SPORT_257_Layout 1 11/8/17 3:24 PM Page 1 TEXAS GUIDE • 2018 It Pays to SPG Play in the Lone Star State 9Site InSpections of Event- Ready Destinations and Their Top Venues Come to Texas for the Games, Stay for the Thrills Armed Forces Bowl Captivates Fort Worth A Premier Travel Media publication www.SportsPlanningGuide.com 2018 State TOC's_Layout 1 11/10/17 2:09 PM Page 258 TEXAS 4 Come for the Games, Stay for the Thrills 6 It Pays to Play in Texas ©iStock.com/bgblue 8 FORT WORTH, TX 18 MIDLAND, TX 10 ROUND ROCK, TX 25 TEMPLE, TX 12 SAN MARCOS, TX 20 PLANO, TX 14 BRYAN COLLEGE STATION, TX 22 LUBBOCK, TX SI 16 BEAUMONT, TX 2 Sports Planning Guide @SportsPlanGuide #SportsPG SPORT_276_Layout 1 11/6/17 11:01 AM Page 276 FIELDS FOR EVERY ATHLETE. PLAY IN MIDLAND. Photo Credit: City of Midland Credit: Stephen Tippett Credit: Stephen Tippett The Scharbauer Sports Complex features Security Bank Ballpark, Grande Communications Stadium, and four PXOWLSXUSRVHDX[LOLDU\ÀHOGV7KHDOOLQRQHFRPSOH[LVZLWKLQZDONLQJGLVWDQFHWRVKRSSLQJGLQLQJDQGKRWHOV 6HFXULW\%DQN%DOOSDUNIHDWXUHVÀ[HGVHDWVDGGLWLRQDOJUDVVEHUPVHDWLQJSLFQLFDUHDV9,3VXLWHV DQGDORXQJH7KHEDOOSDUNLVKRPHWRWKH'RXEOH$DIÀOLDWHRIWKH2DNODQG$WKOHWLFVDQGWKUHHSHDW7H[DV/HDJXH &KDPSLRQVWKH0LGODQG5RFNKRXQGV *UDQGH&RPPXQLFDWLRQV6WDGLXPKDVÀ[HGVHDWVJUDVVEHUPVHDWVDSUHVVER[DQGYLGHRERDUG7KH 0LGODQG2GHVVD6RFNHUV)&:HVW7H[DV'ULOOHUVDQG:HVW7H[DV3ULGHVHPLSURIHVVLRQDOIRRWEDOOWHDPVSOD\KHUH ,QIRXUIXOOVL]HGWXUIPXOWLSXUSRVHDX[LOLDU\WRXUQDPHQWÀHOGVZHUHFRPSOHWHG,QDGGLWLRQWRWKHÀHOGVQHZ UHVWURRPDQGFRQFHVVLRQEXLOGLQJVZHUHLQFOXGHG CONTACT US TO SEE IF YOUR EVENT QUALIFIES FOR A GRANT. VisitMidland Sports & Entertainment | www.VisitMidland.com/Midland-Sports (800) 624-6435 | 303 W. Wall Street, Suite 200, Midland, Texas 79701 SPORT_260-263_Layout 1 11/6/17 9:39 AM Page 260 Come for the Games, Stay for the Thrills From Amarillo to Houston, Texas offers gobs of theme park fun Texas is filled with top-notch waterparks, including the Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resorts in Corpus Christi, Galveston, New Braunfels and South Padre Island and SeaWorld San Antonio (above, right), a 250-acre marine mammal park, oceanarium and the world’s largest marine-life theme park. exans, you may have heard, are esteemed for possessing a Gravity Thrill Park, an amusement park that offers thrill rides such as the prodigious appetite for life and its delights. Which makes sense, Skycoaster, where patrons glide more than 100 feet off the ground; the T given they live in a state that offers a hearty variety of pleasures, Texas Blastoff, a ride resembling a giant slingshot that rockets 150 feet from savory barbecue to an oversized sporting scene. They also live in a into the air; and Nothin’ But Net Freefall, where thrill seekers drop from a state where the average summer high temperature hovers around 94 16-story tower with only a safety net below to catch their fall. degrees, which is the perfect weather to frolic in the refreshing waters of aqua parks or ride one of the country’s swiftest roller coasters. BEAUMONT Football may be Texas’ first love, but when the games conclude, a Located in Southeast Texas 90 miles east of Houston, Beaumont is wealth of delightful amusement and water parks beckons. Here are some home to Gator Country, the largest alligator adventure park and sanctuary of Texas’ most entertaining hot spots for families to cool off while smiling in Southeast Texas. Gator Country houses more than 450 American profusely. alligators, crocodiles and other reptiles, including Big Tex, the largest live-captured nuisance alligator in the country, measuring in at 13 feet, ARLINGTON/DALLAS/FORT WORTH 8½ inches. Six Flags Over Texas is a 212-acre theme park in Arlington, between Fort Worth and Dallas. Opened in 1961, the park features 10 themed COLLEGE STATION areas and 50 rides, including 13 roller coasters. Six Flags Over Texas Home to Texas A&M University, College Station resides 90 miles north- provides several one-of-a-kind experiences, including the longest-operat- west of Houston. It is also the location of Texas World Speedway, one of ing, double-looping coaster in the world, featuring back-to-back vertical only seven superspeedways of two miles or greater in the United States. loops that rise 70 feet. Groups of 10 to 99 that purchase in advance can The speedway enables visitors to practice their driving skills or attend take advantage of special group discounts. Dallas is also home to Zero open track days as a spectator and watch other drivers in action. 4 Sports Planning Guide @SportsPlanGuide #SportsPG SPORT_260-263_Layout 1 11/6/17 9:40 AM Page 261 form 75 feet in the air, where daring riders plummet down a 132-foot- long tunnel and are launched into a giant open-ended funnel. Groups of 15 or more receive a special discounted price when tickets are ordered at least three weeks in advance. PLANO While Plano sits 20 miles north of downtown Dallas and a healthy 1,376 miles from San Diego, visitors itching to surf can visit the Aqua Shop, the first Flow House to bring indoor surfing to the public. Through artificial waves created by a FlowRider, groups can experience the joy of riding waves indoors. ROUND ROCK Located 19 miles north of Austin, Round Rock sports the Rock’N River Water Park. The park underwent a multi-million-dollar renovation in 2016, doubling in size and providing new attractions including Splashville, a huge sprayground play area that includes 51 play features, and The Quarry, an adventure area providing a 12-foot jumping platform and rock climbing wall. SAN ANTONIO San Antonio is home to Six Flags Fiesta Texas, an amusement park spanning 200 acres that features 17 roller coasters, 16 water park rides CORPUS CHRISTI/GALVESTON/ and a host of other activities. Six Flags Fiesta Texas has programs and NEW BRAUNFELS/SOUTH PADRE ISLAND packages for all groups, from company outings to reunions to birthday Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resorts are located in Corpus Christi, 130 parties. SeaWorld San Antonio is a 250-acre marine mammal park, ocea- miles southeast of San Antonio; Galveston, 50 miles southeast of Hous- narium and animal theme park and is the world’s largest marine-life ton; New Braunfels, 32 miles north of San Antonio; and South Padre theme park. The park offers six thrill rides and numerous animal exhibits Island, a barrier island near the state’s southern border. The first of and shows. Groups can save $15 per person with group-rate admission. the parks opened in 1979 in New Braunfels and features 51 attractions across 70 acres and miles of rivers. Tube chutes, rides, tube slides and SAN MARCOS pools use spring-fed river water to carry visitors across the park. Guests Wonder World Park in San Marcos, is 31 miles south of Austin. The can also surge atop a continuous wave on the Boogie Bahn, fly high over park offers a guided tour of the nation’s only true example of an earth- the park on the Sky Coaster, tube on the intense Torrent wave river and quake-formed cave. The park also has an anti-gravity house where water be rocketed uphill on the Master Blaster Water Coaster. Schlitterbahn, flows uphill, a train ride that takes passengers through the waterfalls of with a variety of admission and meal options to suit groups’ needs, offers Mystery Mountain and a chance to mingle with animals at the Texas a group rate for a minimum order of 15 admissions. Wildlife Petting Park. HOUSTON TEMPLE Wet ‘n’ Wild Splashtown is Houston’s largest water park offering more Temple resides 65 miles north of Austin and is the residence of the than two million gallons of summer fun. Highlights include the Stingray Lions Junction Family Water Park. The park offers a pair of three-story Racer, a thrill slide featuring six water slide lanes standing 55 feet high; waterslides, a deep-water pool with a diving board and a rock climbing the Big Kahuna, a mega-thrill raft ride that takes a whitewater journey wall. The park also features a lazy river, beach-entry pool and a railroad- filled with twists and turns; and the Tornado, a slide that begins on a plat- themed water feature for children. SPG SportsPlanningGuide.com Sports Planning Guide 5 REV TX State Guide Features_Layout 1 11/6/17 9:29 AM Page 262 It Pays to Play in Texas Event Trust Funds help Lone Star State attract big-time sports ith numerous state-of-the-art stadiums dotting a landscape Four basketball tournament in San Antonio, Event Trust Funds have filled with fervent sports fans, Texas is a natural location to grown in popularity in recent years. The reason behind their acclaim is W accommodate sporting events of all sizes. these funds enable cities to host sports events that otherwise would not No event is too big for the Lone Star State, as evidenced by the fact have the finances to do so. Texas has recently hosted the Super Bowl (2017 in Houston), the “Without the support (from Event Trust Funds) it would be difficult for College Football National Championship Game (2015 in Arlington) and us to be competitive with other cities around the country,” said Michael the NCAA Basketball Final Four (2014 in Arlington, 2016 in Houston, San Sawaya, executive director of convention and sports facilities for the city Antonio will host in 2018). of San Antonio. “For example, for the (2017) Final Four in Arizona, While the state has a wealth of positive factors prospective event Phoenix was able to raise $15 million from its private community. In San holders find attractive, one less-publicized element has played a consid- Antonio, we don’t have the corporations that can help us raise money like erable role in boosting the state’s sports tourism: Event Trust Funds. that. This helps us compete with cities that have more of these corpora- Event Trust Funds are programs that provide prospective host cities tions.