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40-1046: Schlitterbahn is an American brand of water parks and resorts owned by Six Flags Entertainment Corporation . It was previously a company family owned and operated by the Henry family that was based in New Braunfels, Texas . Schlitterbahn opened its first location, Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort, in 1979. At its peak, the company consisted of five outdoor waterparks, two indoor waterparks, and three resorts. Schlitterbahn's outdoor water parks are seasonally operated, typically open from late April through mid-September, while its indoor locations operate year-round. Two parks are located in Texas. On June 13, 2019, Cedar Fair entered an agreement to acquire two of Schlitterbahn's properties in Galveston and New Braunfels for $ 261 million. The deal, which closed in early July 2019, gave Cedar Fair

80-441: A pirate ship ride ; and Twister, a body slide located by Freefall. On Christmas Day (December 25, 2020), following a month-long teaser campaign, Alabama Adventure announced a new addition for the 2021 season; Rocket Racer, a new six-lane mat racer water slide, which would stand more than 50 feet (15 m) tall and represent their largest waterpark expansion to date. For 2022, this amusement park introduced "Cheddar Chase",

120-514: A SkyTrans Manufacturing Shoot the Chute, opened in the southern end of the park. It had previously operated as "Buzzsaw Falls" at Alabama Splash Adventure . This park featured four types of rivers, two children's areas, a massive swim-up bar, a stage for concerts, a resort with several event spaces, and a full-service restaurant. On May 1, 2018, IBC Bank took over ownership of the park at foreclosure auction. Schlitterbahn continued to operate it while

160-404: A bid to buy VisionLand, but withdrew it when the price for the park became too high. The park was then purchased by Southland Entertainment Group for $ 5.25 million, a loss of approximately $ 26 million in public funds. In 2003, Visionland (uncapitalizing the "L") reopened with Magic Adventure Theme Park , Splash Beach Water Park , Marvel City , and Celebration Street . Magic Adventure received

200-743: A competitive bid process and declared the lease "invalid, null and void." Premier Parks, LLC eventually won the bid for the project with plans to build a Wet'n'Wild brand water park on the site. However, in September 2018, the CEO of Premier, Kieran Burke, cancelled the deal. While the Henry Family owned and operated the chain, there were plans for a waterpark in Cedar Park, Texas . Schlitterbahn New Braunfels appeared in The Spy Kids 3 with

240-483: A complete restoration. In 2018, the park added new attractions including a rocking tugboat, scrambler, a fast-spinning ride, a yo-yo swing ride, a miniature children's train ride, and a children's water slide complex. They also introduced a weekend autumn festival in October of that same year. A year later, for the 2019 season, the park introduced three new attractions; Freefall, a 75 foot tall tall water slide; Galleon,

280-490: A meetup between 2 of the spy kids 29°42′48″N 98°07′30″W  /  29.71336°N 98.12505°W  / 29.71336; -98.12505 Water park Water parks have grown in popularity since their roots of public swimming pools in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The first water park featuring water slides and wave pools was Wet 'n Wild, which opened in Orlando, Florida, in 1977. The United States has

320-588: A new owner was sought. The property was rebranded as Waves Resort Corpus Christi. After not operating during 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the park was closed. In 2021, the park was demolished. The first phase of the park opened in July 2009. The park opened each year in May. After a fatal accident in 2016, Cedar Fair elected not to purchase the property along with the other Schlitterbahn parks. The park did not open in

360-637: A party. Schlitterbahn Corpus Christi opened on June 20, 2015, with a full-service restaurant, the Veranda, two kids' areas, the Krystal river system, the Sky Blaster, and the Aquaveyer. In 2016 the southern end of the park opened along with a resort. Christened Schlitterbahn Riverpark - Corpus Christi, the park featured nearly two miles (3.2 km) of river and multiple blasters. In 2017, Padre's Plunge,

400-449: A re-themed children's play area at Splash Beach formerly known as Quarry Bay. The summer concert series returned to the park and became an annual event. Southland Entertainment sold the park to Adrenaline Family Entertainment , a group of former executives of Six Flags in 2008. Southland concentrated on developing the remaining acreage that it owns adjacent to the park, with plans for hotels, an RV park , and other amenities. In 2009,

440-637: A river rapids attraction. Dino Domain, a dinosaur-themed walk through exhibit featuring animatronic dinosaurs , was built in the woods behind Main Street but closed after the season. In 2001, Wild River Gorge reopened with minor adjustments along with Stratosfear Screamer, an S&S Power twin tower attraction. The park filed Chapter 9 bankruptcy in 2002, and only operated Steel Waters. Themeparks LLC , an amusement park operator known for their success with Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky , made

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480-439: A scrambler attraction called Wild Scrambler and Splash Beach received a wave pool named Kahuna Waves and a nine-story-tall free fall slide called Acapulco Drop. Starting that season park guests had the option to buy tickets to either the amusement park or the water park or a combo ticket to both parks. Splash Beach received a new water attraction called Splashdown!, a toilet bowl-style ride in 2004. In 2005, Magic Adventure opened

520-643: Is a water park and amusement park in Bessemer, Alabama . It is owned by Koch Family Parks, which consists of members of the family who formerly had minority ownership in Holiday World & Splashin' Safari . Originally known as VisionLand, the park was built largely as a result of efforts by Fairfield mayor Larry Langford . Eleven cities came together to form the West Jefferson Amusement and Public Park Authority and with help from

560-756: Is another huge water park in the Dells. The largest indoor water park in the UK is Sandcastle Water Park in Blackpool , England, which opened in 1986. There are many water parks in southern Europe where the climate suits a long season. For example, in Portugal 's Algarve , there are three main parks: Aqualand, Aquashow, and Slide and Splash. Water play areas are similar to water parks and include urban beaches , splash pads , and smaller collections of water slides in many hotels and public swimming pools . For example,

600-635: Is in 2016 the largest indoor water park in the world. With five indoor water parks, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin has been dubbed the "Water Park Capital of the World". It showcases several of America's largest indoor and outdoor water parks, such as Noah's Ark Water Park . Wisconsin Dells is also home to the first indoor water park in the United States, which was debuted in 1994 by the Polynesian Resort Hotel. Success in extending

640-601: Is themed to match the community in which it is located. The theme is intended to enhance the community's destination appeal. Therefore, the amusement and leisure-time industry is becoming more concentrated, as winter sports are becoming common themes in summertime water recreation. A process of concentration can be observed in the hybrid versions of theme- , amusement- , and water parks. Some water parks are more spa-oriented. For example, SchwabenQuellen has no water slides; it has instead many saunas , steam rooms , "adventure showers", and relaxation-oriented water play areas. In

680-593: The Chelsea Hotel in Toronto features a four-story water slide called the Corkscrew. According to estimates from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission , more than 4,200 people annually are sent to emergency rooms from suffering injuries on public waterslides. In July 2015, one drowning and at least three near-drownings were reported at water parks in the United States. On August 7, 2016, Caleb Schwab,

720-603: The 10-year-old son of American politician Scott Schwab , was decapitated on the Verrückt water ride at the Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City , Kansas. Following the fatal incident, Verrückt permanently closed. Alabama Adventure %26 Splash Adventure Alabama Adventure & Splash Adventure (previously known as VisionLand , Alabama Adventure , Splash Adventure and Alabama Splash Adventure )

760-467: The 2000s, an effort was made to reduce long waiting lines by introducing conveyor belts to lift passengers or use water jets. An unusual feature at a water park is ice skating . Deep River Water Park in northwestern Indiana features ice skating, made possible by cooling pipes installed under their massive plaza. Some of the first indoor water parks are Tikibad at Duinrell (The Netherlands, 1984), Nautiland located at Haguenau (France, 1984),

800-587: The 2019 season and was razed in 2021. A long-stalled project in Fort Lauderdale, Florida , Schlitterbahn received final approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to construct a 64-acre water park at the old Fort Lauderdale Stadium . The initial project would have used portions of the old stadium to construct a castle-like entrance to include lodging, dining and shopping facilities. Other projects included incorporating

840-540: The Alabama Legislature, the group borrowed $ 60 million to build the park. Construction began in March 1997, and the park opened for business on May 23, 1998. The park opened with four major areas, including Celebration City Theme Park , Steel Waters Water Park , a children's area called Marvel City , and a shopping/dining area known as Main Street . In 1999, the park expanded, adding Wilde River Gorge,

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880-647: The Aqua Mundo at Center Parc De Eemhof located at Zeewolde (The Netherlands, 1980) and Alpamare (Pfäffikon) (Switzerland, 1977). In 1986 World Waterpark was open in Edmonton , Alberta, Canada at the West Edmonton Mall . It is in 2016 the largest indoor water park in North America. Tropical Islands Resort ( Germany ), with an area of 66,000 m (710,418 sq ft),

920-533: The brand new Star Theater in 2010. The park also relaunched its website, branding the park as Alabama Adventure Water and Theme Park. Buzzsaw Falls, a SkyTrans Manufacturing Shoot the Chutes ride was added in 2011, but only lasted for one summer. It was located between the parks Celebration Street and Stratos Fear Screamer tower ride. This ride was purchased by Schlitterbahn in Corpus Christi, Texas where it

960-403: The end of July. In March 2014, Koch Family Parks, founded by former Holiday World & Splashin' Safari CEO Dan Koch and his sister Natalie , purchased the park. New additions to the park included five new kids rides consisting of a new kids roller coaster, a train, two boat rides, mini helicopters and a laser maze. In 2015 Rampage, the park's signature wooden roller coaster, reopened after

1000-417: The first new roller coaster since the park's opening named Zoomerang , a Vekoma Boomerang roller coaster relocated from Sydney , Australia . The park also re-opened one of the former attractions named Cahaba Falls, a log flume attraction. It was later known as Woodchuck Run. The park held naming contests for both attractions on its website. The theme park was visited by approximately 345,000 people, making

1040-528: The four uphill water coasters. When the Henrys sold the company to Cedar Fair, they retained the ownership of this property and rebranded it. The park was rebranded as Beach Park at Isla Blanca in December 2019. In May 2012, Schlitterbahn announced that it would move forward with plans to begin construction of a new water park in the Corpus Christi - Padre Island area. It was announced that it would open during

1080-529: The largest and most concentrated water park market, with over 1,000 water parks and dozens of new parks opening each year. Major organizations are the IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) and WWA ( World Waterpark Association ), which is the industry trade association. Water parks which emerge from spas tend to more closely resemble mountain resorts, as they become year-round destinations. For example, Splash Universe Water Park Resort

1120-586: The local area's German heritage. It originally consisted of four waterslides. The park expanded three times. Surfenberg was the first part of the expansion and had the world's first inland surfing ride, the Boogie Bahn, in 1992, created the first uphill water coaster , the Dragon Blaster in 1994. In 1996 the next section opened - Blastenhoff - and featured the world's first wave river, the Torrent, and

1160-458: The neighboring Lockhart Stadium into the plan by expanding the park around that stadium. A lawsuit between Fort Lauderdale and nearby Rapids Water Park delayed the project. On March 29, 2017, federal U.S. District Judge Jose Martinez ruled against the City of Fort Lauderdale in the case stating they "did not follow their own charter" in awarding the property lease to Schlitterbahn without conducting

1200-478: The new theming strategy. The park also announced plans for a summer concert series, featuring popular musical acts and artists. The number of visitors to Alabama Adventure rose to more than 388,000. It was the winner of Alabama's "2007 Attraction of the Year". In 2007, the park added two new attractions, including Vertigo, one of the original attractions of VisionLand, which had been removed in 2003, and Salamander Bay,

1240-526: The option to purchase Schlitterbahn Waterpark Kansas City for $ 6 million within 120 days of the transaction, which they declined to do. Additionally, the rights to the Schlitterbahn name were included in the acquisition. Cedar Fair merged with Six Flags in 2024. The first of the parks was in New Braunfels and opened in 1979. The park was named Schlitterbahn ("slippery road" in German) because of

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1280-592: The park Alabama's second-most popular tourist destination according to the Bureau of Tourism and Travel and trailing only the Birmingham Zoo . Southland announced in 2006, the rebranding of the park under the Alabama Adventure name, along with major expansion plans, including a hotel with an indoor water park, an RV park , and other amenities. Magic Adventure was renamed Magic City USA to reflect

1320-449: The park announced the first major expansion since 2005, and the first to Splash Beach since 2004. The expansion included a new attraction from WhiteWater West called "UpSurge!", a 216-foot flume slide with a vertical half pipe ending in a 25,000-gallon splash pool. The park also combined both parks into one ticket price. The park began promoting a casting call for new "indoor theatrical entertainment" called "Beat Street" that premiered in

1360-579: The park employed 2,000 seasonal workers. The 26-acre Schlitterbahn park in Galveston opened in 2006. The park features the most thrill rides of any of the Schlitterbahn parks and is home to the world's former record holder of the world's tallest water coaster , MASSIV, as it lost its record to Tsunami Surge at Hurricane Harbor Chicago at 86 feet tall. MASSIV opened in 2016 and features the most current technology including water and power saving features never used before. Although it had lost its record for

1400-466: The summer of 2013, but due to various delays, groundbreaking didn't take place until February 2013. A 574-acre (232 ha) plan for the city included a marina, the Schlitterbahn water park with lodging, and a golf course. Vendors complained, and then sued, Schlitterbahn over $ 500,000 in unpaid bills on the Corpus Christi project. After several months, Schlitterbahn paid the vendors and threw them

1440-663: The tallest water coaster, MASSIV still holds the Guinness Book of World Records title for the Tallest Water Coaster and is 81 feet 6 inches (24.84 m) tall. The park in South Padre Island opened in 2001. An indoor section opened in 2012. The park featured Transportainment - a system where guests can ride through the majority of the park's attractions while floating in their tubes. In fact, this park had floating queue lines for three of

1480-515: The tourist season and turning water park resorts into vacation destinations has resulted in tremendous industry growth. Usually, resort hotels featuring massive indoor water parks have been reserved for overnight guests. Companies like Great Wolf Resorts /Great Wolf Lodge and Kalahari Resorts have branched out from their origin in Wisconsin Dells to open new locations around the country. Mt. Olympus Theme and Water Park (formerly Family Land)

1520-456: The water park. One of their new attractions was called the "Mist-ical Maze" where in this attraction you go through a maze that has trigger water chutes and many other surprises. The second new attraction was a wipeout designed ride from WhiteWater West called "Wipeout Adventure Course" and the third new attraction was a zip-line that goes around the waterpark. There was a "Dive-In Movie" at Kahuna Waves every Friday night from Memorial Day weekend to

1560-507: The world's most award-winning uphill water coaster, the Master Blaster. In 2011, the park expanded again, adding The Falls, the world's longest tubing river, featuring rapids and tube chutes. As of 2022, the park has won Amusement Today 's Golden Ticket Award for Best Waterpark for 24 years straight; the streak began with the inception of the award. In total, Schlitterbahn New Braunfels has received 42 Golden Ticket Awards. As of 2014,

1600-441: Was renamed "Padre Plunge". Adrenaline Family Entertainment sold the park on January 5, 2012, to General Attractions LLC, a company created by the former owners of the park who previously sold the park in 2008. It was announced on April 5, 2012 that the amusement park section would be closed, leaving only water rides. The park was renamed Splash Adventure for its 2012 opening season. Also for 2012, three new attractions were added to

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