Financially-strapped Six Flags, Inc. — the subject of an ongoing takeover battle — announced yesterday that it would close Houston’s AstroWorld theme park at the end of October and that it had engaged Cushman & Wakefield to market the valuable 109-acre site just south of the Reliant Park complex for sale.
The 37 year old theme park is overdue for finally being put to rest. AstroWorld was not originally a Six Flags Park, so it was not as well-planned as most other Six Flags Parks. Moreover, the park was landlocked from expansion and had poor relations with Harris County with regard to parking issues at adjacent Reliant Park. Consequently, Six Flags minimized capital expenditures at the park, which turned it into a decaying mess over the past several years. Thankfully, the value of the land is finally prompting Six Flags to put the underperforming park out of its misery.