Random memories

[MCM0313]

Longtime park guest, sometime reader of this site since 2012, member of this site since last year, first-time poster. 

Let's get to it, shall we? I'm 33 years old and I believe I was three when I first went to KI, so that would be 1987. What was then Waterworks (great name btw) opened in 1989, so, while the waterpark was a staple of my preteen and teenage summers, I did visit at least once while the park was land-only. I seem to recall a walking path that was probably taken out as the waterpark was being built. It wound behind International Street, through and/or around what was then Hanna-Barbera Land, and came out close to the entrance. Does anyone else recall this, or have access to historic park maps that I could use to verify or disprove my memory? I was really little, so I could be wrong, but my memory is usually pretty accurate.

 

This is my first random memory. I have several more.

[IndyGuy4KI]

Welcome to KIC! Not remembering the path you are talking about. Hopefully you find someone who may know? 

[MCM0313]

9 hours ago, IndyGuy4KI said:

Welcome to KIC! Not remembering the path you are talking about. Hopefully you find someone who may know? 

Thank you! Who knows? As little as I was, I may have imagined it.

[silver2005]

With the way the kids area has been re-themed and re-routed, I imagine the path starting there to the water park has changed somewhat.  Before even the first glimpses of Nickelodeon came in during the late 90's, it was much more wooded back there in the area around the Picnic Grove.  

One thing I hated that the park did when rebranding the water park to Soak City was getting rid of so many trees around the original section.  It used to be very, very green in the water park (in a good way ).  I also miss that awesome stone Water Works sign by the lazy river.  

silver2005, who has many fond memories of the original Water Works.

I have something I want to confirm as well.  During the time where the area to the left of the entrance was known as Adventure Village, what was in the spot where the Action Zone water tower used to be (circa 1994-1998, between the time the animal area and trams were retired and the birth of Action Zone)?  I seem to think there used to be an in-ground amphitheater there.  

[CoastersRZ]

I think the area of the water tower (now the area of shaded seating in front of Ice Scream Zone) was just part of the midway.  Extreme Skyflyer was added in 1995 (called Drop Zone when it first opened).  Before the Action Zone rebranding of Adventure Village in 1999, there was a gift shop located where the Ice Scream Zone is today.  In fact the exit of King Cobra used to dump you into this gift shop.  Not unlike what banshee does today.

[silver2005]

^I remember the rest of the area pretty well, I did start riding KC right before Action Zone was created (I probably don't even have 10 laps on KC due to the lengthy lines).  

Plus, 10-12 year old me back then was more focused on Top Gun marathons than paying attention to details.  

[MCM0313]

2 hours ago, silver2005 said:

With the way the kids area has been re-themed and re-routed, I imagine the path starting there to the water park has changed somewhat.  Before even the first glimpses of Nickelodeon came in during the late 90's, it was much more wooded back there in the area around the Picnic Grove.  

One thing I hated that the park did when rebranding the water park to Soak City was getting rid of so many trees around the original section.  It used to be very, very green in the water park (in a good way ).  I also miss that awesome stone Water Works sign by the lazy river.  

silver2005, who has many fond memories of the original Water Works.

I have something I want to confirm as well.  During the time where the area to the left of the entrance was known as Adventure Village, what was in the spot where the Action Zone water tower used to be (circa 1994-1998, between the time the animal area and trams were retired and the birth of Action Zone)?  I seem to think there used to be an in-ground amphitheater there.  

There still IS an in-ground amphitheater there, it just isn't used anymore. I saw it last year when I reluctantly rode Drop Tower. (Love drops, hate to be surprised by them.) @CoastersRZ, I thought Drop Zone was the original name of Drop Tower. What is EXtreme Skyflyer? Is that the bungee-jumping thing?

 

[MCM0313]

2 hours ago, silver2005 said:

With the way the kids area has been re-themed and re-routed, I imagine the path starting there to the water park has changed somewhat.  Before even the first glimpses of Nickelodeon came in during the late 90's, it was much more wooded back there in the area around the Picnic Grove.  

One thing I hated that the park did when rebranding the water park to Soak City was getting rid of so many trees around the original section.  It used to be very, very green in the water park (in a good way ).  I also miss that awesome stone Water Works sign by the lazy river.  

silver2005, who has many fond memories of the original Water Works.

I have something I want to confirm as well.  During the time where the area to the left of the entrance was known as Adventure Village, what was in the spot where the Action Zone water tower used to be (circa 1994-1998, between the time the animal area and trams were retired and the birth of Action Zone)?  I seem to think there used to be an in-ground amphitheater there.  

I have many fond memories of the original Water Works too! They used to play Beach Boys songs and you could hear them from the Lazy River.  

 

For what it's worth, I still enjoy KI's water park (I find it awkward to call it by its generic official name), but sometimes I miss what it was in the '90s...luckily The Beach has a similar feel to that and I have passes to both. *shrugs*

[MDMC01]

Is the amphitheater that you are referring to (that you can see from Drop Tower) Timberwolf or is this another one? I'm asking as if there is another amphitheater from back then that it not visible/accessible to guests at ground level, I'd like to try to spot it on my way up.

[MCM0313]

9 minutes ago, MDMC01 said:

Is the amphitheater that you are referring to (that you can see from Drop Tower) Timberwolf or is this another one? I'm asking as if there is another amphitheater from back then that it not visible/accessible to guests at ground level, I'd like to try to spot it on my way up.

I'm referring to Timberwolf. I wasn't aware of another. Timberwolf isn't visible from ground level, is it? I pretty much only remembered its existence when I saw it on the way up that blasted Drop Tower.

[MaestroJr]

1 hour ago, MCM0313 said:

I'm referring to Timberwolf. I wasn't aware of another. Timberwolf isn't visible from ground level, is it? I pretty much only remembered its existence when I saw it on the way up that blasted Drop Tower.

You can see Timberwolf from certain areas in ActionZone, mainly over by Invertigo and close to The Bat area.