Just Add Water

In an article written by John Seewer of the Associated Press, called “Just Add Water,” he talks about traveling for adventure. Water parks are a great way for people to keep busy while traveling.

He said, “Shelby Peska yells as she zips down the Thunderfalls waterslide ride at Geauga Lake Park’s Wildwater Kingdom in Aurora, Ohio.

Smiling and screaming all at once, Joe Hoffman and his nine-year-old daughter Mackenzie tightly grabbed their raft as they rocketed into a giant funnel and splashed into a pool of water.

They spent the day at Paramount’s Kings Island riding the twisting tube slides while the rest of the family swam in the children’s pools.
“We stayed an extra day because of the water park,” said Hoffman, of Toledo.

Theme parks of all sizes are discovering a new recipe to attract more thrill-seekers and families — just add water.

Unlike a looping steel roller coaster, lazy rivers and speed slides appeal to the entire family and are cheaper to build.

“They’re just fun. People don’t go to the beach or lake like they used to,” said Bill Spehn, general manager of Geauga Lake, an amusement park near Cleveland. “They’re now going to a water park.”

The park is spending $26 million US over the next two years to create what it is says will be the largest water park in Ohio. The first section opened this year.

For about what it would cost to build a new roller coaster, Spehn said, “you can do an outstanding water park for $20 million and create something that is good all day.”

Six Flags Great America near Chicago built a new water park for 2005 that features 25 slides and an interactive playground with water cannons and a volcano that erupts every few minutes. It also has cabanas for rent — with your own waiter — where visitors can have lunch or take a nap…”

Water parks are popping up all over the place and are really great for kids and adults alike.