Sign Up For Our Newsletter The 5 Coolest Water Park Attractions as Summer 2016Heats Up
Posted by Sasha Bailyn on Thursday, June 23rd, 2016
A totally SPLASHtacular day at Magic Waters Waterpark/Rockford IL USA
In the last few years, water attractions have gone to a whole new level from the introduction of themed storytelling at the park wide level to virtual reality-based water rides. While many of today’s guests just want the heart pounding splash that accompanies a new massive water slide, water park fans have more options than ever before to get wet, take the plunge and push the boundaries on water slide fun. Spring and summer 2016 is a big year for new water attractions. Here’s a closer look at five of our favorites for the warm weather ahead in no particular order.
The attraction just opened and the wait time for Frozen Ever After is over 5 hours – for a refreshing, family friendly ride that lasts about 5 minutes! Disney’s latest attraction, is housed at Epcot’s Norway Pavilion. Passengers share a boat as they lazily float past various scenes from the popular movie. The theme of the ride involves Arendelle and Elsa’s ice palace, during a Winter in Summer celebration. Guests begin by boarding a boat on the docks of Arendelle and then drifting through the north toward the ice palace. Along the way, guests experience effects and other beloved characters from the film. While it’s not your typical summer water ride, Disney’s timing is perfect for guests who want to escape the hot Florida summer air for a bit.
The Wahoo Racer is joining the lineup at Six Flags White Water in Marietta, Georgia. The 50-acre park features 50+ thrill-seeking rides. The multi-lane waterslide complex is the largest of its kind in the world. The Racer allows guests to interact with each other, while racing down the slide. Guests plunge through multi-colored slides on mats before reaching the bottom, where they are in a six-lane slide to the finish. The attraction reaches up to 40 mph, and stands 60 feet tall. The complex has 7,200 feet of tubes, and 6 aero-dynamic water toboggans, for the ultimate competitive atmosphere.
The Aquatic Development Group (ADG) is one of the leaders in the industry and has designed a one-of-a-kind experience at Water World Waterpark in Colorado. The attraction is called Cowabunga Beach, and features a dual-launch peninsula and boogie boarding pool that delivers waves every 4 seconds. Putting a boogie board beach in a land-locked state like Colorado has added something unique to guests’ experience. For the experience designer, this attraction was all about designing something the community normally has no access to and thinking about a park’s bigger context when developing the next creation.
Carowinds – the largest water park in the Carolinas – has just opened Carolina Harbor, which features a waterslide complex known as Blackbeard’s Revenge. The six-slide complex has 4 slides that spin riders a full 360 degrees, and a pirate’s plank that collapses underneath unsuspecting guests. The complex also features a brand new wave pool with 6-foot tall waves, surrounded by scattered cabanas for a beachy and relaxing experience. The designers created a more centralized design for this brand, and completely refurbished half of the park.
Typhoon Texas just opened Memorial Day weekend, and it’s already grossing sales well over what was projected. The park is set on 25 acres, with 30 waterslides and a lazy river the length of 5 football fields. The park features an attraction called the “Gunslinger,” which has even the toughest of thrill-seekers shaking in their towels. Riders step into a capsule, in which the floor drops out to a 7-story free fall. Not for the faint of heart, this slide creates an extreme freefalls that’s unusual in the waterpark world and has fans talking.
What new water attractions are you most excited about this summer? Let us know in the comments below!
