{"id":236294,"date":"2026-04-05T18:32:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T18:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/236294\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T18:32:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T18:32:09","slug":"historic-west-texas-amusement-park-revived-at-75-under-new-owners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/236294\/","title":{"rendered":"Historic West Texas amusement park revived at 75 under new owners"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Wonderland<\/p>\n

Wonderland Amusement Park in Amarillo. Photographed on May 3, 2012. (Nan Coulter) Wonderland Amusement Park has reopened on April 3, 2026, after a major overhaul under new ownership.<\/p>\n

NAN COULTER\/Contributor\/Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n

An iconic 75-year-old amusement park in the Texas Panhandle is making a comeback\u2014revamped, refreshed and under new ownership.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Wonderland Amusement Park, located at 2601 Dumas Dr. in Amarillo, kicked off its grand reopening on April 3, welcoming visitors back for roaring rides, carnival treats and a rush of nostalgic memories.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

“Today isn’t just about opening a park, but it’s about honoring a legacy and beginning a new era,” Jimmy Holmes, owner and CEO of 360 Parks, said in a grand opening video shared to Facebook by the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In December, ownership of Wonderland Amusement Park passed from Paul and Paula Borchardt to 360 Parks, as reported by Amarillo Globe-News.<\/a> The park underwent a whirlwind of renovations, getting rides up and running, upgrading infrastructure, enhancing food and beverage options, modernizing technology and refreshing its overall look.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I used to come here as a kid with my parents and my school\u2026and now it’s even more special because I get to bring my kids,” one visitor said in a video posted to the Wonderland Amusement Park Facebook page. “It’s a brand new look. It’s almost like a brand new park.”<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

Comments poured in on social media under announcements of the park’s reopening, filled with excitement and nostalgia.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Thank you for saving Wonderland,” one Facebook user wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“So many memories in my 71 years. Wishing you a bright future,” wrote another.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

For countless Amarillo residents, the park is a cherished childhood memory\u2014including for Amarillo Mayor Cole Stanley, who spoke at the grand opening. Fondly recalling his visits to the park as a grade-schooler, Stanley described its generational history as “the fabric of society that most of us grew up in.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

The park first opened in 1951 under ownership of Paul and Althea Roads, operating as Kiddie Land, according to the park website.<\/a> Originally, the park featured just three rides: the Hershell Kiddie Boat Ride, the Lil’ Dipper Roller Coaster and the Kiddie Car Ride\u2014built by Paul Roads himself.<\/p>\n

In the late 1960’s the park was renamed Wonderland Amusement Park and began adding several dozen attractions year over year. Eventually, Paula\u2014daughter of the Roads\u2014and her husband Paul Borchardt took over the park, continuing the family’s work for decades.<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

“We honor your legacy here and what your family has meant to so many of us,” Stanley said to the Borchardts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Today, Wonderland Park welcomes an estimated 200,000 visitors each year. Visitors can enjoy dozens of attractions, including heart-pounding roller coasters, refreshing water slides, family classics, miniature golf and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the park has reopened touting its “new ownership (and) new experiences,” Holmes emphasized that he hopes to honor the park’s 1951 roots and its place in the community’s history.<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

“For 74 years, (the Borchardts) created a place where generations of families have made lifelong memories,” Holmes said. “That’s incredibly rare these days and something we deeply respect. We can’t wait to welcome the families back to Wonderland.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Wonderland Amusement Park in Amarillo. Photographed on May 3, 2012. (Nan Coulter) Wonderland Amusement Park has reopened on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":236295,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[1836,1704,85744,27,29,28],"class_list":{"0":"post-236294","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-texas","8":"tag-chronnews","9":"tag-chronstaff","10":"tag-chrontexas","11":"tag-texas","12":"tag-texas-headlines","13":"tag-texas-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=236294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236294\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/236295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=236294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=236294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=236294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}