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WATER PARKS
Alottawata Water Park (Ottawa area, Canada)
 2012 - New Park - (11/9/09) The park’s official website has now confirmed that they will not open until June 2012.
(1/20/09) First Calypso has pushed back their opening and now AlottaWata has also pushed back their grand opening until June 2010 as well. This has been confirmed by the AlottaWata website as well.
(3/24/09) According to this news article, the new Alottawata Water Park project is on track for a June 2009 grand opening. Currently workers have already cleared most of the park’s site as Proslide prepares to build “one of the most unique water parks in the world”.
The Beach (Cincinnati, OH)
2010 - New Slide or Mini Golf - Rumor - (5/16/09) Looks like The Beach decided to building nothing for the 2009 season, so these projects could come up again for 2010.
(1/19/09) While The Beach may have purchased the old Jet Stream waterslide from Wyandot Lake some time ago, it seems the waterpark has just not been ready to put it up yet. According to our source the park is looking at two options this season as they try to second-guess what the economy will do, and will either build a new mini golf course for the 2009 season, or put up the money to finally install the Jet Stream. They’ll have to choose soon though, since there isn’t much time left.
Calypso Park (Ottawa, Canada)
2010 - New Park - (10/14/09) A reader went to the preview day at Calypso this past weekend and sent in a ton of photos showing off the new park. Enjoy!
(10/9/09) The latest report on the Calypso waterpark is that about the only thing left to do is finish up the landscaping. According to this report, there is already water in the slides and pools, the water pumps have been tested and ran and they even opened the park for a sneak peek the other day and will hold an “open house” event on Canada’s Thanksgiving weekend, which would be this weekend since Thankgiving is held on the second Monday in October in Canada.
(8/21/09) According to an official announcement, the new Calypso waterpark in Canada will open on June 7th, 2010. They report that already 80% of the park is finished at this point in time. You can also find the official website for the park now live at CalypsoParc.com.
(7/16/09) A new website to promote the new park on deck to open in 2010 has gone live this week at calypsopark.com.
Frogland USA (Rayne, LA)
2010/2011 - New Park - (1/29/09) In early December the people behind the proposed Frogland USA project confirmed that they had hoped to finalize all of their financing needs for the project during the first quarter of 2009.
(5/8/08) The local news has posted an update on the Frogland project, which has yet to break ground.
(11/13/07) A new waterpark called Frogland USA is set to be built in Rayne, LA. You can read more here.
Geauga Lake’s Wildwater Kingdom (Aurora, OH)
2010 - Nothing is known at this time...
 Great Wolf Lodge (Foxwoods Resort Casino, CT)
???? - In Development - (9/21/07) Great Wolf Lodge has entered into a partnership with the huge Foxwoods Resort Casino (Connecticut) to build a new indoor waterpark resort near the Foxwoods site. According to the article, it will be built off the reservation where the casino is, in one of the three neighboring towns: Ledyard, Preston or North Stonington.
Great Wolf Lodge (Lake Lanier, GA near outside Atlanta)
???? - In Development - (12/18/07) According to the local news, the US Army Corps of Engineers have given their approval to build a proposed Great Wolf Lodge resort and indoor waterpark on Lake Lanier in Cumming, GA. Company officials have said to be in talks with the city for over 18 months about building a 600 room resort. The formal announcement could happen as early as January and construction starting as early as Summer 2008.
Great Wolf Lodge at the Mall of America (Bloomington, MN)
???? - Planning Phase - (1/26/09) The massive Mall of America has announced that they still plan on expanding the property, though the speed of the expansion may be done in phases rather than all at once. According to the article it’s unclear how the previous plans to build a Bass Pro Shop or a Great Wolf Lodge resort would fit into the proposed smaller first phase expansion.
(7/27/07) The Mall of America has signed a letter of intent with Great Wolf Resorts to incorporate one of their indoor waterparks as part of the Phase II expansion of the MOA. The inclusion of a Great Wolf Lodge is contingent on the final approval of the Phase II plans that need state approval for about $181 million in infrastructure funding.
Kalahari Resort (Fredericksburg, VA)
???? - New Resort - In Development - (7/23/09) As a clear sign that the economic woes are starting to lift, Kalahari Resorts has given approval to an engineering firm to draw up the final plans for their new resort planned for Fredericksburg, VA.
(12/22/08) The new Kalahari Resort planned for Fredericksburg, VA is now listed on the official website as opening in December 2010.
(1/7/08) According to Kalahari, the new Fredericksburg resort will be very different from their previous two resorts. For starters they believe the that the Virginia location will need a significantly larger outdoor waterpark section and are planning a 170,000 square-foot outdoor area compared to the 77,000 square-foot outdoor section at the Sandusky resort.
(11/19/07) Looks like the rumors were right on the money and Kalahari did announce plans to build a $200 million indoor waterpark resort in Fredericksburg, VA. They hope to open the new attraction at the Celebrate Virginia site by December 2009. It will have a 10 story hotel tower, convention center, indoor and outdoor waterpark attractions, a spa and draw an estimated 1 million visitors a year.
The Lost Island (Waterloo, Iowa)
2010 - Hydromagnetic Rocket Slide - (8/31/09) The Lost Island waterpark in Waterloo, Iowa has confirmed that they are building a new ProSlide Hydromagnetic Rockit slide for the 2010 season on their website..
Nashville Shores (Nashville, TN)
Park News - (11/6/09) The two former heads of Six Flags, Gary Story and Kieran Burke, have gotten together and purchased the Nashville Shores waterpark. They already have plans to start making improvements and expand the park, which shouldn’t be too difficult as the park sits on 385 acres. "It's going to be a complete transformation. You're going to see great new attractions. You're going to see the place spruced up, and you're going to see a lot of improvements," said Burke. Look for a future announcement about their expansion plans to be made before the end of the year. However, don’t expect to see Nashville Shores turned into a Six Flags Lite, as their plans involve not only improving the waterpark but also the campground and marina.
Noah’s Ark (Wisconson Dells)
2010 - Aqua Loop - Rumor - (11/9/09) While the official Noah’s Ark website has yet to confirm that Scorpion’s Tail is a WhiteWater West AquaLoop, apparently someone from the park’s PR department did confirm it in the park’s fan forum. Not sure what an AquaLoop is? Check it out here.
(11/6/09) A couple of readers reported in confirming that Noah’s Ark will be getting the first Aqua Loop slide in the USA.
(10/22/09) A reader tells us that the attraction for Noah’s Ark in 2010 may be called Scorpion’s Tail. While I haven’t heard anything yet about what it will be, I’ve got to wonder if it could be one of those new waterslide designs we saw drop in over across the Atlantic last year where they were trying to make a waterslide do a near-inversion element. Hmmm...
(10/1/09) Noah’s Ark is said to be preparing to make an announcement for a major new water attraction for next season. If the rumors are true, this new attraction could be the first of it’s kind built in America.
Raging Waters Sacramento (Formerly: Six Flags WaterWorld)
2010 - Nothing to report at this time.
Raging Waters San Dimas (San Dimas, CA)
2010 - Dr. Von Dark’s Tunnel of Terror - Rumor - (7/27/09) A Screamscape source tell u s that Raging Waters will likely become home to “Dr. Von Dark’s Tunnel of Terror” for the 2010 season. Two other identical versions of this same attraction were installed at other waterparks in the chain (Wet ‘n Wild Emerald Pointe (NC) and Splash Splash (NY) and were well received in 2009. In essence these are ProSlide TantrumTwist slides, which include a mini-tornado room in the middle of a dark-slide experience. You can see pictures and video footage of other Tantrum style slides here.
Raging Waters San Jose (San Jose, CA)
2010 - Nothing to report at this time.
Schlitterbahn New Braunfels,Texas
Park News - (11/11/09) Schlitterbahn has launched what may be the first iPhone app for a waterpark. The complimentary App will be available for download starting November 20th, and will help you plan your trip to the park, keep track of friends and family in the park, track the Hill Country Christmas Show Schedule, park maps, follow the official Schlitterbahn Twitter and more.
(8/26/09) Schlitterbahn has announced that the Hill Country Christmas event will return once again this winter at the park, featuring 1.5 million Christmas lights, over 60 light sculptures, five shows, sledding, dinner, twice as much Ice to skate on and of course… Santa too. The list of new and improved attractions includes:
Christmas in the Congo – Rock around an African rainforest and jungle all the way.
Christmas Reflections: A River of Lights Spectacular – More than twice the lights in 2009! Be inspired by an innovative, immersive light show choreographed to new Christmas classics along the banks of the Comal River.
The Greatest Story Ever Told –Experience the true meaning of Christmas brought to life in lights and music.
Home for the Holidays– You’re invited to a gathering of family and friends as they sing and enjoy Christmas together.
Mrs. Claus’ Storytime – Have a seat and enjoy a Christmas adventure in Mrs. Claus’ special storytime cottage.
Plus your favorites from last year will return such as the Alpine Slide, Bobsled Run, Christmas Carousel, Schatze’s Winter Wonderland, Rudolph’s Reindeer Barn and the Winter Wassail Hot Tub.
???? - Transportainment Link - Rumor - (3/31/08) We’ve heard a rumor claiming that a future project for Schlitterbahn may be to connect the Surfenburg and Blasterhoff sections together with a new “transportainment” river system.
Schlitterbahn Vacation Village Kansas City
2009 - New Park - (8/31/09) MidWestInfoGuide has posted a good photo report from Schlitterbahn Vacation Village this week.
(7/18/09) CoasterCommunity has posted a trip report from the new waterpark.
(2/9/09) They mention that two large Ferry boats are on site awaiting refurbishment where they will be retrofitted to use clean natural gas engines. Judging from the photo these appear to be the old Ferry boats from the closed Geauga Lake park in Ohio. It was also mentioned that a large Scheels store will be the anchor for the Riverwalk retail area of the resort, with construction set to start in Spring 2009 and finished by Spring 2011. New retail, lodging and other entertainment options and attractions will be introduced to the resort in phases following the opening through 2011, such as the SkyVenture Indoor Skydiving attraction.
(11/19/07) At the IAAPA tradeshow Schlitterbahn Vacation Village announced that they would be building a SkyVenture indoor skydiving simulator in 2009 as part of the $750 million project. Located in the Riverwalk area “enclosed in an enormous clear cylinder, guests soar on wall-to-wall airflow created by multiple overhead fans providing the safest and most realistic freefall simulation imaginable.” Phase One of the Vacation Village project opening in Summer 2009 will include the SkyVenture, several lodging components, shops, restaurants and phase one of the water park resort. Additional phases and projects will be added until the entire project is complete by Summer 2011.
While I think the addition of a SkyVenture is a cool idea, I do worry that the high profile SkyVenture at Universal Studios Citywalk in Hollywood was first said to open back in 2005 and to this date, still has not managed to open.
(8/27/07) Schlitterbahn Vacation Village in Kansas City announced that they would break ground on September 18th. However instead of opening a portion of the waterpark and resort in 2008, they will wait until 2009 to open the entire $750 million 300 acre facility. In addition to having a Schlitterbahn waterpark the project will also include 1,800 guest rooms, 400,000 square-feet of retail space and a ¾ mile manmade river walk. Also beneficial to the project is the fact that gambling was recently approved in Wyandotte county which could lead to a major casino project in the area. You can see some of t he first You can see concept artwork from the proposed Vacation Village at the official site.
2010/2011 - No word on what or when Phase 2 will be ready to open
Seaport Pier (North Wildwood, NJ)
2012/2013 - New Indoor Waterpark Resort - Stalled - (11/1/09) While the plans to create this new indoor waterpark resort are still alive, the fact that construction has yet to start indicates that it wont be ready for the 2010 season. Given the reported 16 month construction timetable, don’t look for this project to open until at least 2012 at this point.
(7/24/07) Plans have been approved for WB Resorts Development to build a hotel (425 rooms) with a 90,000 square-foot indoor waterpark called Seaport Pier in North Wildwood that would open in 2010. The odd thing is that it mentions a skyway will be built to travel over the boardwalk to take guests from the hotel to the waterpark, so I guess they will be on two separate lots. They hope to break ground before the end of 2008 and construction will take at pleast 16 months.
Six Flags White Water (Atlanta, GA)
2010 - The Wiggles Water World - Confirmed - (11/17/09) In a surprise move Six Flags White Water has announced that a new interactive water play area themed to The Wiggles will be added for the 2010 season. This seems to be a far more appropriate use for The Wiggles property than the kiddie areas in the bigger parks and will put the SS Feathersword to good use as a 25 foot tall interactive play ship full of net crawls, water cannons and more. Other attractions will include Wags the Dog’s Kennel Slide Tower, Henry the Octopus’s Pop Jets, Dorothy The Dinosaur’s Splash Garden, or try the Big Red Car Slide. You can also eat at the Yummy Yummy Cafe.
Splish Splash (Long Island, NY)
2010 - Nothing to report at this time...
Water World (Denver, Colorado)
2010 - Nothing is known at this point in time.
Wet ‘n’ Wild Phoenix (Phoenix, AZ)
2010 - Nothing is known at this time.
Wet ‘n Wild Emerald Pointe (Greensboro, NC)
2010 - Nothing is known at this time.
White Water (Branson, MO)
Buy White Water Tickets
2010 - Nothing is known at this time.
Wild Rivers (Irvine, CA)
Park News - (10/28/09) According to the OC Register, Wild Rivers is “ramping up” their fund raising efforts in order to get their new location inside El Toro’s ‘Great Park’ project by 2011. It also seems that the new ‘Wild Rivers’ replacement park may drop the Wild Rivers name in favor of the new Splash Canyon name that will be used on the new Temecula (2010) and Bakersfield (2011) parks.
(10/9 /09) Wild Rivers has issued a new statement confirming that they will be open once again for the 2010 season. Even better... the e-mail newsletter makes a major announcement that Wild Rivers is planning on building a new and improved waterpark in the Irvine area to move into when they are forced out of the current site. It also briefly mentions the new Splash Canyon park openeing in Temecula in 2010 as well as a second site to be built in Bakersfield by 2011.
(7/9/07) The OC Register has confirmed that Wild Rivers’s 22 year run will come crashing to an end this fall when the land lease runs out and The Irvine Co. will not offer a renewal despite a request from the park for an extension. The city changed the zoning of the property last year to allow for residential housing which is what they have planned for the site… building an estimated 3,700 houses and condos on the site of Wild Rivers and the Verizon Amphitheater (formerly Irvine Meadows Amphitheater… or at least it was when I went up to see Oingo Boingo play a Halloween show back in the early ‘90s.) The Amphitheater will stay for awhile though as their lease doesn’t expire until 2017. Meanwhile, an effort has been started to try and Save Wild Rivers, and while I’m thinking The Irvine Company has already made up their minds, it can’t hurt to sign it.
Wilderness at the Smokies (Sevierville, TN)
2009/2010 - Runaway Canyon -(10/28/09) A reader sent in some
pictures of the new “Rafter’s Ravine” slide under construction at the waterpark. While the slide is moving right along very quickly and may soft-open sometime before Thanksgiving, the holiday weekend is still when it is set to officially open. The slide is actually going to be called Runaway Canyon however, not Rafter’s Ravine, despite the photo showing off the old logo on the slide exit. According to the press release the name Runaway Canyon was chosen by the 5th grade students at a local elementary school. The family raft “mammoth” style slide will feature music, sound effects, lighting effects water curtains and more along the journey.
(10/12/09) A Screamscape reader dropped by the waterpark resort and send in a picture showing off what looks to be a Proslide Dark Mammoth waterslide pieces sitting outside the resort. Our source said that these were for a slide to be named Rafter’s Ravine, so perhaps it’s just one new attraction in the Runaway Canyon expansion experience. I’m told that they expect to have it up and running by Thanksgiving Weekend if all goes well. |
