HOUSTON – On June 1, 1968, Astroworld opened.
We love looking back at the glory days of Astroworld in Houston. And so do you. We scoured through your comments on recent stories we’ve done on Astroworld and now we’re sharing the most memorable memories you have of the beloved park.
Recommended Videos
The park closed on Oct. 30, 2005, but it’s always open in our hearts. Take a walk down memory lane in the story below.
Be sure to share your memories on Click2Pins.com in the Something Good category. We could feature your photos and memories on-air and online in an update to this report.
Be sure to look through the comments for links to some of the best footage we could find of the referenced attractions. Think of this story’s links as a treasure hunt!
Jenny Hoff: “The best memories of my childhood live here. We used to spend half the day at Astroworld then the rest at Waterworld. Then at the end of the day enjoy the batman show and fireworks, and leaving they handed out little mini boxes of cereal but for some reason it was the best eating on the way home. Also I remember at Astroworld when we would get too hot, there was an inside play I think it was a western one, but where we could sit in the AC for a while and recharge. Omg I miss this place I hate that people ruined it for everyone makes me so mad.”
Joshua Feather: “What about the small loaves of Rainbow Bread, the antique cars you get to drive as a kid, the yodelers on the Alpine Sleigh ride.... so many more memories from longer ago.”
Neisa Tuma: “This place and Galveston we were there every summer. Used those coke cans for the discounts. My Aunt Tina packed us a lunch and left it in a cooler in the car. Got that hand stamp. Best childhood ever. I hate that kids these days don’t know about it.”
Salinas Guerrero Lettie: “Cant forget the gameroom...that was our hang out to meet boys and watch them break dancers...’82-86.”
Keisha Lehnert: “Do y’all remember the dolphins they had there?”
Shane Walding: “Out of the box it’s been in for ages.” -- see photo here
Nichole Cisneros Yeager: “We were the first wedding there! 1999! Married in Crystal Palace. Reception in The Sword and Crown. The train took guests from wedding to reception. Stayed the night in Hofheinz room.”
Diane Price: “I HATED THE (Texas Cyclone) ROLLERCOASTER, IT WAS TOO RUFF FOR ME. MY MOM LOST HER SHOES ON THAT THING LOL.”
Hal Jordan: “I always enjoyed the old west town side with the BBQ and the old gun shoots to activate the different mechanics on the saloon.”
Alma Gonzales: “The Astroworld mini loaf bread and the key ring picture scopes…..aaawww!!”
Amanda Phillips: “Serial Thriller, Mayan Mind Bender, Bamboo Shoot, Dungeon Drop, FrightFest and like others have mentioned, I saw Britney Spears, Destiny Child, and Mandy Moore there in concert. Those were the days!”
Kristen Bland Roszko: “The good old days when your mom would drop you and your friends off at 9:00 a.m. and pick you up at 9:00 p.m.….no cell phones? No worries.”
Kathy McCaslin: “I can smell (the rainbow bread) now. It was like 15 cents. Good times.”
Kim Gomez: “One time in a galaxy far, far away my 3-year-old daughter tugged at the dress of a woman in line at the grocery store, a complete stranger, and asked her, ‘Will you take me to Astroworld?’ My favorite Astroworld story ever.”
Steve Plentl: “I spent a lot of time there from the very beginning. Rode everything there many many times including the early stuff that was proven to be dangerous. When I was 15, I got there early when they opened and ran to the Cyclone and rode it front to back for an hour with no line until I was too beat up to continue. I threw up after doing the tea cup ride after way too much spinning and eating that mini loaf of bread. We were living in dream times and didn’t even know it. Now its just sad that we can’t go back to those times or places because it was all ruined and destroyed by Houston.”
Trajuan Murphy: “If they were to bring Astroworld back can you imagine the grand opening they will have. It would be phenomenal. So many people miss Astrowold and Waterworld. The Texas cyclone, The twister, The Superman ride. The teen club, and Fright Fest. Man those were the days.”
Linda S. Rowe: “Was such a fun place. Went every year once it opened in ‘68. I also took my son there later. And I found out much later when I met my current husband that he played in a band there right after it opened . I probably watched his band. They played on the lake. The band was called the Southwest Freeway.”
Ted Dunnam: “Taking the tram over Loop 610 back to the parking lot was much needed after a long day. Another great memory not too far from Astroworld was Westbury Square in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.”
Sandra Cortina: “Great memories there! My favorite was Bamboo Shoot!”
Mary Pittman: “The Black Dragon! and the Ice Cream Shop with the air-conditioned tables!”
Rosanne Legon: “Nothing more thrilling than feeling like you were going to die riding the Texas Cyclone! Scariest wooden track rollercoaster with just a bar over your lap! Lol!”
Gennifer Pickard: “We had season passes every year! We literally went several days out of every week of the summer! It was the thrill of a lifetime until it started getting abused I guess you could say! great thanks to Jennifer RIP for being able to take us kids on those journeys while your best friend (my mother) had to put in the long hard hours to make it possible!”
Cheri Blancet Reichel: “The Black Dragon was a great ride. And the Wagon Wheel. The Runaway Rickshaw. Remember the water ski show? I loved The Cyclone as a kid. My cousin and I would always ride in the first car. Later when I took my own kids I will admit the roughness have me a headache.”
Nomi J B Chance: “I remember my excitement rising as I approached these gates as a kid. It was the best!”
Stacey Templeman: “I remember long long ago, in the summer it would be really hot. I loved the lemon aid in the plastic lemons with the straw. You never spilled it all over.”
Bethany Paterno: “My favorite at any park will be the water rides b/c of the heat. But I can’t believe people aren’t talking about the Batman ride! I loved the aesthetics leading up to the ride. Really told the story. One of the last times I went, I actually went blind (my vision went black) due to heat stroke. I was upset, too, cause I’d spent two hours in line and was so close to getting on! We just worried about different things as teens. Grateful for the nostalgia!”
Debbie Hill: “I miss Astroworld. We used to go every year. I remember when Hambrick Jr High got to go free. We collected Dr Pepper bottle caps to win a contest. So fun!”
Jose Joey Texan Ramirez: “I got my first hickie at Astroworld.”
Joey Zepeda: “First time I went, I was just excited about walking over a freeway!!!”
Marie A Perez: “Every summer my dad would always get us season passes. He liked the Greezed Lightning. If there wasn’t a lot of people the workers would let us stay and ride it over and over again. Thanks dad for buying us our season passes.”
Jesse Emilio Mendoza: “Best years of our lives at AstroWorld.”
Wendy Brasher: “I remember the older rides like the Astrowheel, river of no return, bamboo shoot, the storybook boat ride, alpine sleigh ride, train, wagon wheel, runaway rickshaw, and octopus. Also remember walking through the big pumpkin entrance, wacky shack, the barrel that dropped the floor out, and the great entertainment at the Crystal Palace. Of course as Astroworld grew, the Cyclone, Dexter Freebish/ Excalibur, greased lightning and all the other amazing coasters were the thing. Great memories.”
Drew Curlee: “I miss Astroworld myself. I used to drive on 610-W once a week. When I did and I came up to the NRG Stadium and Astrodome, I would look to the left and see an empty space as an empty feeling would come over me. It’s sad to see the space that was Astroworld is barely ever used these days and it’s also a waste. As for rides, ones I enjoyed most were Tidal Wave and XLR8, along with Greezed Lightnin’ and Viper.”
Amber Christensen: “The Cyclone!!! I LOVED that wooden rollercoaster. It was always the first and last thing we had to ride, and sometimes in between. I loved the sharp turn that would slam the rider in seat 1 into the 2nd person (we’d intentionally put the skinnier person on the inside). The part where an overhead beam seemed close enough to touch so there was always someone raising their arm to try to slap it. It was so loud, rattling and rough and it just never got old. XLR8 had a piece of my heart too. It was my first rollercoaster ride when I was 8. The looping starship. I loved that one, except when I felt something wet hit me (we know that wasn’t rain drops). Good memories. I sure miss it.”
Diane Masterson: “I remember the German themed area (Alpine Village?) where we ate sausage, taking the sky ride tram across the whole park to get to the water boat rides, bread (mini-loaf), driving old cars, and the concerts.”
Laurie Barr: “I miss AstroWorld!! I love everything about it!! We won season passes in a drawing, so we went every day during the summer. My older and younger sisters and our cousin would get there when they opened and we would stay until they closed. We had a blast! Good Ol’ days!! Good Times and Wonderful memories made! We also loved going to Water World next door when they opened.”
Latresha McBride: “XLR8 was my favorite ride….a little adrenaline rush but not too scary.”
Pam Braden: “I loved the Alpine sleigh ride (great to cool off) and getting the little loafs of bread at the Bairds bread shop.”