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1999 should be a big year for amusement parks in Texas. New coasters, a new aquarium, new water attractions and new shows are opening at parks throughout the state this spring.
The 7-year-old Six Flags Fiesta Texas, San Antonio, will open its season with $30 million in capital improvements. The park, which drew an estimated 1,490,000 attendance last year, ranked as the 39th most visited park in North America, according to ABs yearend survey. With more than a dozen rides and an expanded waterpark premiering this year, attendance could soar.
New rides include the Poltergeist catapult coaster, by Premier Rides; the Boomerang steel forward-andbackward coaster, by Vekoma International; and Scream, a 200-foot free-fall drop ride, by S&rS Power Inc. The park is also one of four Six Flags/Premier parks to get the new Vekoma Magic House attraction.
Six Flags Fiesta Texas' waterpark, dubbed Armadillo Beach, will include a million-gallon "Lone Star Lagoon" wave pool and five-story interactive waterplay structure. The wave pool is shaped like the state of Texas, and generates four-foot waves. The new family activity pool, called the Texas Treehouse, has assorted water gadgets, geysers and slides.
Six Flags AstroWorld, Houston, is boasting $16 million in improvements for the new season. This mark's the largest single-year investment in the park's 30-year history. The big attraction is the $10 million Serial Thriller, a suspended looping coaster by...