 The days are getting longer and the weather's getting warmer. And - as always - Texas' spring season is a time of year when it's hard to concentrate on work or school.
The culprit? It's our fair Texas weather - and the knowledge that Texas' best playgrounds are now open every weekend - and summer fun is just around the corner.
The quest for fun, in fact, can be found in every corner of the Lone Star State and there seems to be a theme or amusement park for just about every taste.
A National Trend
But Texans aren't alone in their quest for fun. There are more than 450 amusement and theme parks and over 1,000 waterparks nationwide. You could say Americans have a passion and obession with theme park fun. However, Texans have always had a way of doing things bigger and well...better.
In 2005, the illustrious Golden Ticket Awards were hosted at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio. This is the Oscars of the amusement park industry awarded annually by Amusement Today, the #1 amusement industry magazine and website. To win a Golden Ticket translates not only into honor among your peers, but increased revenues at the gate - which is always the bottom line.
However industry professionals will tell you it's not just about having the newest rides and the most ticket sales. Parks today are focusing on customer service and guest satisfaction more than ever. It's all about finding that perfect format for providing quality entertainment that keeps customers coming back year after year.
Texas Theme Parks Take Honors
Texas parks did well in last years awards with Schlitterbahn Waterpark of New Braunfels receiving three Golden Ticket Awards and Six Flags Fiesta Texas receiving a pair of awards - the most for any one state!
Schlitterbahn New Braunfels received the award for Best Landscaping at a waterpark, Best Water Park Ride , and Best Water Park in the Nation! Fiesta Texas received the award for Best Shows and placed second for Best Outdoor Night Production, beaten out only by the much larger and older Epcot Center of Orlando, Florida.
 While most amusement industry news was promising and profitable, there was a ripple of sadness among Texan theme park goers as one of the oldest theme parks closed, Six Flags AstroWorld of Houston. Thousands attended park auctions vying for pieces of the park to take home with them, memories to remind them of the great legacy that was once AstroWorld. The Texas Cyclone, once known as one of the best wooden roller coasters in the country was dismantled this month. It was a prominent feature of the Houston skyline and will be sorely missed.
But the good news is that two of Astroworld's favorite steel rollercoasters will be given a new life at two family-owned Texas amusement parks continuing the AstroWorld legacy.
 In need of a mid-size family coaster, Wonderland Amusement Park in Amarillo, purchased AstroWorld’s Mayan Mindbender and the Gunslinger. Both rides are expected to make their debut in the 2007 season but could open sooner. New for this season, Wonderland Park purchased a 15-meter Moser Spring Ride adding m,re excitement to the Panhandle facility.
Another West Texas park venue, Joyland Park in Lubbock will also keep a bit of AstroWorld alive. Greezed Lightnin' was one of the most loved coasters of AstroWorld and will reopen at Joyland in the spring of 2007. Owners of the park expect attendance and tourism to come to a whole new level with the presence of this new "old" attraction.
 While old favorites keep us coming back to theme parks from year to year, it is definitely the new rides and attractions that theme park enthusiasts get pumped up about. This year brings a bumper crop of exciting additions to Texas theme and amusement parks.
What's New for 2006
 The Six Flags Corporation will be adding 1,200 new costumed characters to Six Flags parks across North America with it's fair share in Texas. Visitors to their many parks will be able to participate in meet-and-greet sessions, photo and autograph opportunities, daily parades, fireworks shows and other showcase events in the parks with their favorite Looney Tunes characters including Bugs Bunny, as well as their favorite DC Comics' Super-Heroes from the JUSTICE LEAGUE including BATMAN, ROBIN, THE FLASH, GREEN LANTERN and WONDER WOMAN. Six Flags will introduce character breakfasts and lunches, afternoon storybook readings and daily Happy 45th Anniversary cake celebrations for the kids.
New water park attractions and a massive make over for 2006 have updated this park for 2006. Armadillo Beach gets 3 new water rides, including the Whirlpool bowl ride. The new Splashwater Springs is an interactive water play area for younger kids.
 Believe is a captivating, dramatic show that will be presented in the newly remodeled multimedia Shamu stadium and will feature new music, video and animal behaviors. The area will include a new roof, set pieces, sound system and lights and an additional point-of-view camera that will offer an overhead view of the action in the water. During the high-energy water sessions, guest seated in the first 14 rows must be prepared to become splash victims.
Pirates 4D is a swash-buckling 4-D comedy adventure for the entire family. The 4-D movie stars Leslie Nielsen and combines the latest 4-D special-effects technology with multi-sensory theater effects to thrill guests of all ages. Guests will experience sprays of water and a shipload of surprises during their adventure with the sea's most hapless band of pirates.
Ten new rides debut (some imported from Six Flags Astroworld), including La Fiesta de las Tazas teacups, the Sidewinder Scrambler, and an interactive water play area. They have also added a new nightly parade as night time attractions have become more popular.
 Remember the saying everything's bigger and better in Texas. Well welcome to the world's first convertible waterpark and Texas' only heated, indoor waterpark. This idea is a first for the waterpark industry which will allow the park to remain open year round.
The indoor area is called Wasserfest and is already open for the season offering more than a dozen heated waterpark attractions inside the 70,000-square-foot indoor /outdoor convertible area. This convertible portion of the park includes four tube slides, three speed slides, three activity areas for the kids containing a variety of children’s play elements and pint-sized slides, a secluded beach, a hot tub, and the Torrent® Tidal Wave River.
The new Surfenburg area is scheduled to open 16 new attractions premiering in April for three weekends before beginning daily operations on May 13. This area of the park will offer 16 water attractions including two uphill water coasters, a wave lagoon, three beaches, three body slides, the Tiki Tikes Kids’ Area, the Boogie Bahn surf ride, two family raft rides and three different rivers that all connect to form the park’s Transportainment® river system.
 With the success of two other Texas Schlitterbahn parks under their belt and the addition of this third park, it seems it is just the beginning for this family-owned and operated leader in family water entertainment. They opened their first park, Schlitterbahn New Braunfels, back in 1979 - and it is still rated the best waterpark in the nation.
According to Ron Sutula, general manager of Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark, “We still have more expansion news in store for the 2006 season that we plan on announcing soon.”
While the 2006 season will be thrilling, it is the future of Texas theme parks that brings an exciting new twist.
Looking Ahead to 2007 and Beyond
 The Great Wolf Lodge of Grapevine will offer the same kind of indoor water park fun as the company's other highly themed resorts in Wisconsin, Ohio, and elsewhere. These chain of parks are among the most highly rated in the country. So far the park has not released details about the actual rides and slides that are forthcoming for their Texas property but it will probably feature the usual, including tube slides, body slides, kiddie slides, a lazy river, whirlpool spas, and Great Wolf's signature interactive play structure with tipping bucket. Other features may include showcase attractions such as a wave pool and/or a family raft ride.
In addition to the water park attractions, the Great Wolf Lodge will feature a huge arcade with redemption games, on-site restaurants, a fitness center, and an Aveda Concept Spa to pamper and help get the wrinkles out of waterlogged guests. The kid-friendly accommodations will include 400 all-suite guest rooms. Apart from its property in Williamsburg, Virginia, all of the Great Wolf Lodges are in colder climates. The Texas resort will be the chain's southernmost location.
Snow Theme Park - It's Coming to Texas!
Though we love our hot weather fun there is not a Texan alive that doesn't love to get cold on occasion! Texans will be buying snow skis, doning snowboards and canceling their tickets to Colorado when this announcement hits the press!
The most exciting announcement for Texas theme park enthusiasts is the future Coolzone Winterplex .Though there is no set date for opening, CoolZone Winterplex will be a year-round, one-of-a-kind theme park that offers a variety of winter sport opportunities in a place that no one would ever dream: the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.
With amazing new technologies, imaginative theming and unique retail and dining experiences, a day of skiing, snowboarding, hockey, skating, or simply playing in the snow -- in the summer -- will be possible.
This beautiful, naturalistic environment is made possible by a technology called Snowflex, a high-tech application that creates a remarkably real skiing surface. The CoolZone Winterplex will feature several ski runs of varying lengths and experiences. A main slope—and one of the major visual icons—is a straight, downhill run built for maximum speed and thrills. Other scenic, tree-lined runs feature winding paths, moguls, and hills to offer every type of skier and snowboarder a satisfying adventure.
Along with a toboggan run and a bobsled run, a “bunny run” will introduce the sport to beginners wishing to get their “ski legs.” Platforms throughout the park will offer ample opportunities for spectator viewing and sipping hot cocoa.
Needless to say the Dallas Metro area is looking to increase it's tourism revenue with this attraction and hopes that large national events such as ESPN X-Games, the United States Snowboard Association, amateur hockey organizations,and many others will want to call Dallas their new winter home.
Who knows? This winterplex idea may catch on and be the birth of a new wave of winter theme parks across the nation. If it catches on like waterparks that began back in the '80s, it will be nice to claim it all started right here in Texas!
Whether the fun is actually bigger and better here in Texas isn't really the point. Just plan on having all the fun you can with these new and exciting attractions, rides and venues offered across the state this year. Whether it's catching a wave or hanging on the slopes, Texans are fortunate to stay at home and get their fun on!
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