Last December, construction began on a tilt track for the amusement park’s Circuit Breaker coaster from Vekoma, which will be the first tile coaster of its kind anywhere in the U.S., as well as moving forward with plans for a log flume ride attraction. In all, Cotaland will contain more than 30 rides and comprise 30 acres.
Other planned rides will include the Gertslauer Infinity Coaster Palindrome, another first in this country. Also planned are the Sky Blazer pendulum swing ride, which will be a first of its type in Texas, and the Texas Wildcat. The latter is the only Schwarzkopf coaster of its type still operating anywhere and is currently running at the Circuit of The Americas Grand Plaza. Along with the rides, a two-story dining facility is planned.
Another of the amusement park’s planned attractions includes a so-called hot lap, in which guests can traverse the COTA track itself, professionally driven around the racetrack in a car capable of reaching more than 150 m.p.h. when racing.
While the amusement park is the most extensive of any additions to the racetrack property, COTA has previously housed concerts, a holiday light show, and a go-kart track as well as scheduling soccer events on the property.
According to Stacy Weiss, COTA’s vice president of theme park marketing, general contractor White Construction is hard at work on the park, and COTA is starting the process of hiring to staff the park both seasonally and year ‘round. She notes that Cotaland is also onboard with the idea of creating partnerships with local schools and businesses as the build continues.
The new park will be compact, with a design that Weiss describes as leaning toward that of a botanical garden environment, with plants and natural landscaping in place to shade attendees from the hot Texas sun.
Weiss relates that funding for the amusement park is primarily in place, with COTA raising and earmarking some $65 million for construction. Precise costs for the project in full have not been released, however, Cotaland recently submitted seven $15 million dollar filings with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The filings describe some $105 million dollars of developments in all for the amusement park and related facilities, including a loading dock and administration office, restaurants, and retail space, a stage, a bar, a dining hall, and the amusement attractions themselves.
Bobby Epstein, chairman of COTA, describes the theme park as a natural outgrowth of the racing venue’s appeal. “One of the things we’ve always tried to do with our race events is make [them] appeal to the race fan and their friends and family,” he says, whether they’re all racing fans already or not. Epstein stresses that the amusement park will just be one more reason to “come out and enjoy the day” at the track.
He adds that “The amusement park adds to – and is consistent with – our mission to create ‘A playground for today. Memories forever.’”
Amusement parks are an-ever growing market in Texas, with Six Flags Fiesta in San Antonio and Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington now being joined by the upcoming Cotaland in Austin, Universal’s upcoming Universal Kids Resort located in Frisco, and in Houston, the development of TexasLand USA, a Texas-themed amusement park.
Epstein feels that each park will complement the other rather than competing, pointing out that Cotaland will be located in Central Texas where there are no other established theme parks. And additionally, COTA’s other attractions, from racing to concerts, will drive further interest.
COTA has the addition of other near-future offerings in mind beside the amusement park. These include the design of a new mini-golf course and increased options for go-kart fun, including the development of a smaller track allowing those under age 16 to drive.
Recently, COTA opened the T11 Car Condo community, designed for car enthusiasts to house their vehicles 24/7. These “condos” will include living room-style amenities as well as a secure parking spot for street cars. The track has previously allowed street cars to run on its track.
Looking further ahead, COTA has envisioned the construction of a water park, hotel, and a convention center, the latter of which could receive assistance from the city of Austin itself. In early March 2025, the city council in fact approved a measure for staff to being negotiations with COTA to provide approximately $20,000 through the hotel occupancy tax to assist with development. The planned hotel indicates as many as 1,000 rooms, which would make it one of the three largest hotels in the greater Austin area. As to the convention center, COTA’s plans note a 430,000-foot property, a significant size boost from the current Austin Convention Center’s 247,000-square-feet. There are as yet no construction dates planned for these projects, but Weiss revealed that the water park would be built adjoining the amusement park.
Epstein asserts that the new additions to COTA are projected to boost visitation significantly, with an estimated 3.5 million visitors projected annually by 2028, a significant increase to the 1.5 million visitors who visited COTA last year.
