Astroworld has closed, the rides have been either sold or demolished and the land has been sold. To those of us who loved the Houston theme park, it’s closing has been sad but not unexpected.
My Mother took me to Astroworld in 1968, the second weekend the park was open. I remember it fondly. Astroworld was a beautiful park with themed areas: the Alpine Valley, a European Village, Fiesta Plaza, Oriental Corner and the Western Junction. There were fun rides and attractions such as the Black Dragon, Astrowheel, Lost World Adventure, Alpine Sleigh Ride and the Crystal Palace. The staff was well trained and the grounds were lovely. It is a shame that the Six Flags management never cared for it like the people of Houston did.
I took my kids there when they were little. Everyone did. But as time passed things slowly but surely went down hill. Many of us who had once so loved the park now viewed it as a place to be avoided at all costs.
Sad indeed but honestly, I had vowed never to go there again after several instances where I felt my family was in danger just by being there. Ride safety and park safety were concerns of many parents. In recent years the area of South Houston has become very crime ridden and it had spilled over to the park. Rowdy youths went unchecked and it was not a place you wanted to take your kids to. Maybe it was just a sign of the times, but Astro World was no longer a place to feel safe and carefree.
Not to mention the overall condition of the park. Before Six Flags took it over, the park was clean and well taken care of. You felt safe on the rides. That all changed when it became a Six Flags property. I personally had to pull my children from a line because I witnessed the staff duct taping a safety bar on a roller coaster. The seasons under Six Flags management saw fountains filled with blue dye, but they were hardly clean. If you dipped your hand into the water and smelled - it stank and not just a little.
The food that once was good and affordable was really bad. Prices for even a bottle of water were outrageous. Astroworld just wasn’t fun anymore.
So here is to fond memories of good days at Astroworld. It was fun while it lasted but I am not sorry to see what it had become leave Houston.
Six Flags Astroworld
1968 - 2005
