Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Splashtown or simply Hurricane Harbor Splashtown is a Six Flags water park located in Spring, Texas. It is owned by CNL Lifestyle Properties and operated by Six Flags.[1]
Under previous Six Flags management, the water park was known as "Six Flags SplashTown", which it operated as from 2000 to 2007. It was then sold to PARC Management, who in turn sold it in CNL Lifestyle Properties, who is still the current owner.
In 2018, the park was reacquired alongside a few other former Six Flags parks, bringing them back into the Six Flags family. At that point, the property had been known as "Wet 'n Wild Splashtown." Because of the re-acquisition, it is the first time that Six Flags has competed in the Houston market since the closure of Six Flags Houston (AstroWorld and WaterWorld) in 2005.
At over 40 acres, Hurricane Harbor Splashtown is the largest water park in Houston, Texas, and it also has the most water slides of any water park in the region, at 41.
History[]
Splashtown USA (1980's–2000)[]
Following the failure of Hanna-Barbera Land, a theme park based on the company's cartoons and owned and operated by Kings Entertainment Company, the park was sold to private investors.
Six Flags SplashTown (2000–2007)[]
In May 1999, Six Flags, Inc. acquired Splashtown USA to eliminate competition to its pre-existing WaterWorld water park adjacent to AstroWorld, both also in the Houston area.
SplashTown Houston (2007–2013)[]
In 2007, Six Flags sold SplashTown and six other parks to PARC Management for a total of $312 million, who in turn sold them to CNL Lifestyle Properties. CNL then leased the properties back to PARC Management under a 52-year triple-net lease.
In November 2010, just three years into their 52-year lease agreement, CNL terminated it and appointed Premier Attractions Management, LLC. (now Premier Parks, LLC) as the new operators of the six properties.
Wet'n'Wild Splashtown era (2013–2018)[]
In November 2013, CNL Lifestyle Properties acquired the rights to use the Wet'n'Wild brand name, which was owned by Village Roadshow Theme Parks. They then re-branded several of their water parks, and SplashTown Houston became Wet'n'Wild Splashtown.
In early 2018, Premier Parks announced a $20 million expansion plan to double the size of the water park, and make it "the largest and one of the best water park in the country".
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Splashtown (2019–present)[]
On May 22, 2018, Six Flags announced that they had acquired the lease for Wet 'n Wild SplashTown from Premier Parks. They also acquired leases to four other properties they had previously owned; Darien Lake, Frontier City, Wet'n'Wild Phoenix, and White Water Bay.
A concept rendering of Hurricane Harbor Houston's new entrance.
On February 12, 2019, Six Flags announced that Wet 'n Wild SplashTown would become Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Splashtown, and that the park would undergo a multi-million dollar transformation, the most major of which is the park's re-theme to a Caribbean resort, and the repaint and re-theme of many of the park's existing attractions. It was also announced that Jeffrey Siebert, park president of Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, Texas, would be the water park's new president while also continuing his role at the theme park. At the time, Six Flags did not disclose if they were still going to incorporate Premier Parks' previous expansion plan, but Siebert hinted that the company had big plans for the property.[2]
COVID-19 pandemic[]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hurricane Harbor Splashtown did not open for the 2020 season. On March 13, Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster, with the Texas Department of State Health Services declaring a public health disaster six days later, for the first time since 1901. Following stay-at-home and shelter-in-place orders by counties, cities, and other local jurisdictions, the state government began directing the closure of some businesses beginning on March 19, and a statewide stay-at-home order went into effect on March 26 amid other restrictions on activities and businesses. On March 30, Hurricane Harbor Splashtown released a statement in which they announced that the previously scheduled opening was being delayed to at least mid-May, or "as soon as possible thereafter," citing the safety of their guests and team members as their reasoning despite there not being any reported cases of COVID-19 at the property. The park also noted in the statement that they were would continue to "closely monitor this evolving situation, and follow the most current guidance from federal, state, and local officials." For 2020 Season Pass Holders, passes were extended for the number of operating days in which the park was temporarily closed, and Members were given one free month extension for every month the park is closed, plus a free Membership level upgrade for the rest of the 2020 season.[3]
On June 11, Hurricane Harbor Splashtown announced that the park would be re-opening on June 29. Abbott and his state administration had began directing an "reopening" of the state's economy in April, but the pandemic's acceleration in May and June led the state to pause the economic on June 25, with the government reinstating restrictions. On June 26, Hurricane Harbor Splashtown released another statement in which they clarified that following Harris County guidelines, the previously announced June 29 opening was being indefinitely delayed.[4] On August 4, Hurricane Harbor Splashtown announced that due to the ongoing pandemic, the park would not open at all for the 2020 season.[5]
The announcement image of Hurricane Harbor Splashtown's reopening, posted on February 19, 2021
On February 19, 2021, Hurricane Harbor Splashtown announced on their Facebook and Instagram accounts that the park would finally be reopening on May 1.[6][7]
Attractions[]
- Wahoo Wave
Gallery[]
To be added
References[]
- ↑ SIX FLAGS RETURNS: Wet 'N' Wild Splashtown in Spring to become Six Flags water park. ABC 13 Eyewitness News (February 13, 2019).
- ↑ Burleson, Emily (February 12, 2019). Exclusive: Six Flags unveils new name, other changes for SplashTown in Houston. Houston Business Journal.
- ↑ Hurricane Harbor Splashtown COVID-19 statement (March 2020)
- ↑ Hurricane HArbor Splashtown COVID-19 statement (June 2020)
- ↑ Hurricane Harbor Splashtown COVID-19 statement (August 2020)
- ↑ Hurricane Harbor Splashtown 2021 reopening announcement - Facebook
- ↑ Hurricane Harbor Splashtown 2021 reopening announcement - Instagram
