ZDT's Amusement Park
Previously known as ZDT's Amusement Center | |
 | |
 Interactive map of ZDT's Amusement Park | |
| Location | Seguin, Texas, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 29°34′48″N 97°58′1.2″W / 29.58000°N 97.967000°W |
| Status | Defunct |
| Opened | March 2007 |
| Closed | August 17, 2025 |
| Owner | Danny Donhauser |
| Operating season | All year |
| Area | 10 acres (4.0 ha) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 13 |
| Roller coasters | 1 |
| Water rides | 3 |
| Website | www |
ZDT's Amusement Park was a 10-acre (4.0 ha) family amusement park located in Seguin, Texas. The park opened in 2007 and featured 12 attractions, three of which were water rides, along with an arcade. It was open year-round, with the exception of its water rides, which operated from March through September. The park introduced its first roller coaster, Switchback, in 2015. The park permanently closed on August 17, 2025 due to rising operational costs.
History
In March 2007, ZDT's Amusement Park first opened its doors to the public and featured five indoor attractions. Owners Danny and Sarah Donhauser named the park after their three children – Zac, Danielle, and Tiffany – using the first letter of each child's name. Multi-level go-karts were added in 2008, and Mad Raft Water Coaster, a water coaster and the park's first water ride, opened in 2011.[citation needed] The Switchback roller coaster was added in 2015.
The park ceased operations on August 17, 2025 due to rising costs.[1][2]
Rides and attractions
| Switchback | |
|---|---|
 | |
| ZDT's Amusement Park | |
| Location | ZDT's Amusement Park |
| Coordinates | 29°34′49″N 97°57′59″W / 29.5802°N 97.9663°W |
| Status | Closed |
| Opening date | October 17, 2015 |
| Closing date | August 17, 2025 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Wood |
| Manufacturer | The Gravity Group |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 65 ft (20 m) |
| Drop | 58 ft (18 m) |
| Speed | 65 km/h (40 mph) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Max vertical angle | 87° |
| Capacity | 700 riders per hour |
| Trains | 2 trains with 4 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 8 riders per train. |
| Switchback at RCDB | |
| Video | |
Switchback
In late 2014, ZDT's unveiled plans to build Switchback, a custom hybrid wooden shuttle roller coaster that featured a 104-degree overbanked turn and an 87-degree incline (a world record in wooden coaster angles of descent).[3] Manufactured by The Gravity Group, the 63-foot-tall (19 m) ride dropped riders 58 feet (18 m) and reached speeds of up to 40 mph (64 km/h).[4] The roller coaster opened to the public on October 17, 2015.[4] It navigated through and around various buildings and structures in the park before reaching a culminating element called the "Grand Spike", which sent riders up an 87-degree incline.[3] Switchback was the first and only wooden shuttle coaster of its kind, and derived its name from the 1884 Switchback Railway, the first true roller coaster in United States.[5][6][7]
| Golden Ticket Awards: Best New Ride for 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Ranking | 5[8]
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| Year | 1998 | 1999 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | – | – | ||||||||
| Year | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| Ranking | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Year | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Ranking | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 33[9] | 36[10] | 49[11] |
| Year | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
| Ranking | N/A | – | 46[12] | – | – | 46 (tie)[13] |
Thrill rides
| Name | Manufacturer | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Dizzy Toucan | Zamperla | Mini Discovery |
| Maxflight Simulator | Max Flight[14] | N/A |
| Parachute Drop | Zamperla | N/A |
| ThunderVolt Speedway GoKarts | N/A | Go-karts |
Water rides
| Name | Manufacturer | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Mad Raft | N/A | Water coaster |
| Viper | N/A | Launched water slide |
| Viper's Tail | N/A | Mat racing water slide |
Other attractions
| Name | Manufacturer | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jungle Playground | N/A | Playground | |
| Rock Wall | N/A | Climbing rockwall | |
| Silo Climb | N/A | Climbing area | Closed in 2023 |
| Trampoline Thing | N/A | Trampoline |
References
- ^ Frazar, Felicia. "Seguin amusement park set to close at end of summer". Seguin Gazette. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ^ Guzman, René (July 31, 2025). "ZDT's Amusement Park in Seguin to close after 18 years of family fun". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
- ^ a b "Switchback Rollercoaster". ZDT's Amusement Park. Retrieved May 7, 2017.[dead link]
- ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Switchback (ZDT's Amusement Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Kuhn, Jessica. "ZDT's new wooden roller coaster to set world record". Seguin Gazette. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
- ^ "History of Roller Coasters: The Switchback Railway, America's First Roller Coaster". EntertainmentDesigner.com. October 16, 2011. Archived from the original on May 7, 2017. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
- ^ Kuhn, Jessica. "ZDT's new wooden roller coaster to set world record". Seguin Gazette. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
- ^ "Amusement Today – Golden Ticket Awards 2016" (PDF). Amusement Today. 20 (6.2): 8. September 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
- ^ "2017 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
- ^ "2018 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
- ^ "2019 Top Wood". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
- ^ "2022 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2022. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
- ^ "2025 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2025. Archived from the original on September 7, 2025. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
- ^ "VR2000 Roller Coaster Simulator". maxflight.com.