HOUSTON – Most cities wouldn't bother celebrating a theme park's birthday. And they really don't celebrate birthdays for theme parks that no longer exist. But those theme parks aren't Astroworld.
Friday is the day that Houston's beloved theme park would have turned 50 years old.
READ: Astroworld fan shares his memories
The park opened on June 1, 1968. It shut down on Oct. 30, 2005. That gave Houstonians 37 years, 4 months and 29 days to make memories that would last a lifetime.
PHOTOS: Astroworld through the years
Here are five Astroworld memories that would make almost every Houstonian nostalgic:
The season pass
This was a big deal. If we had hashtags back then, the hashtag for this would have been #SummerGoals because everyone wanted one of these at the beginning of every summer. And they even put your picture on it!
The rides
I know, it's not really fair to put all the rides under one category. But everyone had their favorites. By my count (during the time period when I went to Astroworld) there were at least 10 epic roller coasters and more than a dozen other rides on the property. My favorites were Greezed Lightnin', Viper, Texas Cyclone, Thunder River, and the Bamboo Shoot. My Houston-born boyfriend says I would get hate mail (from him) if I didn't include The Tidal Wave, Looping Starship, Excalibur, Xlr8 and Sky Screamer.
Photos with the characters
For the life of me, I can't remember what any of the characters actually were. But I do remember that I loved posing with them. And I'm not just talking about when I was super young. I felt no shame taking pictures with those things well into my teens.
Walking over 610 to get there
Normally, walking anywhere would not be a highlight for me (I was a lazy child) but there was something magical about making that trek over the freeway to get to Astroworld. Once that entrance was in sight, it was like seeing the promised land.
Waterworld
Okay, yes, Waterworld came onto the scene later. But just because Justin Verlander joined the Astros late in their World Series season doesn't mean we love him any less! The 10-acre waterpark opened in 1983. With its speed slides, enclosed chute slide, wave pool and more, there wasn't anywhere else I would rather be on a hot Houston day.