SEGUIN, Texas – An 18-year-long ride will soon come to a complete stop for an amusement park.
The owners of ZDT’s Amusement Park announced that it will be closing their doors for good on Aug. 17.
“Attendance has been dwindling in recent years, so you know, the time has come,” said Sarah Donhauser, reflecting on the reasons for the closure. “This summer, it became apparent that we needed to go ahead and close at the end of this summer.”
Donhauser said she and her husband, Danny, made the tough decision after toying with the idea for at least the past two years.
The couple first opened the park in 2007 on the site of an old grain mill located on West Kingsbury Street, near North Bowie Street.
Some of the mill’s original components were incorporated into the park’s design.
“Seguin needed something for families to do, and so, we were filling a void, essentially,” Donhauser said.
The park started off with a game room and a go-kart ride, then added outdoor features, including several water slides, a parachute drop ride and a one-of-a-kind rollercoaster called the “Switchback.”
“It’s the only wooden shuttle coaster, so the only wooden rollercoaster that goes both forward and backward,” Donhauser said proudly.
The rollercoaster and the park itself have attracted visitors from all over the Lone Star State throughout the years.
Kim Monroe, who lives in East Texas near Tyler, recently made her second visit to the amusement park with her family. She said that she discovered it for the first time last year.
“This is like a little hidden jewel in Seguin,” Monroe said. “We had no idea this was here. And the first time we came, we had so much fun.”
Seguin resident Jenna Fabbrini has been a regular visitor to the park for the last four years.
“I feel like it’s safe,” Fabbrini said. “The kids can just go here and here, and you can see them.”
On a recent visit, Fabbrini brought along her 8-year-old daughter and her daughter’s best friend.
Between trips down the water slides, both girls said they were “sad” to hear that the park is closing.
Sarah Donhauser said she has been on an emotional rollercoaster ever since she and her husband decided to shut down their business.
“One day, I’m sad because, you know, I’m informing employees,” Donhauser said, in part. “Today, I feel happy.”
Donhauser said she is looking forward to having more free time to spend with her own family, which now includes grandchildren.
As for the park property, it is unclear what the future holds. So far, there hasn’t been anyone interested in buying it as a whole and reopening it, Donhauser told KSAT.
Instead, she expects they will sell parts of it, including some of the rides and buildings.
In the meantime, Donhauser said she hopes people will take advantage of the final opportunity to visit.
For more information about ZDT’s Amusement Park, click here.
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