Kemah Boardwalk

The Kemah Boardwalk is a hotel and restaurant destination in Kemah, Texas, USA, which also features a small selection of amusement rides. The main attractions of the 35 acre complex, which opened in 2001, are its many restaurants overlooking Galveston Bay, recreational sailing, and rides. The area was developed by Landry's, which owns all of the restaurants on the boardwalk. Activities include shopping and midway games, as well as a miniature train that traverses the entire area. Additional attractions include a convert|36|ft|m|sing=on carousel a convert|65|ft|m|sing=on Ferris wheel and a new wooden roller coaster.

Since the closing of Six Flags Astroworld in nearby Houston, this is now the nearest recreational and entertainment park in the Houston area.

The boardwalk was among many Houston destinations devastated by the storm surge of Hurricane Ike in September of 2008. Initial raw footage from news helicopters shows an almost complete destruction of the buildings on the Boardwalk

Rides & Games

Here is a description of all the rides at the Kemah Boardwalk, primarily a collection of Chance-Morgan built devices:

Aviator - riders can swing their airships in and out with a rudder as they circle in the air

Balloon Wheel - A miniature Ferris wheel

Boardwalk Bouncer - a small bouncing drop ride, a variation of the S&S Power "Frog Hopper".

Boardwalk Bullet- A high speed wooden roller coaster. Opened August 31, 2007. This is currently the only roller coaster in Greater Houston. It is a convert|96|ft|m|sing=on tall, 3200+ foot long Twisted Wooden Roller Coaster designed by The Gravity Group built on a 1 acre footprint making it the most compact wooden coasters in the world.

Boardwalk Tower - a raising observation deck

Carousel - Just a normal carnival style carousel

Crazy Sub - A submarine, much like the one in the Beatles film "Yellow Submarine", that slowly goes up and slowly goes down

Kemah Train - miniature railroad that traverses the premises

Inverter - a ride that flips people, and at $625,000 it is the most expensive ride aside from the Boardwalk Bullet coaster and the only one that takes people upsidedown

Pharaoh's Fury - A swinging ship ride

Red Baron - A little airplane "Dumbo" ride

Chaos - A ride which spins you around on three different axis at once.

The attractions are individually priced pay-per-ride, and an unlimited wristband option is also available for $18.99 plus tax.

Property owner Tillman Fertitta has spoken in recent interviews that he plans to expand the ride selection in Kemah.

There are also many carnival-style games bordering the sidewalk, ranging in price from $2.00 to $10.00 in price per game. Winning games comes with a small prize to large prize depending on the game.

One of the most popular rides is the 140 passenger speedboat called "Joe's Boardwalk Beast". The "Beast" is a 70 foot open-deck speedboat that takes passengers out into Galveston bay for a wild, wet 25 minute ride at speeds up to 40 mph. Riders should be aware that they will get wet, possibly soaked as the "Beast" performs high-speed turns out in the Bay. The "Beast" season is from around Spring Break until about Thanksgiving.

Restaurants

There are many family-oriented restaurants on the boardwalk, most owned by Landry's. The restaurants include:

*Joe's Crab Shack
*Red Sushi
*Cadillac Bar
*Landry's Seafood House
*The Flying Dutchman
*Aquarium Restaurant
*Chart House
*Saltgrass Steakhouse
*Babin's Seafood House

Marina

The marina, located adjacent to the boardwalk, is a popular destination for Clear Lake visitors. There are about 424 boat slips, and rental fees range from $210 to $435 per month. Other security fees and insurance are required to rent boats.

External links

* [http://www.kemahboardwalk.com/ Kemah Boardwalk]
* [http://www.kemahboardwalkmarina.com/ Kemah Boardwak Marina]
* [http://www.coasterphotos.com/Kemah/coaster.htm Boardwalk Bullet Construction Photos]
* [http://gallery.lonestarthrills.com/v/Kemah-Boardwalk/ Kemah Boardwalk Photos]
* [http://www.oldastroworld.com/boardwalk/photos/ BoardWalk Bullet topping off]
* [http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=39650 Boardwalk Bullet POV Video]
* [http://boardwalkbullet.com/ Boardwalk Bullet Home Page]