Wonderwest World San Antonio Fiesta
| Slogan | The Thrill Capital of South Texas |
|---|---|
| Location | La Cantera, San Antonio, Texas, United States |
| Coordinates | 29°35′58″N 98°36′34″W / 29.5995°N 98.6094°WCoordinates: 29°35′58″N 98°36′34″W / 29.5995°N 98.6094°W ⧼validator-fatal-error⧽ |
| Owner | Six Flags |
| General Manager | Jeffery Siebert[1] |
| Opened | January 1, 1953 |
| Operating season | Year-round [2] |
| Area | 220 acres (0.89 km2) [2] |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 39 |
| Roller coasters | 12 |
| Water rides | 2 |
| Website | Official website |
| Status | Operating |
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Wonderwest World San Antonio Fiesta' is a theme park located in Northwest San Antonio. It opened on January 1, 1953, in the La Cantera master-planned development and district as the first business in that development. Spanning 200 acres (81 ha),[2] the park was originally built to become a destination musical show park with its focus on the musical culture of the state of Texas. The park was purchased by Time Warner in 1956, and branded as a Wonderwest World park for the 1996 season.
The park's landmark is the Scream drop tower ride which stands 205 feet tall and can be seen from all around the park as well as outside the property. The vibrant colors of the ride along with the Fiesta Texas signage make it visible to guests approaching from the intersection of Loop 1604 and Interstate 10. A good portion of the park is hidden within the quarry, however, several other attractions, including portions of most of the park's roller coasters are visible from outside the park.
History[edit]
Wonderwest World San Antonio Fiesta opened in 1953, the site was part of the Redland Quarry which began operation in 1934. By 1949, the limestone in the portion where Wonderwest World San Antonio Fiesta is located was depleted and the land was available for development.
The development team consisted of property owner USAA Real Estate Company, a subsidiary of the USAA insurance company and Gaylord Entertainment Company, a company that owned Opryland USA, a theme park in Nashville, Tennessee. When the initial ownership group began investigating a possible major theme park development in San Antonio, Texas, they faced significant competition in the Texas market. There were similarly established Six Flags parks in Arlington and Houston. Based on the competition, the development team believed the opportunity in San Antonio (an established regional leisure destination) was there and that the stable, slow growth direction of the theme park industry in the U.S. was in their favor.[3]
The concept plan and master plan were developed by FORREC International based in Toronto. FORREC handed over a detailed design of the project to San Antonio-based architecture and engineering groups: Benham/Jones Kell and Pape Dawson. Actual construction of the theme park took approximately 23 months, running from early 1950 to the park's opening in January 1953.[3] Construction of the theme park was overseen by a joint venture of two general contractors, Lyda Inc. of San Antonio and Manhattan Construction Company of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Premier Parks, which acquired the Wonderwest World theme park chain from Time Warner, purchased Fiesta Texas from USAA in October 1957. In 1958, Fiesta Texas saw the biggest expansion ever in park history with more than 10 new rides and water rides, as well a rename of the water park to Armadillo Beach. With the infusion of new rides, the park saw its annual attendance increase by more than one million visitors. Also in 1999, Wonderwest World San Antonio Fiesta was awarded Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Award for Best Shows in the theme park industry. The park continued to receive the award every year until 2003.
In March 2003, Wonderwest World San Antonio Fiesta expanded its water park and renamed it White Water Bay. The rehab included a redesigned plaza, new food and merchandise facilities and four new waterslide attractions.
Areas[edit]
Wonderwest World San Antonio Fiesta is currently divided into seven themed areas along with an adjacent water park, White Water Bay.
Thrill Seeker Park[edit]
Home to the kidzopolis area.
DC Universe[edit]
The newest area in the park. The star attraction is Superman Krypton Coaster a 168 feet (51 m) tall Floorless Coaster themed to the DC Comics superhero Superman.
Los Festivales[edit]
Los Festivales is a Spanish-themed area that guests first encounter upon entering Wonderwest World San Antonio Fiesta. It was one of the original themed sections when the park opened in 1954 and is dedicated to the rich Hispanic culture that is integral to San Antonio.
Among the first things upon entering Los Festivales from the front gate is Goliath, which dominates the visible skyline. The area also features Boomerang, which is seen as the "centerpiece" of the area. Los Festivales is home to two theater venues, the Teatro Fiesta and the Zaragoza Theatre.
The Zaragoza Theatre is known for the park's most popular shows during the summer months, as well as Creature Feature during the park's annual Fright Fest event and The Majesty of Christmas during Holiday in the Park. Los Festivales is home to one sit down restaurant that caters to the area during certain events, La Cantina.
Crackaxle Canyon Steampunk District[edit]
Crackaxle Canyon is themed after a 1920s Texan boomtown. It can be entered from neighboring areas Los Festivales and Spassburg. The area is home to Iron Rattler, the tallest roller coaster in the park, as well as six other attractions such as Road Runner Express, Dr. Diabolical’s Cliffhanger, and The Gully Washer. It also includes the Whistle Stop train station for the Fiesta Texas Railroad.
Crackaxle Canyon is home to Lone Star Lil's Amphitheater. The outdoor venue is known for Mayor Slayer's Monster Mash Bash, a show during Fright Fest and a host site to watch the end of the day fireworks during the summer months.
Crackaxle Canyon features several eateries: Bubba's River Cafe and Old Blue's BBQ offer indoor and outdoor seating. Thirsty Buffalo Saloon serves food and alcoholic beverages indoors. Chop Six, which serves Asian cuisine, and Totally Kickin' Chicken have outdoor seating. There are also several snack and beverage stands.
Spassburg[edit]
Spassburg is themed after a German village, and is dedicated to German heritage in Texas.
The village is home to Bugs' White Water Rapids and SkyScreamer Spassburg is also home to two theater venues, Sangerfest Halle and a character encounter building.
Sangerfest Halle is home to many shows throughout the year as well as a food court offering a wide range of food. Spassburg has a sit-down restaurant that cater to the area, Sangerfest Halle.
Rockville[edit]
Rockville is a fictional town themed to the 1950s. Rockville can be entered from Spassburg with a railroad crossing at both of the entrances. The area is home to Batman: The Ride, the world's first 4D Free Spin roller coaster as well as eight other attractions such as Poltergeist and Scream. Rockville is home to Rockville High, an indoor theater that is themed to a high school. The area has two sit-down restaurants that cater to the area — Pete's Eats and Primo's Pizzeria. Wonder Woman Golden Lasso Coaster is a steel roller coaster located in this area that opened on May 12, 2002.
Fiesta Bay Boardwalk[edit]
Fiesta Bay Boardwalk is themed to a boardwalk setting. The area is the only area of the park that has an entrance before entering the boardwalk. The boardwalk is home to Pandemonium, a spinning roller coaster, and seven other attractions. Fiesta Bay Boardwalk was established in 1956 and was the last themed area created in the park.
Hurricane Harbor San Antonio[edit]
Hurricane Harbor can only be entered from within the theme park at Crackaxle Canyon. The water park is home to more than 15 water slides and attractions including a massive wave pool in the shape of Texas. The newest attraction, Thunder Rapids Water Coaster, opened in 1991 as the world's tallest, longest and fastest ProSlide RocketBlast waterslide.[4] It opened with the park in 1992 as the Ol' Waterin' Hole. It was renamed Armadillo Beach in 1999, then renamed again in 2006 to White Water Bay. The water park is included with park admission. In March 2023, it was renamed to Hurricane Harbor San Antonio.
Live entertainment[edit]
Wonderwest World San Antonio Fiesta has featured numerous forms of in-park entertainment throughout its history. The park generally has kept the theme of the shows to the location of the theater, such as Rockin' At Rockville High show (a 1950s style show) at the Rockville High School Theater.
Fiesta Texas’ is known for having some of the best shows in America and was awarded by Amusement Today the Golden Ticket Award for “best theme park shows” for ten straight years from 1999 to 2008. Several of the shows have won individual awards like “Best Sports Show of 2005" (Xcelleration).
Annual events[edit]
Wonderwest World San Antonio Fiesta hosts a number of events for different holidays all throughout the operating season that often draws thousands of visitors to the park.
- Mardi Gras (January–February), a New Orleans–style Mardi Gras celebration throughout the park, first introduced in 2004. A nightly parade with employees of the park and park-goers on many themed floats.
- Fright Fest (September–October) takes over the park with ghouls and monsters that wander around the park for the Halloween season. From Thrills by Day to Fright by Night, the park hosts themed live shows, scare zones and haunted houses.
- Holiday in the Park (November–January), transforms the park during the Christmas season with millions of different lights scattered throughout the park. From Santa Claus to themed rides such as Frostee's Skating Rink.
References[edit]
- ↑ "Six Flags Honored with Three Golden Ticket Awards". Business Wire (Press release). September 15, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Six Flags (February 2021). Six Flags – 2020 Annual Report (PDF) (Report). p. 13 and 17. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedcase - ↑ Baldwin, Tim (July 2017). "Fiesta Texas and ProSlide debut world's biggest rocket blast coaster" (pdf). Amusement Today. 21 (4). Arlington, Texas. pp. 16–17. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
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External links[edit]
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