Wildwater Kingdom Closing Rumor

[IBEW_Sparky]

I watched every single video posted on the web, and every photo/video update that Coasterdad ever posted on GL Today. This one, I still cannot watch all the way through without pausing to collect myself.

[bkroz]

  On 8/10/2014 at 12:19 PM, shark6495 said:

So did CF move the water park to that one little area in the former Animal Adventure area

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Essentially, which seems pointless but it was a step-at-a-time.

The park maps tell the story better than words.

The tiny family park Geauga Lake was one of those that grew very organically over a century from a little picnic park to a family amusement park. SeaWorld Ohio moved in on the other side of the lake in the 1970s, and the two existed across from each other with no minimal relationship for 30 years. It was very odd. I can remember being at Geauga Lake as a kid and looking across the water at the Shamu stadium. Likewise, you'd be at SeaWorld and see roller coasters across the lake.

Basically the water park ended up "moving across the lake" in a step-by-step plan to cover up the former SeaWorld, which for a year sat vacant across the lake and was making no fans for the "new" Geauga Lake. Obviously the history is very complicated, but expand below for my layman's timeline. I'm by no means an expert.

  Reveal hidden contents

2000: Geauga Lake is renamed Six Flags Ohio after its owner, Premier Parks, purchases Six Flags and brands all of its parks as Six Flags parks (see also, Darien Lake).

2001: The county line runs down the middle of the lake. The other SeaWorld Parks are expanding to include roller coasters, but the county in which SeaWorld Ohio resides has strict height and noise limits. SeaWorld allegedly makes an offer to buy Six Flags Ohio. Six Flags counters with an offer to buy SeaWorld, which is accepted. (Alternatively, one story is that Six Flags refused to cross-promote with SeaWorld, so Busch decided to exit the Ohio animal park business altogether, with Six Flags swooping in with an offer.) The parks are combined into Six Flags Worlds of Adventure. SeaWorld is renamed the Wild Life side, Six Flags is renamed the Wild Rides side. The two are connected by a floating bridge and a new forested path around the lake. Two massive parking lots. Two entrance gates. Two guest services. Two lost-and-founds. Two everything. It's a 690 acre park - twice as big as Cedar Point, and 10 times the size of Disneyland. Hurricane Harbor water park continues to operate. "3 parks for the price of 1."

NOTE: In 2000 and 2001, the park added five coasters: Roadrunner Express, Batman: Knight Flight, Superman: Ultimate Escape, The Villain, and X-Flight. This over-expansion and rapid growth is credited as the beginning of the end.

2004: Cedar Fair buys the park. Cedar Fair doesn't do animal exhibits anymore, and certainly not a whole SeaWorld sized park of them, so it closes off most of the Wild Life / SeaWorld side, leaving only the Happy Harbor play area with family flat rides, motion simulator, etc. The SeaWorld side sits abandoned across the lake as an obvious reminder to guests. It was a weird year. Hurricane Harbor is renamed Hurricane Hannah's and continues to operate as a water park. Obviously this is when the park also got a generic white-wash of names (to be fair, no where near as bad as the Paramount Parks de-branding that would come three years later). Batman: Knight Flight becomes "Dominator," and the Gotham City land it's in is painted bright yellow and re-named "Power City." Superman: Ultimate Escape becomes "Steel Venom" with a black and purple logo of a silver snake... the ride remains red and blue. Etc. etc. etc.

2005: To fill up the former SeaWorld side, Cedar Fair opens WildWater Kingdom, a second water park using the main slide from Hurricane Hannah's and one new one. A few water slides and a wave pool continue to operate in Hurricane Hannah's on the other side of the lake.

2006: Remaining Hurricane Hannah's slides are removed. A new wave pool opens on the WildWater Kingdom sight (about where Shamu Stadium used to be) and the former Hurricane Hannah's is gated off like a vacant lot. It basically was. Released concept art of a "Phase II" of Wildwater Kingdom scheduled to open in 2006 does not happen (except for the wave pool). Cedar Fair purchases Paramount Parks for $1.24 billion plunging it into massive debt.

2007: Two major coasters are gone. X-Flight has been moved to Kings Island as Firehawk. Superman: Ultimate Escape (renamed Steel Venom after Six Flags departed) is sent to Dorney Park as Voodoo (now Possessed). After the season ends, Cedar Fair announces through nervous spokesperson that the rides of Geauga Lake will never open again.

I feel especially bad for the folks in charge of those brown attraction / entertainment road signs who found themselves changing the park's name every year or two. (Expand for timeline)

  Reveal hidden contents

1888 - 1999: Geauga Lake

(1970 - 2000): SeaWorld Ohio

2000: Six Flags Ohio

2001 - 2003: Six Flags Worlds of Adventure

2004: Geauga Lake

2005 - 2007: Geauga Lake & WildWater Kingdom

2008 - 2010: Geauga Lake's WildWater Kingdom

2011 - present: WildWater Kingdom

[The Interpreter]

Don't forget the part where the new Cedar Fair sold off every standalone water park it owned.

Except one.

So far.

[shark6495]

Were any of the other water parks sitting on a huge track of land that once was a thriving theme park?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[The Interpreter]

No. Was Geauga? "A".

No.

[The Interpreter]

Anyone who doubts the Big Dipper mess of ownership, just watch. Then watch again:

More than six years ago...

Please don't blame Mr. Norton. He recently passed on.

[thedevariouseffect]

The girl might have been right..I don't remember ACE having the option to buy

[The Interpreter]

And his removal time comments?

And Phoenix? Arizona?

Really?

[thedevariouseffect]

Just learned that Villains trains may potentially be at KI..Interesting..I'd like to see that.

Also who in CCI designed it? The ones who went to Gravity Group or GCI or Dinn and the S&S lot?

Also for those that wonder why the parks and people such as myself harp on loose articles so much..read the lawsuit that involved the ride.

[The Interpreter]

It is my understanding it was primarily designed by Mr. Larry Bill.

[thedevariouseffect]

Also, looking at the ride graveyard in the back of the park (somewhere that quite interests me btw, I'd love to go back there). The images from 2007+ show alot of trains back there. A few red ones may be the SOB trains/etc. but I do believe those may be back there. I can't be too positive though the imagery is very poor in quality.

*paging Don*

A tour perhaps? Would love to take a gander down yonder.

[malem]

^ Kick a soccer ball into the fountains and send a picture via Twitter with the appropriate hashtag. You might win a tour.

[IBEW_Sparky]

That is exactly where they are, Devan.

EDIT: I am not SURE of that at this current season, but they most certainly were not long ago

[rhyano]

was looking back at this, New for 2015 NOTHING! who would have thought, i am making a trip to WWK this year to make sure if it does close at the end of 2015 i can still say i have been.

[bkroz]

Nothing new for 2015.

Of course, same was true of 2007.

2008.

2009.

2010.

2011.

2012.

2013.

And 2014.

The last of Cedar Fair's stand-alone water parks.

Remember that when the thrill park closed in 2007, its fate was announced five days after it closed for the season. No goodbyes. No last tours. No last rides. No last photos. Nothing.

I'm not sure that the current water park is worth an extensive drive to see, but if you want to get a last look at Wildwater Kingdom in Aurora, ain't no time like the present.

http://www.themeparktourist.com/features/20140824/28153/lost-geauga-lake-how-worlds-largest-six-flags-disappeared

[RollerNut]

When is the last time WWK got anything? 2008?

[malem]

^ 2006. An ambitious "phase II" of the waterpark that turned into just a wave pool.

[The Interpreter]

Not coincidentally, that same year Cedar Fair acquired Paramount Parks, and, with it, other priorities and near crushing debt.

[rhyano]

  On 3/23/2015 at 2:03 AM, goodyellowkorn182 said:

Nothing new for 2015.

Of course, same was true of 2007.

2008.

2009.

2010.

2011.

2012.

2013.

And 2014.

The last of Cedar Fair's stand-alone water parks.

Remember that when the thrill park closed in 2007, its fate was announced five days after it closed for the season. No goodbyes. No last tours. No last rides. No last photos. Nothing.

I'm not sure that the current water park is worth an extensive drive to see, but if you want to get a last look at Wildwater Kingdom in Aurora, ain't no time like the present.

http://www.themeparktourist.com/features/20140824/28153/lost-geauga-lake-how-worlds-largest-six-flags-disappeared

I can make this into a Cedar Point trip one day and a water park trip the next

[Dalefan]

Cedar Fair isn't really big on making any major updates to it's waterparks. Soak City at CP is in need of a major upgrade. The Geauga Lake rumors have been around for years. And the funny thing is, people are still mad about what happened. The main park closed almost 8 years ago or so didn't it? And you can't really count on Screamscape for news either.

[The Interpreter]

What's funny about that?

And Cedar Fair not making major improvements to waterparks?

I learn the darnest things here.

Terp, not "getting" it.

[Rustbucket]

  On 3/23/2015 at 2:59 AM, Dalefan said:

Cedar Fair isn't really big on making any major updates to it's waterparks. Soak City at CP is in need of a major upgrade. The Geauga Lake rumors have been around for years. And the funny thing is, people are still mad about what happened. The main park closed almost 8 years ago or so didn't it? And you can't really count on Screamscape for news either.

Really? KD and Carowinds just got major upgrade on their waterparks.

[faeriewench]

Knott's Soak City could use some work as far as paint goes. Everything is faded...badly.

[Delirium13]

And lest we forget, Kings Island's waterpark just received a major update in 2012... It may have disappointed some (including me) that no new slides were added, but the change from Boomerang Bay to Soak City was certainly not minor.

[KI Guy]

  On 3/23/2015 at 2:59 AM, Dalefan said:

Cedar Fair isn't really big on making any major updates to it's waterparks. Soak City at CP is in need of a major upgrade. The Geauga Lake rumors have been around for years. And the funny thing is, people are still mad about what happened. The main park closed almost 8 years ago or so didn't it? And you can't really count on Screamscape for news either.

I'm not sure what you mean. I'd still be upset if KI closed then. Geauga Lake was one of the oldest, most storied parks in the country.

[Outdoor Man]

  On 3/23/2015 at 4:44 PM, KI Guy said:

  On 3/23/2015 at 2:59 AM, Dalefan said:

Cedar Fair isn't really big on making any major updates to it's waterparks. Soak City at CP is in need of a major upgrade. The Geauga Lake rumors have been around for years. And the funny thing is, people are still mad about what happened. The main park closed almost 8 years ago or so didn't it? And you can't really count on Screamscape for news either.

I'm not sure what you mean. I'd still be upset if KI closed then. Geauga Lake was one of the oldest, most storied parks in the country.

Kings Island is pretty safe; not closing ANY time soon.

GL, on the other hand: no interstate access, no tourist infrastructure, terrible location, not near population center of area. Beautiful park and setting but, but in my humble opinion, it worked so long as SeaWorld, or the Wild Life side was operating. Remove those and then there's only Kings Island and Cedar Point to compete.

- The Beast or the Villain?

- Vortex or Double Loop?

- Millenium Force or _______?

- Raptor or Thunderhawk?

[rhyano]

Ki isn't going to close for a long long time

[Dalefan]

  On 3/23/2015 at 4:44 PM, KI Guy said:

  On 3/23/2015 at 2:59 AM, Dalefan said:

Cedar Fair isn't really big on making any major updates to it's waterparks. Soak City at CP is in need of a major upgrade. The Geauga Lake rumors have been around for years. And the funny thing is, people are still mad about what happened. The main park closed almost 8 years ago or so didn't it? And you can't really count on Screamscape for news either.

I'm not sure what you mean. I'd still be upset if KI closed then. Geauga Lake was one of the oldest, most storied parks in the country.

I had searched one of the Geauga Lake fan sites and seen the posts. Some people went as far as to make shirts that had some wording on it that was pretty bad.

[Steph88]

It destroyed property values in Aurora when it shut down and just was left to sit there and rot. When I lived there in the Six Flags WOA days, my parents, who made about ten times what I make and were in their 40s, probably could not afford a home there. (We rented.) Everything was insanely expensive and the schools were top notch. Now, even I could afford to buy a house there. It went from an upscale community, with people taking out huge mortgages, to people having to sell their homes at rock bottom prices and pay the difference. It's understandable that a lot of people would be upset, even after all this time.

I knew animal trainers who worked for Sea World/Wild Life side. When CF purchased the park they had already built a life in the community, and they were forced to relocate to another park and leave their friends and family behind and move really far away.

Plus it was a fun thing for kids in the area to do and it kept them out of trouble. Now there's not much in that town for kids to do.

That's life. Companies seek profits above all else, they have to. But people are going to be upset about it. I'm still sad about it. And I'm not affected by it nearly as much as the people who have roots and homes in that community.

Sometimes I wish it had stayed a small family park, that wouldn't compete with Cedar Point much. Completely different demographic- families with young kids, grandparents and grandchildren- a beautiful small park with a lot of fun rides, not trying to break any records. Something like Waldameer. Now it can never happen.

I'm not a huge waterpark person, so I haven't been to Wildwater Kingdom yet. Maybe I'll make a trip there this summer when I visit my grandparents & CP. I don't like slides but I think they have a nice wave pool.

[rhyano]

Fences being taken down today and people climbing the Dipper, I hope this isn't demolision