Geauga Lake's Wild Water Kingdom... Closing?

This rumor has been going around for years. With Dover Lake being gone for a few years, there's no nearby competition for the park. I think they got a good market for the area.

You're in Akron. Don't you use your Platinum Pass to go there?

No, I don't like water parks. Now if Geauga Lake was still there, I would go.

As I've mentioned before, we usually go here during July and August when the lines at CP are too long, but being equidistant, and that we have the season dining plan at CP, we will probably just go to Soak City this year. At least we'll get "free" pizza 30 minutes before swimming.

Thabto said:

This rumor has been going around for years. With Dover Lake being gone for a few years, there's no nearby competition for the park. I think they got a good market for the area.

I do too. As a transplant from the LA area I am used to good water parks. WWK has a lot of potential and is nearby and I would hate to see it gone. While I've never visited Geauga Lake when it was open I really think they might have something with both locations being open. We do visit a few times a year but after a few hours there really is nothing to do. If there were some dry attractions I'm sure we would stay longer and spend more money. Whatever happens I hope it stays around.

Digging up a thread from, if not death, then a pretty deep slumber.

I have heard a little bit of scuttlebutt that WWK may possibly meet its end after the operating season ends in a few weeks. I hope very much there's no substance behind the gossip, as my daughter is crazy about waterparks and I take her there as often as I can for her benefit. This year I had a chance to get season passes for us; I took it. We've already visited eight times this year. More importantly, this would be a loss for northeast Ohio.

They are moving Wildwater Kingdom to Kings Island. That's what's in the shed... YOU READ IT HERE FIRST, FOLKS!

Unless there's some crazy tax disadvantage, I would be shocked. It sounds to me like they print money with that place on those weekends where you can't even find a chair.

It's been busy on weekends this summer, but generally not what I would call crazy busy. Still, I'm hopeful.

It's a really great little waterpark. I'd hate to see it close. Waterparks are pretty inexpensive to operate, as I understand it, so hopefully this is just a made-up rumor.

How many years in a row has this rumor started right about this point in the season?

It has been a standalone waterpark for nine years now, so, nine?

As sad as the closure of what once was there was and still is, I'll admit, the current setup does work well for them. I don't see it lasting forever, but I think it's got some time left.

I heard this rumor as well from an Aurora resident who supposedly is in the loop with local government. I hope the rumor is false as I agree that it is a nice place and an asset to the area.

I heard an unsubstantiated rumor that the Soak City expansion will be sourced with WWK's slides. I'd take that with a grain of salt, but if Soak City announces an expansion tomorrow and the slides look suspiciously similar to those at WWK...

I understand that Cedar Point needs WWK's water. :)

OK, to counter my anecdote about weekends with no chairs, today a friend posted an anecdote with many photos showing almost no chairs occupied. That's not good for a Sunday in July.

PhantomTails said:
I heard an unsubstantiated rumor that the Soak City expansion will be sourced with WWK's slides.

If that is true it would certainly make it economically feasible for CP to do both the Soak City expansion and whatever is going on with Mean Streak in the same year.

Thing is, without being *that guy*... Having visited WWK dozens and dozens of times the past few years, there is a point where the lack of anything new starts to create a disinterest. I have overheard a few people talking while in the park mention they wish there was more to do and I completely agree.

We only went once this year, even with the amazing weather. Last year we went twice. The year before, probably over a dozen times and the year before that probably double that. If you get my drift. We just get bored anymore.

With how relatively inexpensive slide attractions are, it makes me wonder the reluctance with Cedar Fair adding one slide complex, just to see what that does for attendance. At worst when they close the park, they can move it to another park with everything else. One of those multi-slide complexes with a family raft attraction, a few two person toboggan style slides, a toilet bowl, etc... I think it would really do wonders with peaking interest again.

I think the park is so nice and has such potential, if CF would actually give it attention. The upkeep has been dropping off year by year, it's pretty clear there is less money invested just around the park (the sun shades are no longer, chairs in terrible condition, faded/chipped paint on easy-to-fix locations, etc...).

It's hard to be optimistic with such a lack of investment from such a powerhouse parent company. The place has not changed at all size 2004 or whatever year it was that it opened, aside from some fisher price toys and some giant chess board.

LostKause said:

It's a really great little waterpark. I'd hate to see it close. Waterparks are pretty inexpensive to operate, as I understand it, so hopefully this is just a made-up rumor.

They're cheap(er) to run, when compared to an amusement park, but per cap spending is typically much lower and you often have a shorter operating season.

A wet/dry combination seems to be the winning formula - but I guess not at Geauga Lake.

If Geauga Lake closes, perhaps this will result in the reuniting of Bill Spehn and Jack Falfas for supreme dominance of the amusement industry...