Texas Investor Buys Remote Farmland for Christmas Village

Wally Westbrook of The Woodlands, Texas, said private investors are behind his bid to create a theme park in rural Madison County called America’s Christmas Village. His plans are outlined at www.christmas-village.com, but the Madison County Record was the first to break the story locally.

Westbrook, 57, recently paid $740,000 for 880 rural acres in Madison County. The property, which is south of Eureka Springs and northeast of Clifty, was bought from Perry and Loretta Johnson.

First State Bank in Huntsville financed the transaction.

Westbrook recently told the Huntsville Chamber of Commerce that construction on his four-phase, 20-year project will begin this spring.

When contacted in The Woodlands during the week of Dec. 13 by the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal, Westbrook said he was coming back to Arkansas to buy more property. According to The Woodlands Villager, that city’s newspaper, Westbrook was one of the original builders at the ultra-upscale, 27,000-acre suburban Houston enclave.

“Eureka Springs is why we’re coming there,” Westbrook said. “This will be a Christmas theme park with Christian values. It will be Christmas every day.”

Westbrook declined to provide a cost estimate for the park, which he said will include rides, shops, a hotel and restaurants. But he did say he expects to spend $5 million during the first phase of development to add a steam locomotive and $7 million to build a 200-space RV facility that can be used for recreational vehicle manufacturer rallies.

Westbrook admitted his plans sound ambitious, to say the least. Just to run water and sewer out to his site would require an incredible investment.

But his commitment to the project stems from an epiphany he had in 1996 after suffering a stroke and brain aneurysm. A professed Christian, Westbrook said the life-altering event bolstered his faith. He’s also confident the project’s strong list of investors will help get the job done.

Westbrook cites middle America — the 80 million people who live within a 600-mile radius of Eureka Springs — as his main geographic and demographic targets.

America’s Christmas Village, Westbrook said, will be a master-planned resort destination where a train system takes visitors inside an all-pedestrian resort. He hopes to build tourism synergies with Branson, Mo., and The Great Passion Play in Eureka Springs.

His plans also call for a 2,500-seat grand ballroom, a 6,500-SF Santa’s workshop, townhomes, a golf course and more. Later phases call for a replica of Bethlehem.