Disney in Texas

[Duchie]

I know this has been mentioned before, but I thought I'd post an update. This is really 3rd hand information, so take it with a grain of salt.

I had lunch today with a friend of mine who lives in Bastrop, TX (outside of Austin). One of her neighbors is a VP at a local resort who keeps her up-to-date on all of the resort/timeshare gossip. This neighbor told her that Disney has just completed the purchase of 40,000 acres in Bastrop to be used to build timeshare units. She wasn't quite sure where in Bastrop the land is located but it's supposed to be along the Colorado river.

Again, I haven't tried to validate this info yet. But the idea of it is fun! I sure hope it's true!

 

[Another Voice]

Don't be too quick to laugh at this one.

I'm just sayin'...

 

[CanadianGuy]

Hmm.. well 40,000 acres.. if anyone could pull that off.. it'd be Disney.

The Disney in Texas drumbeat has been louder than usual lately...

And this story says the land transaction is completed.. so that at least makes sense...

And the one person I would normally ask about this.. is remaining notoriously silent on it...

Those points added together give this story a peg-leg up on Missouri... Of course, it still *could* be bunk.. but I wonder..

Knox

 

[MJMcBride]

I heard Disney bought the town of Branson and is moving it to Texas. Of course, there will be a gift shop as you exit

 

[CanadianGuy]

Touché MJ... Touché .... Well played sir.

Knox

 

[Vertical Horizon]

I check this site out occassionally and never have posted here. Ordinarily I would dismiss this as another Texas rumor and it may still well be. I am intrigued however that Another Voice, who seems pretty credible on these boards, is saying not to dismiss this one too quickly.

40,000 acres still sounds outlandish. That is more land than they have in Florida.

 

[Another Voice]

To be clear on this one: I know nothing of this particular deal.

But...

There are a lot of whispers out now. Jay's comments to Wall Street about expanding outside of the parks were very well received - he's now (more or less) having to fulfill on his promise. The original DVC project included a "dude ranch" property - they're a really appealing to European visitors. One might see where a Wilderness Lodge clone with a large water park attached located near an existing Texas tourist destination might be appealing as a "first stab" at the concept.

Forty thousand acres does sound outlandish and that alone might be enough to sink this specific rumor. But I wouldn't be surprised if we hear about the first "Disney Destination" project by the end of summer.

 

[mt2]

We've got alotta land here. I've driven through Bastrop years ago. Not much to the area but lots of open space.

After Bergstrom AFB closed, Austin turned it into an international airport. It's located on the SE side of the city.

Interesting.

 

[laceemouse]

Well, just a couple of months ago they bought a ton of land up here near Dallas didn't they ! Looks like Disney is taking over the whole state! I do think a dude ranch ala Disney would be fun, and Texas has lots of land and hot weather year round. Still, I'll believe it when they announce something official. A friend of mine is moving to Austin and is looking for land in Bastrop right now.

 

[Duchie]

My friend and I tossed the idea around of what Disney would do with that much land, and why in the heck would they pick Bastrop. The airport was a factor - the Austin Bergstrom airport is right there, so that gives easy access. And Bastrop has built up quite a bit in the last several years (Hyatt just opened a deluxe resort/spa there that is doing quite a lot of business). Still, that's a LOT of land.... the dude ranch idea could work, and if done right a waterpark could be a major boost for the city.

It will be interesting to see what comes of this rumor (if anything).

 

[thefirebuilds]

50 years ago a lot of people wondered why anyone would pick a disgusting swamp land in florida. Orlando? BLECH.

oh and might I mention Las Vegas? Not disney...but um...didnt make a lot of sense at the time either.

 

[mrp4352]

My friend and I tossed the idea around of what Disney would do with that much land, and why in the heck would they pick Bastrop.

If it's on the SE side of Austin, then San Antonio is also within an hour's drive. It'd make for a nice day trip from a time share...

 

[HarambeGuy]

It'd make for a nice day trip from a time share...

Well, if recent history is any indication it's going to BE a timeshare - so no need to drive from San Antonio. Get ready for DVC Tejas!

 

[OKW Lover]

Deja Vu

Change the name of the town to Branson and you could have the same rumor that went around only a week or so ago.

 

[JakeJoshMom]

Someone affiliated with Disney is assiting with a Dino Land Park in East Montgomery County - that's North West of Houston.


11/09/2006




Dinosaur park planned for East Montgomery County

By MELECIO C. FRANCO



( Community News )


This conceptual drawing of the Dinosaur City exhibit hall shows possibilities for the facility that include reconstructed dinosaur skeletons and robotic, life-sized, animated models.


East Montgomery County has been selected as the site for the largest dinosaur park in the world.

Frank McCrady, president and CEO of the East Montgomery County Improvement District, announced on Oct. 31 that Dinosaur City, a $50 million educational park and live-animal facility, will be built in New Caney by 2010.
The facility will feature a 110,000-square-foot exhibit hall and dinosaur display, an IMAX theater, a water recreation park, hotel and convention center. Leading theme park designers, one of Germany's leading zoo directors, robotics and special effects experts are all involved in the planning for the facility. "It's going to be a nice project," said McCrady. "It can truly define our area in the future as far as travel and tourism."

The park is expected to attract more than a million visitors each year.

The facility is the concept of the dinosaur expert known as "Dino" Don Lessem, an author of 47 books on dinosaurs and advisor to Universal Studios' Jurassic Park, Walt Disney Company and Animal Kingdom dinosaur attractions.

"It will have the largest dinosaur educational facility in the world," said Lessem. "I dug up the biggest dinosaurs and they need a place to live."

Construction of the facility will be a five-year project, according to McCrady. The first phase is a $200,000 site study paid for by the improvement district to analyze the property, which is located north of Caney Creek on the west side of U.S. Highway 59 North.

"We'll partner with the state for additional financial needs," said McCrady. "It's a regional attraction not just a state attraction. A lot of people will come from out of state. It's a win for our area and a win for Texas, as well."

The park is expected to create 500 to 1,000 jobs, according to McCrady.

New Caney beat Dallas as the final location for the facility, according to Lessem.

"I liked the look of the community," he said. "The land was completely undeveloped. We want to celebrate nature. This is not a theme park. This is something that hasn't been done before. We want to keep it as pristine as we can."

Lessem wants the facility to have allied programs with the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Houston Zoo and have mobile exhibits. Live exotic animals will also be included at the park. Other projects at the facility will include educational outreach tours and field trips.
Lessem also hopes to create a university affiliation with one of the Texas universities and create a nonprofit foundation to help generate revenue to fund dinosaur research.

"We want to steer a bit of revenue towards education," he said.

Lessem explained that the dinosaur park is one way to get children interested in science.

"You can teach them all about science when they are interested in dinosaurs," he said.

mfranco@hcnonline.com

 

[stargrazer]

It's not suprising to me to hear these rumors; it actually makes a lot of sense, IMO.

Why not build on the Disney name by offering timeshare locations outside of Florida? Much closer to drive for other parts of the country and a great way to sell more timeshares.

They could make a heck of a lot more money off DVC's scattered all over the country offering 'unique' experiences than they are opening another theme park in Orlando. I think they are considering an appeal to customers other than the 'typical' WDW visitor. You still get the 'Disney' base customer plus those that are drawn to other pursuits. Best of both worlds.

People are wanting more and more unique and personalized vacations. Experiences/adventures are the future of travel.

Again, IMO.

 

[Steamboat Marti]

I'm sure you all know that DVC will be putting an office in a Chicago mall with the intention of selling timeshares - maybe this one will be one of the offerings? My friend had an interview with the DVC people about working at the mall - complete with a rendition of a studio layout. This sounds like something interesting to watch.

 

[Planogirl]

Disney helped redo the Spacecenter near Houston many years ago. Them doing such projects is not new.

There are however many tourist ranches and other such destinations popping up around San Antonio. I can see Disney perhaps getting interesting in such places. I would suggest that they stay away from Schlitterbahn though. It would be tough to deal with that behemoth.

 

[rantnnravin]

I'm sure you all know that DVC will be putting an office in a Chicago mall with the intention of selling timeshares - maybe this one will be one of the offerings? My friend had an interview with the DVC people about working at the mall - complete with a rendition of a studio layout. This sounds like something interesting to watch.

it's actually gonna have a 2-bedroom and other "interactive experiences"

 

[DisneyFamilyTX]

A co-worker this week spoke with an operator at Disney regarding her upcoming trip in August. When she confirmed her information/address as being Houston, the operator said that she should stay tuned that some upcoming news would be of great interest to her. I know this is all circumstantial, but with all the rumors about a new park in Texas I thought it was worth a note.