Lake Houston - Humble - Kingwood Edition | April 2024

From the cover

Riding the wave

BY HANNAH BROL & WESLEY GARDNER

The big picture

Where’s the fun? Opened 2019 1 Big Rivers Waterpark & Adventures : features water attractions, rock climbing and a ropes course Opened 2021 2 Big Rivers Fairgrounds : oers 11 amusement park rides Opened 2022 3 Candeeland : an indoor playground and candy shop 4 Highland Pines Golf Club : an 18-hole golf course with a sports bar and grill Opened 2023 5 Kanga’s Indoor Playcenter : features a playground and dedicated toddler area 6 Cosmic Air Adventure Park : oers trampoline attractions, a ropes course and arcade Opened 2024 7 The Turf Zone : an indoor sports complex with batting cages Opening in 2024-25 8 Don’t Axe : a bar and lounge with ax throwing 9 The PickleBall Zone : an indoor pickleball sports complex 10 HTX Surf : a simulated surng and water attraction

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In the last ve years, at least seven entertainment options have opened in the Lake Houston area, according to previous reporting. HTX Surf, a simulated surng experience from Beach Street Development, is scheduled to open in Generation Park in 2025. “We expect to have international tourists from all over the world,” said Ryan McCord, president of Generation Park developer McCord Development. “But in the long-run, we really see it as a regional asset for locals as well.” Along the Hwy. 59 corridor in Porter, The Turf Zone, an indoor sports complex with batting cages, opened in February and is set to be followed by The Pickleball Zone, an indoor pickleball complex slated to open this summer. In addition to water parks and sports complexes, a slate of venues geared toward children have also opened. Cosmic Air Adventure Park & Arcade and Kanga’s Indoor Playcenter & Cafe both opened in Humble in February 2023. “We feel we’ve done exceptionally well,” said Shawn Meghani, owner of Cosmic Air Adventure Park & Arcade. “We already expanded once since we opened, and we have more expansion plans if the opportunity presents itself.”

1314

W. LAKE HOUSTON PKWY.

1960

SOURCES: LOCAL BUSINESSESCOMMUNITY IMPACT

Looking ahead

What they’re saying

The impact

In New Caney, Big Rivers Waterpark & Adventures was the single biggest taxpayer within Splendora ISD’s boundaries in 2023, CEO Monty Galland said. Additionally, Galland said he believes employment at the water park, which varies from 50-500 employees throughout the year, has had a ripple eect on local businesses. Galland said he rst opened Big Rivers with the goal of expanding it to include Grand Texas Theme Park, which would feature more traditional theme park attractions like roller coasters. However, he said nancial strain caused during the COVID-19 pandemic has temporarily put those plans on hold. Galland noted he would rst need to extend utilities to the park’s eventual location—a process that took roughly two years and cost around $15 million to complete for the water park. “That’s the long-term goal,” he said.

An inux of entertainment businesses in the Lake Houston area may also be contribut- ing to increased tourism, Linabury said. Humble’s hotel occupancy tax surpassed $515,000 in scal year 2021-22, according to the city’s annual comprehensive nancial report. While data is not yet available for FY 2022-23 or 2023-24, city ocials budgeted for $450,000 in HOT revenue each year.

“It’s quite possible that [HTX Surf] will be the only wave of this caliber in the world

for at least a period of time until something similar is constructed elsewhere. And Houston deserves that.” RYAN MCCORD, PRESIDENT, MCCORD DEVELOPMENT

City of Humble hotel occupancy tax revenue

$700K $400K $500K $600K $300K $200K $100K $0

“Guests can nd watersides and pretty much any activity [Big Rivers Waterpark & Adventures has] esewhere. The biggest thing is to reay try

+35.16%

and focus on creating a memorabe experience.” MONTY GALLAND, CEO, BIG RIVERS WATERPARK & ADVENTURES

SOURCE: CITY OF HUMBLE ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORTS COMMUNITY IMPACT

LAKE HOUSTON HUMBLE KINGWOOD EDITION