Turner ends term without fulfilling theme park vow, but Houston has been close

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — As Mayor Sylvester Turner leaves office, his vision to bring back a theme park during his term appears unlikely, but industry experts believe it won’t be much longer until Houston gets a theme park.

‘I still see ghosts’: The memories of Astroworld are still fresh in Houstonians minds nearly 20 years after it closed

The Texas Cyclone, Greezed Lightnin’, and Excalibur were names that brought laughs, screams, and tears to Houstonians for years. Then, suddenly, nearly 20 years ago, they were gone.

“I still see ghosts when I drive by,” an Astroworld collector, Todd Nelkin, said. “It’s getting less and less. When I drive by, if I close my eyes, I can see the Cyclone.”

Some of his collected items are from a place he once loved. The joy is now only found in a stuffed animal, bobblehead, and mug because the theme park has been gone for 18 years.

“The demise of Astroworld is like Houston’s own Kennedy assassination,” Nelkin explained. “Everyone has a different theory.”

Why did Astroworld close? Some blame crime, others the increased property values after NRG Stadium was built or the theme park’s own financial issues.

Whatever the reason, one thing hasn’t changed. Houston doesn’t have a theme park.

“It would be great,” parent Ryan Russell said. “It would be really nice not to have to drive to Dallas or San Antonio to take my kid to a theme park.”

“It’s kind of sad,” Kelly Duhon, a parent, said. “I mean, Houston is huge. We should have one.”

‘We need another major attraction’: obtained emails showing how close Houston got to getting another theme park, and how much it could’ve cost taxpayers

It appears Houston almost did get another theme park.

Turner vowed to deliver a new attraction four years ago while on stage at a Travis Scott concert.

“We’re going to bring another theme park back to the city,” Turner said on stage.

Months later, Turner posted on social media that a company was interested in creating a theme park. An announcement he said was coming. It never did.

13 investigates requested the mayor’s emails to look into what happened. In July 2019, an email from a Visit Houston marketing staff member to the mayor’s team talked about a potential developer.

“The purpose of the call is to see if Houston is looking to add a major attraction. Meaning if this is a billion-dollar project, which is the number I have mentioned by Herschend, would the city be interested in exploring a partnership? I have been told that the company’s investment would be in the neighborhood of $300-500 million,” the email read.

Turner responded by saying, “Very high interest. Priority.” ABC13 reached out to the developer, Herschend, but didn’t hear back.

In February 2020, right before the pandemic, Turner sent an email that read, “I have decided to name the Theme Park Task Force the end of the week. Orlando has a population of about 250,000 people but receives 75 million visitors a year. We need another major attraction.”

A city staffer replied, “Hershend (Dollywood) signed a real estate deal with Cushman (Dave Cook) for seeking sites and related real estate services. Of course, the task force could also work with other producers.”

New theme parks are being developed outside of southeast Texas, but industry experts believe eventually, one will come to Houston

“It’s shocking to me that Houston still does not have a theme park,” Christopher Penney said.

Penney is an associate professor at the University of North Texas business school, but he also studies theme parks.

“It is the largest metropolitan area in the U.S. that lacks a theme park,” Penney explained. “It’s just a matter of time before someone takes a chance and builds a theme park in Houston.”

Attractions that are once again being developed. This year, a $2 billion theme park, American Heartland, was announced in Oklahoma. In the Dallas area, in Frisco, city leaders unveiled a new Universal Studios-type theme park aimed at younger kids.

Universal why it chose Frisco over Houston, but didn’t hear back.

However, on its website, Universal says north Texas is one of the fastest growing areas, and Frisco has had success attracting businesses. Frisco said it’s spending more than $200 million on infrastructure near the proposed site.

Experts said Houston may need to offer incentives.

“You could make the argument that luring in a major theme park is very similar to luring in a major sports franchise,” Penney explained. “The Houston Texans is a similar story where you bring in so much tourism dollars to the city.”