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| | | | Site Information | | | Local area amusement park for over 51 years. Offers history of the park, rides, prices, hours of operation, employment opportunities and contact information.
| More than 50 years ago, Paul Roads had a dream. If he built an amusement park, the children would come. But where to build it? His vision took him not to a cornfield, but to an ugly, barren hill. In their search for the perfect site, Paul and wife Alethea traveled from San Angelo to a bleak stretch of land in Amarillo's Thompson Park.
It seemed the dream would die right there, for lack of water. "There were no trees, just scrub grass and sand burrs," Mr. Roads recalls. "It was pitiful." So pitiful that he and Alethea headed home. "We only got so far as Canyon, when we decided to give the location a second look."
With the promise of transplanted trees and grading to level the area, Mark Miles, then the city's Parks and Recreation director, convinced the Roads to give Amarillo a try. They did, and just a few months later, Kiddie Land was born. With three children's rides and a makeshift ticket booth made out of a box from one of the rides, Kiddie Land was an instant hit. However, it was not profitable enough to support the family. During the next 10 years, Roads continued to work a "day job" and spent nights and weekends at the park. Finally, he reached a crossroads and had to choose between the park and his day job. He chose the park and has never regretted the decision.
With the addition of rides with wide appeal for all ages, a name change was in order. The Roads chose Wonderland, inspired by Alice in "Through The Looking Glass." Although the Wonderland of today bears little resemblance to the Kiddie Land of 50 years ago, many of the seeds of today's park were sown then. For instance, a commitment to family values. "We've always wanted this to be a park where you could bring your kids," Mrs. Roads said. "When we started, the parks weren't clean, they were more like carnivals. We didn't want that then, and we still don't."
The importance of family has had a profound influence on the history of Wonderland. When the park was still struggling, the Roads got some needed help from Mrs. Roads' parents, Robert and Ruth Mikesell, who moved to Amarillo when they retired. Mrs. Mikesell continued to operate the miniature golf course until she was nearly 90 years old.
For the past 30 years, the Roads' daughter Paula and her husband Paul Borchardt, also known as P.D., have been an integral part of Wonderland Park's operations. While they had many options, they decided to make fun their life's work. After P.D. finished a stint in the Navy, the Borchardts' relocated to Amarillo to work at the park, and have never left.
Today, Paul and Paula are president and vice president of Wonderland Amusements, Inc. With a triple major in naval science, marketing and accounting, and later an MBA in accounting, P.D. brought a business acumen to the park that helped it evolve from special to spectacular . . . from Kiddie Land, with three rides, to the third-largest amusement park in Texas. Wonderland Park today is a major attraction with more than 200,000 visitors each year. One reason is the Roads' and Borchardts' commitment to add new attractions and constantly invest in maintenance and improvements.
Over the years, many spectacular rides have been added. Some are purchased from manufacturers or other parks, while others are built specifically for Wonderland Park. One good example is the world famous Texas Tornado, a double loop roller coaster, which attracts roller coaster enthusiasts from all over the world. Always on the lookout for the unique and the innovative, Wonderland added the 12 passenger SHOOT THE CHUTE in the summer of 2000. It is the first of its kind in the U.S. We prototype many rides, especially those from O.D. Hopkins in New Hampshire- the World's largest water ride manufacturer.
Recently, two other major rides have been unveiled, the Pipeline Plunge, developed and engineered just for Wonderland, and the Rainbow. Some attractions, such as the Fantastic Journey, have been built from ideas and photographs of other parks. Mr. Roads himself designed the Fantastic Journey, a park mainstay. "The dark house," as Mr. Roads calls it, took nine months to build. He spent so much time in it that newly-hired help for the year's season didn't know who he was. "They would keep coming to the office to ask my wife, 'Who's that white-haired old man who keeps coming out of that building up there'."
Today, the third generation carries on the family legacy at Wonderland Park. The Borchardts' daughters Kristen, Keira and Paige have all worked part-time at the park, but their eldest, Rebecca, has made the park her career. A CPA, Rebecca has succeeded her grandmother as comptroller. "Our family understands our lifestyle," P.D. said. "We work while everybody else plays and we work while everybody works." He's only half kidding. The Roads and the Borchardts work hard to make Wonderland Park fun for their guests . . . and doing so gives them great satisfaction. "They say the man with the most toys wins," P.D. said. "I think it's the guy who has the most fun. I win hands down."
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| | | Contact Information | | | Wonderland Park 2601 DUMAS DR. AT THOMPSON PARK AMARILLO, TX 79107, Tel: 806-383-3344 Toll Free: 800-383-4712 Fax: 806-383-8737 http://www.wonderlandpark.com/ E-mail Wonderland Park | | | | If you're the owner or webmaster of this site then please Claim this Link Once you claim this link and we approve it you will be the only one who can modify the listing in the future. |
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| | Date Added: Thu Sep 08 2005 | | Last Updated: Thu Sep 08 2005 | | | | |
