Houston's Theme Park Wars

Houston's theme park wars heat up: New competition spurs an old standby to up its game

The former Six Flags CEO on duty during AstroWorld's 2005 closure has returned Houston market with plans to reinvent one of the area's most popular water parks.

Kieran Burke and his Premier Attractions Management company revealed major goals for SplashTown in Spring, starting with newly-built attractions, a revamped dining area and a redesigned entry plaza. The 53-acre park also will get a fresh logo and website to match its rebranded name, Wet 'n' Wild SplashTown.

News of the overhaul comes as the upcoming Grand Texas Theme Park in nearby New Caney moves ahead with plans to build its own Lone Star-themed water park, which is scheduled to open in spring 2015.

To maintain its A-game, SplashTown will introduce a trio of memorable new rides this April. FlowRider creates a surfing experience with man-made waves moving as fast at 35 miles an hour. Big Kahuna blasts five-person rafts through unpredictable twisting tunnels. Wet 'n' Wild Jr. gives kids the VIP treatment with smaller rides designed specifically for children.

"Our goal here is to take an already great park and improve it even more."

"It feels great to be working in Houston again," says Burke, who coincidentally purchased the water park as CEO of Six Flags in 1999. Not long after his departure from the corporation in late 2005, Six Flags sold the park only to watch Burke's newly-founded Premier Attractions take the reigns again in 2010.

While he wouldn't disclose the amount of money his company will inject into renovations, Burke tells CulutreMap that the improvements mark the beginning of a long-term commitment to the park. Additional undeveloped land around SplashTown, he says, could mean more opportunities in the coming years.

As for his Houston reputation as the man who closed AstroWorld, Burke stresses just how hard the decision was to make at the time.

"AstroWorld had been there for a long time and it made me incredibly sad to close it," he says. "But I had a responsibility to Six Flag and to its shareholders. Given its condition and location and the costs to modernize, we just couldn't get the numbers to work. We had big offers pouring in for the land at the time and it just made more sense to close it."

With SplashTown, he hopes to once again "add something special" to the Houston entertainment community.

"Our goal here is to take an already great park and improve it even more . . . ," Burke says. "We're in this for the long haul and are focused on doing it the right way."

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Helping hand

ExxonMobil donates $3 million to Houston nonprofit that feeds hungry kids

Courtesy of Kids’ Meals

The 50,000-square-foot building will triple the size of Kids' Meals' headquarters.

At its annual Harvest Luncheon last week, Kids’ Meals, a a nonprofit combatting childhood food insecurity and hunger, received a huge boost: a $3 million gift from ExxonMobil. The gift makes a milestone for the organization.

“We are incredibly grateful to ExxonMobil for the generous $3 million donation, which is the largest corporate donation Kids’ Meals has ever received, both in size and in impact,” CEO Beth Harp said in a statement.

The nonprofit will use the gift toward its new campus, a 50,000-square-foot facility in Spring Branch. Kids’ Meals broke ground on the project in June.

The new building will nearly triple the size of its current headquarters, further helping Kids’ Meals achieve its goal of serving 26,000 children each weekday by 2031. The organization currently serves over 9,000 children every weekday through its 18,500-square-foot headquarters in Garden Oaks. The new building will carry Exxon-Mobil’s name.

“In establishing the Kids’ Meals ExxonMobil Campus, we will be able to expand our programs, reach more children in need, and make a lasting impact on the lives of countless families in the Houston area,” said Harp. “Together, we’re feeding the future and providing hope.”

Founded in 2006, Kids’ Meals serves children ages five and under, and is the only organization in the country that delivers free, healthy meals to the doorsteps of Houston’s hungriest children. Since its inception, the organization has delivered more than 14 million meals to children in 56 Houston-area zip codes. After delivering a record-breaking 2.4 million meals in 2023, the nonprofit is on track to deliver 2.7 million meals in 2024.

The Harvest Luncheon is the nonprofit’s biggest event of the year. The event raises funds to provide more than 500,000 meals for preschool-aged children. Houston Mayor John Whitmire’s daughters, Sarah and Whitney, chaired the event. Best-selling author Bob Goff served as keynote speaker.

Courtesy of Kids’ Meals

The 50,000-square-foot building will triple the size of Kids' Meals' headquarters.

nonprofits charity kids meals exxonmobil