Texas is set to race into pole position on the agendas of theme park fans around the world next month when the doors swing open to the hotly-anticipated COTALAND at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, capital of the Lone Star State.

The theme park is expected to imminently announce that its grand opening celebration will begin on Saturday September 26 with tickets available on its website from $65 per person.

The park's 30 acres are filled with more than 30 first of their kind thrill rides and intricately-themed slower-paced attractions making it a fantasyland for all ages. "A family-friendly theme park inside a world-class racing compound is something the United States has never seen before," says Bobby Epstein, Founder of COTA and COTALAND. "Austin is about to become home to one of the most unique amusement destinations in the world." It is no exaggeration.

Before guests set foot inside COTALAND it soon becomes clear that it isn't a typical amusement park. Instead of just having a sign hanging above the gate, as is usually the case, COTALAND's striking soaring entrance corridor is flanked by massive murals of flowers. It leads to a circular pool surrounded by fountains pouring onto a centerpiece golden statue of a child hugging their parent while holding a heart shaped balloon.

It sets the scene for a diverse range of attractions crowned by two record breakers. One is called Palindrome meaning a word, phrase, number or sequence of symbols that reads the same backward as forward. There is good reason why this name was chosen.

Made by German company Gerstlauer, Palindrome is far from a carnival ride. It is the only steel coaster in the U.S. to soar over an active road and is the first infinity shuttle coaster in the country. What this means in practice is that the coaster car climbs up a vertical hill before hurtling around 1,230 feet of track culminating in a vertical spire. When the coaster car reaches the top of the spire it slides down under gravity and hurtles backwards along the track to the start. Its return journey is a mirror image of the outbound one, hence the coaster's unusual name.

Joining it is the equally aptly-named Circuit Breaker from Dutch manufacturer Vekoma. Texas' only tilt coaster, Circuit Breaker's car slowly climbs to a peak and stops on what appears to be a severed piece of track horizontally jutting out of the top of the ride. This piece then dramatically tilts down joining the rest of the track before the ride car rockets down the vertical drop.

"These aren’t just rides – they’re engineering showcases," says Matt Hughey, COTALAND's vice president of park operations. "COTALAND is building experiences guests can’t find anywhere else." They have already blazed a trail.

Earlier this year Circuit Breaker and Palindrome were previewed by select roller coaster experts including the renowned CoasterStudios which described both as being "fantastic."

COTALAND also has an attraction which isn’t just the fastest of any theme park in the U.S. but perhaps the world. It is thanks to COTALAND’s status as the only park in the U.S. which sits within a track where a round of the Formula One world championship takes place. The U.S. Grand Prix has been held there since 2012 and COTALAND makes the most of it. The park’s Hot Lap experience offers guests who pay an additional fee for the opportunity to step into the passenger seat of a supercar for a lap of the sweeping track.

Circuit of the Americas is the only purpose-built F1 track in the U.S. and it is famous for the uphill climb to its first corner which is followed by a slalom sequence of turns. Park goers will be able to get a bird's eye view of it all from the Downforce drop tower and Cloud Flyer, a 150 feet-high spinning swing ride.

Although the children's rides aren't as exhilarating as them, they are equally eye-catching. Medusa, the park's equivalent of Disney's classic Dumbo ride, features rotating ride cars attached to intricately-detailed tentacles while the park's train ride is immersed in models of flowers which get taller and taller the deeper it gets into the foliage.

COTALAND has also developed junior versions of its adult attractions, a strategy which has been used to great effect at the Ferrari World and Yas Waterworld parks in Abu Dhabi. COTALAND's Lil’ Logger log flume has a bigger brother called the Soggy Logger while the kids' counterpart to Downforce is the Tree House Bounce, a drop ride which gently rises and falls on an artificial tree trunk complete with models of vividly-colored birds in the branches at the top.

COTALAND has even developed mascots based on local Austin animals to make its rides even more identifiable. Following in the footsteps of Disney's parks, on certain nights, it will host a fireworks show called Where The Stars Shine Bright. That's far from the only connection it has to the Mouse and its rival Universal.

The track’s vice president of human resources Jamey Walls worked at Universal Orlando for six years as director of talent development while COTALAND’s vice president of entertainment, Tim Hamilton, also worked at the resort as a show director. However, the longest stretch of his career was spent with Disney. Hamilton managed iconic shows including the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue and was involved with the development of Cinderella’s Surprise Celebration before rising up to the role of creative producer of Disney Parks Live Entertainment.

When Walt himself opened Disneyland in Anaheim he famously said "even the trees will keep growing; the thing will get more beautiful every year." COTALAND continues this tradition as it will have around 850 trees including Live Oaks, Mexican Sycamores, Red Oaks, Loblolly Pines, Crape Myrtles, Redbuds and Mexican Buckeyes. They aren't just there to look pretty but also to provide shade from the intense Texas heat. That's not all.

In stark contrast to many independent parks, COTALAND even has a horticultural team and it puts them to good use. The landscaping is themed to the attractions with pines planted around the Pacific Northwest-themed Soggy Logger while the Safari Adventure features replicas of African animals nestled amongst towering bamboo, banana trees and palms

Seasonal floral displays will transform the park throughout the year with Texas wildflowers, bluebonnets, Indian paintbrushes, sunflowers and fall blooms. It also has a rose garden inspired by the Yellow Rose of Texas and a Flutterarium, a Victorian-style butterfly conservatory that will host horticultural tours.

"COTALAND was created to be far more than a traditional amusement park," says Epstein. "This is where theme park thrills, world-class racing, live entertainment and family experiences come together in a way that doesn't exist anywhere else in the country."

It taps into the growing importance of the Experience Economy. Essentially, this involves Gen Z and Millennials preferring to spend their money on experiences, rather than products, as they can post photos on social media boasting that they have been to these locations. Getting their attention isn't the only driving force behind the vivid foliage at COTALAND.

Its Flutterarium will host monarch butterfly education and release programs while the wider landscape in the park will be used for a Legacy Tree program highlighting offspring and clones of historic trees from across Texas, creating an evolving collection.

"COTALAND represents the future of destination entertainment – a place where thrilling attractions, immersive environments, art, dining and hospitality come together to create something truly unique," says Griffin Tendler, COTALAND's vice president of marketing. "Our goal is to create a destination where every guest, regardless of age, can find something that inspires excitement, connection and memories that extend beyond the day of the visit." In the theme park industry, that's the winning formula.