The Beach Waterpark is for sale!

[Oldiesmann]

Good luck getting approval to tunnel under an active interstate highway. Doing that without disrupting traffic flow at all would be a challenge.

[coaster sally]

Someone needs to buy it and rename it Action Park.  Modern water coasters and slides are a lot more economical investments.  That would be the only way to get people from Kings Island.

[Gabe]

The trademark is still owned by the family of the founder/owner.  If anything, KI would replace its own aging water slides over in SC before undertaking the purchase of another park.

[WickedDragster]

There are parts of a water slide complex that came from Wyandot Lake ( now Zoombezi Bay). It was call Zuma Falls. I just want a piece  of the that complex. Brings so many childhood memories. 

[DiamondbackFan]

I am curious if SeaWorld would be interested in converting this park into a Sesame Place.

 

[flightoffear1996]

Is the park still open?

[Oldiesmann]

From their FB page it appears they did open last year but they haven't posted anything since August 2019.

[HarvestmanMan]

Apologies for the bump - has there been any recent news about the park or is it dead in the water (or lack thereof)?

I passed the Beach several times this past year and never saw any signs of activity.  No customers, no employees, no flowing water.  At least the lights are still on.

[BoddaH1994]

18 hours ago, HarvestmanMan said:

Apologies for the bump - has there been any recent news about the park or is it dead in the water (or lack thereof)?

I passed the Beach several times this past year and never saw any signs of activity.  No customers, no employees, no flowing water.  At least the lights are still on.

They have employees. They do have running water. No customers, but they haven’t really had any in a few decades.

[Sixflags82]

On 12/17/2021 at 11:28 PM, HarvestmanMan said:

Apologies for the bump - has there been any recent news about the park or is it dead in the water (or lack thereof)?

I passed the Beach several times this past year and never saw any signs of activity.  No customers, no employees, no flowing water.  At least the lights are still on.

The sign on kings mills rd was repainted this summer but thats pretty much it

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

What I wish would happen is Cedar Fair would buy The Beach and make it sorta part of Camp Cedar since it's literally right next store. Basically those staying at Camp Cedar gets free admission to The Beach. They also sell their own tickets/season passes as well. Plus you could get in with a CF platinum pass. Would help even out the crowds at Soak City as well. Likely won't happen though, but just an idea I wish would happen. 

[BoddaH1994]

1 hour ago, Sixflags82 said:

The sign on kings mills rd was repainted this summer but thats pretty much it

They painted the sign because the Japanese place by the sign is paying them rent to feature his sign on their marquee. It’s not a sign of reopening. 
 

The owner still maintains that he is going to reopen it. I have my doubts. A few people a month walk through the park who are interested in buying the property - some who want it as a water park, some who don’t. No one has been that serious. 

Also, please note that there are still employees there. There are also now many, many cameras. Mason PD and the ownership of the park has hit the end of their tolerance point of trespassers and people doing damage. The police are under standing instructions to arrest trespassers on site. 
 

 

[DegenRider]

The folks who own it are selling their FEC up In Columbus to Carvana. Doesn't look like its reopening. 

[Oldiesmann]

Having worked at the beach in 2006, I can say they actually did draw some nice crowds at times. They always had various events going throughout the summer as well - teen dance parties, dive-in movies, concerts... However, things haven't changed at all attraction wise since sometime before then. In the meantime, KI's water park has expanded and the water park industry as a whole is far different than it was 15 years ago. It's a nice property but I don't think they could compete with Soak City and other area water attractions without some major additions/renovations, and spending money on a property that has been mostly closed (and forgotten by locals) for years is quite a gamble in my opinion.

[BoddaH1994]

On 12/23/2021 at 12:44 AM, Oldiesmann said:

Having worked at the beach in 2006, I can say they actually did draw some nice crowds at times. They always had various events going throughout the summer as well - teen dance parties, dive-in movies, concerts... However, things haven't changed at all attraction wise since sometime before then. In the meantime, KI's water park has expanded and the water park industry as a whole is far different than it was 15 years ago. It's a nice property but I don't think they could compete with Soak City and other area water attractions without some major additions/renovations, and spending money on a property that has been mostly closed (and forgotten by locals) for years is quite a gamble in my opinion.

Not true! They added a mat racer that was made by the company with this as their marketing material at IAAPA:

[Oldiesmann]

The only time I've been up there since 2006 was for their Beach Mountain thing they had for a few years (and I wasn't impressed with that at all - if I'm going to drive 30 minutes I'll go do the real thing at Perfect North instead)

[MDMC01]

I remember Beach Mountain... I remember not being impressed as well. IIRC, it was like $20 or so just to go down the hill (and this was technically outside of the park; the main park wasn't even open!)...

Luckily we got (the Cedar Fair revival of) Winterfest some years later and it not only had a tubing hill, but rides and shows and was inside the park.

As for the waterpark, I went a few times as a kid - I specifically remember my friend and I not weighing enough to ride Aztec Adventure as well; also, the sketchy netting structure through the forest to get a few of their slides, as well as that high dive that went really far down. I also remember being excited for and riding the new Volcanic Panic (I think that was the new slide for '05?). I think a few years later, they reconfigured that slide (or built a new one?) as it the runout was over/above the wave pool (IIRC). Also, there were these random goats and stuff near the walkway up to Snake River Rapids, but it wasn't a petting zoo... they were just there. Oh, also, I frequently got stuck on Hidden Rapids and had to paddle/push my way out. Good Times!  

[BoddaH1994]

23 hours ago, MDMC01 said:

I remember Beach Mountain... I remember not being impressed as well. IIRC, it was like $20 or so just to go down the hill (and this was technically outside of the park; the main park wasn't even open!)...

Luckily we got (the Cedar Fair revival of) Winterfest some years later and it not only had a tubing hill, but rides and shows and was inside the park.

As for the waterpark, I went a few times as a kid - I specifically remember my friend and I not weighing enough to ride Aztec Adventure as well; also, the sketchy netting structure through the forest to get a few of their slides, as well as that high dive that went really far down. I also remember being excited for and riding the new Volcanic Panic (I think that was the new slide for '05?). I think a few years later, they reconfigured that slide (or built a new one?) as it the runout was over/above the wave pool (IIRC). Also, there were these random goats and stuff near the walkway up to Snake River Rapids, but it wasn't a petting zoo... they were just there. Oh, also, I frequently got stuck on Hidden Rapids and had to paddle/push my way out. Good Times!  

So many thoughts:

You can’t truly be disappointed with Beach Mountain unless you see the operating costs of it. The whole gimmick behind the company that did the snow hill was that they could make snow up to 95 degrees. It was intended to be a novelty in places like Florida, or in the summer somewhere. They had runs at Fun Spot Orlando and Ober Gatlinburg. As they ran it at The Beach, it was just a very expensive way to do what Perfect North did, but just not as well. 
 

You are correct about Volcanic Panic ending over the wave pool. It was reconfigured under the correct ownership because the exit was too far from the entrance, which confused the parents. 
 

The goats were part of a petting zoo. Don’t know why you didn’t pet them. Haha 

Rapids was designed in house. People got “stuck” because the original mentality was that the next person would bump them to the next level. That wouldn’t fly today. The new owner had his (horrible) contractor shallow out the catch pools. That is why the second iteration had everyone getting stuck and the lifeguards would had to push them. It wasn’t fun and it was stupid. I sat down with a potential next owner (don’t get excited, didn’t happen) and they said they would tear it out before the park opened, which would have been the right decision. 
 

Aztec Adventure was the most innovative slide they had. It changed several times throughout its life. At one point it was a terrain slide. Later they added an actual slide with a tower which dumped into the terrain slide. The whole ride experience was rather long. It closed for refurbishment in 2012 but never reopened. It was leaking tons of water and they could never find a way to fix it. 
 

Glad you got to experience it during some of the better days. Even if the park opened in its current state (as in, how it was two years ago) it’s still a shell of what it was. I do not think the future is very bright for that park. Anyone credible who would want to open the park would essentially have to start over at this point. 

[PKIDelirium]

The terrain is also rather challenging to work with, just getting in from the parking lot is quite the downhill slope.

The only time I was there was in 2006 for the Holiday Fest. It was decent enough, had some carnival rides booked in, the same glassblower that was at KI was there among some other vendors, and the big indoor "Festhaus" of sorts made with one of those large rigid frame tents placed inside the empty wave pool was heated and served the purpose.

That said, my most vivid memory is the pedal boats on the lazy river. Those were an interesting concept, but unfortunately those boats have bad steering, and the river was wide enough for them to get turned sideways and jam. It was very dark back in most of the course, and no staff back there checking and assisting with the aforementioned traffic jams. I had to, very carefully, nudge a sideways boat in front of me at just the right angle for a good ten minutes to get it straightened back out.

[MDMC01]

11 hours ago, BoddaH1994 said:

The goats were part of a petting zoo. Don’t know why you didn’t pet them. Haha

Dang it! lol I guess I thought you weren't allowed to pet them for some reason. Also, I never found the entrance to said petting zoo lol

 

Also, great information; it makes sense that Aztec Adventure started as a terrain slide as there was that huge drop under the tiger statue.

Finally, another question- did that mat slide next to Snake River Rapids ever operate? I know I see it from the highway when driving on 71 N. Thanks.

[BoddaH1994]

1 hour ago, MDMC01 said:

Dang it! lol I guess I thought you weren't allowed to pet them for some reason. Also, I never found the entrance to said petting zoo lol

 

Also, great information; it makes sense that Aztec Adventure started as a terrain slide as there was that huge drop under the tiger statue.

Finally, another question- did that mat slide next to Snake River Rapids ever operate? I know I see it from the highway when driving on 71 N. Thanks.

Yeah, it operated from mid-2015 until the park’s most recent closure. 

[Oldiesmann]

I worked at the donut stand during the holiday festival in 2006. It was a fun experience - those donuts were quite popular and we even managed to sell some Dippin' Dots as well (people were asking for them so the park put a Dippin' Dots cooler in the stand and added it to the register).

[TombRaiderFTW]

On 1/3/2022 at 9:36 PM, Oldiesmann said:

I worked at the donut stand during the holiday festival in 2006. It was a fun experience - those donuts were quite popular and we even managed to sell some Dippin' Dots as well (people were asking for them so the park put a Dippin' Dots cooler in the stand and added it to the register).

So, what I'm hearing is that *you* are the Dippin' Dots guy.

Tell us your secrets.

[Oldiesmann]

I actually was a Dippin' Dots guy that summer, working at the main stand there at the front of the park