Playland Park (Houston, Texas) facts for kids
The Skyrocket roller coaster, May 1943, Houston, Texas
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| Location | Houston, Texas, U.S. |
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| Status | Closed |
| Opened | ca. 1940 |
| Closed | ca. 1967 |
| Owner | Louis Slusky |
| Slogan | Fun For The Whole Family |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 10 - 30 |
| Roller coasters | 1 |
Playland Park was a popular amusement park in Houston, Texas. It was open for fun between 1940 and 1967. Louis Slusky started Playland Park around 1940. It was located at 9200 South Main.
Many people remember Playland Park for its exciting wooden roller coaster called The Skyrocket. Houston also had Texas' first elevated monorail train in 1956, which ran close to the park for a short time. Right next to the park, there was a stock-car race track known as Playland Speedway. Louis Slusky also helped with the small children’s train in Houston’s Hermann Park. This train might have even come from Playland Park! Playland Park closed its gates in 1967.
It's good to know that Playland Park in Houston is different from another Playland Park in San Antonio, Texas. The San Antonio park opened around the same time and also had a wooden roller coaster, but it was called The Rocket.
The Skyrocket: A Giant Roller Coaster
The Skyrocket was a huge wooden roller coaster. It was moved to Playland Park and opened there in September 1941. This roller coaster first opened in 1924 at another Houston park called Luna Park. Back then, it was said to be the "largest" roller coaster in the country! It was about 6,600 feet long and 110 feet tall, with a 90-foot drop. Building it in 1924 cost about $75,000.
Moving the Skyrocket from Luna Park to Playland Park is thought to be the last roller coaster project that John A. Miller worked on. He was a famous roller coaster designer. Sadly, Miller passed away in Houston in 1941 while he was working on this project.
The Skyrocket, which was then called the largest in the South, kept running until sometime between 1962 and 1964. By 1964, parts of the roller coaster were taken down, and it no longer worked. This was done to make space for a new large building behind the park, where the race track used to be. The rest of the roller coaster was torn down after Playland Park finally closed.
Playland Speedway: Where Cars Raced
The race track at Playland Park started around 1948. Many different races and demolition derbies were held there. Even famous local race car driver A. J. Foyt raced at Playland Speedway.
In 1959, a serious accident occurred during a race. A car crashed through a fence, which sadly led to the loss of life for three people, including Sam Slusky, one of the park's owners. Within a few years after this accident, the race track closed. Many people think the accident played a part in this decision. By 1962, the grandstands (where people sat to watch races) were removed. By 1964, a new building was built where the track used to be. This race track was also known as Playland Park Speedway or Playland Park Stadium.
Why Playland Park Closed
Playland Park closed its doors in 1967. This happened just before another big amusement park, AstroWorld, opened in Houston in 1968. Before Playland Park closed, the race track had already been gone for a while, and the Skyrocket roller coaster was no longer working. By 1973, the land where the park stood was empty. Years later, new stores and apartments were built there.
In the early 1970s, AstroWorld thought about buying and moving an old wooden roller coaster from Coney Island to their park. However, AstroWorld decided to build its own wooden roller coaster instead. This new ride, called the Texas Cyclone, opened in 1976.
