[GBryant]

I only went a handful of times as a kid in the 80s, so every return would see some attractions gone and some new. I remember there being one thing that I found once and never found again even though I would desperately look for it. It was a system of caves that you could walk through that featured various kid-oriented obstacles. i think there were crystals buried in the walls. Anybody know what I'm talking about? Other vague remembrances:

1. My dad taking me on the Texas Cyclone when I was about five. I barely made the height requirement. I refused to go on another roller coaster until I was in high school. They still make me nervous.

2. The Horizon Theater always smelled vaguely of vomit.

3. Wasn't the XLR8 slowed down at some point? i think I remember my friends lamenting that it used to be faster.

4. I was dropped off at Fright Nights one year with a friend and some kid got shot. I think it was about 87 or 88. I suspect that signaled the beginning of the end.

5. Fruit juices in fruit shaped bottles with crazy straws.

6. The forward part of Greezed Lightning was fine, but the backwards part always got to me.

7. The big sombrero spinning chairs on the end of chains thing gave me the willies. I always pictured one of the chains snapping and me ending up over by the Serpent or something.

8. What was the name if that river boat ride? Forbidden River or something? I thought that was cool.

9. The model Ts on rails always looked way more exciting than they actually were.

Shame about the 'world.

[IronTiger]

Yeah, WaterWorld was already closed by today five years ago and was beginning demolition. One of the stories I heard (on HAIF) involved teenaged thugs with baseball bats (among other things). The riff-raff was quelled by the 2000s, but it was too little, too late. By the 2000s, a lot of the big-ticket rides were often closed for repairs.

[Highway6]

The tone of the opening post and this thread remind me of a "Where they are now..." segment of a barely famous athlete who was around only a few short years ago.

... Next on ESPN Ocho, "Where they are now.. The Brandon Backe Story."

Anyways... I remember always going to Astroworld the last week of the season after all the public school kids were already back in class. The park would be mostly deserted and it was great. I remember there being zero line at the Viper so they just let us run 3-4 times in a row non-stop. I also remember a cheesy Michael W Smith concert one summer.

[Fringe]

The place went downhill when they started having cheap summer passes. Certain people figured out it was cheaper than day care so they would drop off their juvenile delinquents in the morning and come back and pick them up when the park closed leaving them totally unsupervised.   

[alsal29]

We always called the mountain thing Magic Mountain, I don't know if that was the actual name or not, but as a kid I loved it and it was doubly awesome because it had air conditioning. They turned it into the batcave for the Batman ride, and it was still ok as it still had the AC, but not nearly as awesome.

The river ride was called Thunder River.

My brother used to work there when the still had the dolphin shows. I was sad to see that go.

I miss Astroworld. Supposedly, Greased Lighting has been bought by a little amusement park in Lubbock. I would love to ride it there. And it looks as though they moved the looping starship to Six Flags over Texas and renamed it the Roadrunner ROcket or something like that.

[GBryant]

The river ride was called Thunder River.

No, not Thunder River. Some Googling revealed that I was trying to remember River of No Return. King Kong used to scare the heck out of me. Thanks for trying, though!

[alsal29]

Ooh. That was before my time then. : )

[NenaE]

We always called the mountain thing Magic Mountain, I don't know if that was the actual name or not, but as a kid I loved it and it was doubly awesome because it had air conditioning. They turned it into the batcave for the Batman ride, and it was still ok as it still had the AC, but not nearly as awesome.

...

The mountain thing was originally part of the Alpine Sleigh Ride. I can't recall the official name for that area of the park, but it probably had the word Alpine in it. It was one of my favorite attractions in the early days of Astroworld. It's popularity is probably at least halfway attributed to the fact that you could cool off in that mountain. It was a ride that would have attracted all ages. Once you entered the tunnel, there was a mechanical abominable snowman, would jump out at you in the darkness, as you turned a corner. Scared me to death, as a kid.

Another favorite of mine was the Bamboo Chute. I don't think it ever changed, much.

I just did a search in HAIF for Astroworld map, one old map has the sleigh ride area listed as Alpine Valley, a later one has the name European Village.

Edited October 1, 2010 by NenaE

[GBryant]

The mountain thing was originally part of the Alpine Sleigh Ride. I can't recall the official name for that area of the park, but it probably had the word Alpine in it. It was one of my favorite attractions in the early days of Astroworld. It's popularity is probably at least halfway attributed to the fact that you could cool off in that mountain. It was a ride that would have attracted all ages. Once you entered the tunnel, there was a mechanical abominable snowman, would jump out at you in the darkness, as you turned a corner. Scared me to death, as a kid.

Another favorite of mine was the Bamboo Chute. I don't think it ever changed, much.

I spent an inordinate amount of time on Astroworld sites yesterday and, among other things, learned that the mountain was called Discovery Mountain and was part of the Enchanted Kingdom during the period i was referring to. Yes, it used to be the Alpine Sleighs mountain and ended its days as the Batman: The Escape mountain.

Here is a link to more Astroworld reminiscing than you need:

http://www.sixflagshouston.com/forums/

Enjoy

[Earlydays]

I remember going to Astroworld when it first opened.....

[Montrose1100]

I loved Astroworld! I was sad when they took away the Taz Texas Tornado. Dungeon Drop was my absolute favorite ride. I rode it 10 times on that final sunday. I loved the layout, and all the rides. The Viper was the first Looped roller coaster I ever rode. Shame we lost it.

[samagon]

The place went downhill when they started having cheap summer passes. Certain people figured out it was cheaper than day care so they would drop off their juvenile delinquents in the morning and come back and pick them up when the park closed leaving them totally unsupervised.

they always had cheap summer passes.

My parents would buy season passes for the family every year until I was about 13 or so, then I had to buy them myself and they were still less than $50 (early-mid 90s).

My first ride in the park that I rode on was Excalibur, then called Dexter Freebish, and I always called it that until they ripped it out for that other ride. What's weird is, even though it didn't have a loop or anything else, it was still one of my favorite rides there.

I remember waiting in line when the xlr8 first opened for hours, and I was so bummed out by how slow it was. they sped it up (for whoever said they slowed it down). I think the ceiling fan in my room at my parents house still has the XLR8 stickers on it that they gave away when it opened.

I also remember the weird shack where they would screw with your mind and seeming roll billiard balls uphill. and they had peacocks, and the dolphin show, glad my parents took me there a lot, it was fun!

Edited October 7, 2010 by samagon

[Bill Davenport]

At the end of this month, on October 30 from 5-7 pm, Optical Project Gallery in houston Heights will be showing the (somewhat battered) original model of Astroworld in honor of the fifth anniversary of the park's closing. 1125 E 11th St. http://www.opticalproject.com

[IronTiger]

Hey! It's October 30th, 6:20pm. Regrettably, I can't go see the model...