Zoombezi Bay 5/18

[malem]

Since Jr for Birdy and #Jonathan asked...

I visited Zoombezi Bay (the Columbus Zoo's waterpark) for the first time today. You know you've picked a good day to visit a waterpark when the lifeguards are wearing sweatshirts. Fewer than 1000 guests were supposedly admitted today, and attendance seemed to peak at ~100. Some guests appeared to be there just for the people watching. I did everything, including cycles of the lazy river and the wave pool, in under an hour.

Air temperatures started around 55°F and slowly climbed into the upper 60°s by the end of the day, though the intense sun made it feel a bit warmer. The water temperature was comfortable (~80°F) everywhere except on the two newest water slides, where it felt like it was ~70°F. People were visibly shivering after existing those, but overall it wasn't too bad.

The mix of attractions is decent: 4 WhiteWater West tube slides (including two "bowl" slides like at Great Wolf Lodge), 3 WhiteWater West body slides, a ProSlide Tornado (eg. Mondo Monsoon at Kings Island), a family raft slide, a mat racer slide, a lazy river, a new-for-2014 interactive playhouse structure, an adults-only swim-up bar/lazy river, and miniature versions of the Master Blaster water coaster and "Boomerango" vertical wall slide. Similar slides vary in intensity, so riders can choose whether to take it fast or slow.

The only attractions I didn't do multiple times were the body slides. These are more intense than they look, and the transitions between pieces can be painful. Unless you particularly enjoy fast body slides, I'd recommend skipping them.

Zoombezi Bay is definitely worth a visit if you're in the area and enjoy waterparks. It does attract very large crowds, so be mindful of weekends and peak summer days. For an extra ~$20 charge, the park offers "ZoomPass" to skip the queues for picking up an innertube at the bottom of the slides.

I enjoy waterparks, but I don't tend to frequent them, so I probably won't be back here for awhile. They're a great way to finally say goodbye to winter weather, even if you wake up to frost advisories on the day of your visit.

[jcgoble3]

Thanks for the report. It's a much larger park than I expected for something located at a zoo. I'll have to put it on my ever-growing list of parks that I want to check out but haven't had the time or money to do so. I do enjoy fast body slides (the twisting one at KI's Soak City and Banzai Blast at The Beach are my two favorites), so that gives me another reason to get up there.

And I'm guessing that ZoomPass would have been a waste of money today.

[malem]

^ ZoomPass was the only "attraction" listed as not operating today. Most guests were using the those queues today, rather than the standard ones, to avoid needless walking.

Even though the park was completely dead both days, they got a lot of practice for next weekend - which should be much more crowded.

By the way, I asked about yesterday's attendance, when temperatures in the 40°s-lower 50°s under overcast skies. All attractions were open, serving about 20 guests.

[Dalefan]

The waterpark was once owned by Six Flags. It was very run down till the zoo bought it.

[malem]

The waterpark was once owned by Six Flags. It was very run down till the zoo bought it.

That waterpark was almost entirely demolished to dirt. The family playhouse, the only attraction originally left intact, was entirely replaced this year. The old park's lazy river now serves as an adults-only swim-up bar area.

The Sea Dragon roller coaster still operates, though it's now considered part of the zoo. The original (and fully restored) carousel also operates, though it has been relocated to a different part of the zoo.

[thedevariouseffect]

I had free tickets for the 17th, after hearing about all the weekend weather I'm glad I decided not to go, gosh that wouldn't have been fun to be there in those temps for me.

[malem]

^ Even I wouldn't have visited on the 17th. 45°F, clouds, and rain while wearing a swimsuit wouldn't have been very fun.

They gave away 10,000 waterpark tickets to the USO to distribute to military families in central and southern Ohio. I expect that many were used for the zoo, since it's included with admission.

[thedevariouseffect]

Yeah those were the tickets I grabbed, but I returned them to let someone else decide to use them. Cold rainy day for the zoo isn't for me or Lindz, we will head up another day.

[Dalefan]

I live in Columbus, Ohio. I only been to the waterpark once or twice since its reopening. Its way better. But, they can use a few more rides and trees.

[Creed Bratton]

I love Zoombezi Bay! I find it hard to go around the old lazy river, now the adult one, as I remember walking up a bit further and down the midway to ride some of the old rides there. Each time I visit, I try to find some of the original Wyandot Lake attraction remnants, etc. The adult lazy river should have honestly been taken out, the water hardly flows anymore, so you have to pretty much push yourself around it and none of the water features work.

I love the Sea Dragon! I think that the tilt-a-whirl in Jungle Jack's Landing is the best one I've ever been on!

[Jr for Birdy]

The first week Zoombezi Bay opened, we went down all the inner tube slides backwards several times over on two different visits. In fact, the ride ops being new actually encouraged it and said how much more fun it was going backwards! The higher ups of course put an end to this very quickly, which I knew it was just a matter of time but took full advantage while it lasted. This experience has pretty much ruined water slides for me now, but I do miss Zoombezi, especially being so close to the house but Soak City comes with our passes so we only visit the zoo. Let me tell you, going down them slides backwards was insanely fun, now I miss The Racer backwards all the sudden.,