Columbus Zoo water park named Zoombezi Bay

Too bad the Zoo didn't lock up the name as a website first.

http://www.wbns.com/?sec=&story=sites/10tv/content/pool/200707/1831717880.html

I would have done the same.

I thought all the suggested names were awful. Does somebody really want to type zoombezibay.com? I would just append it to the existing Columbus Zoo site. I'm sure marketing is against that though.

All the choices were poor. I think this one is slightly less hideous than the others, but only slightly.

I'm really tired of the african-sounding puns (sorry Holiday World) and annoying alliterations.

Personally, I liked Wyandot Lake. It was familiar and it speaks to regional history. I bet people will continue to call it that for some time to come. Or else they'll just say "the water park at the zoo".

I guess O'shaughnessy Shores (the reservoir across the road) would have been too much of a mouthful!

millrace said : "...I bet people will continue to call it that for some time to come. Or else they'll just say "the water park at the zoo"."

I totally agree. In all the years that Paramount owned KI I can't think of anybody personally who called the park "Paramount's King's Island", it was always just "King's Island". My wife still can't remember the name Boomerang Bay for KI's waterpark and she goes down there 5-6 times a season with the kids. It's either King's Islands waterpark or Waterworks to her.

Even after five years of closure Americana, (in Southern Ohio) is still called Americana, not LeSourdsville Lake Amusement Park. And I don't know about people who are locals to Geauga Lake are concerned, but to us, it's always been "Geauga Lake". Not Six Flags Ohio or Six Flags Worlds Of Adventure.

I know there are other examples, but those immediately popped to mind.*** This post was edited by Floorless Fan 7/13/2007 11:34:03 AM ***

Waterworks?

Floorless Fan:

Interestingly, my parents have always referred to Americana as "Le Sourdsville," since it was called that before it became Americana.

Waterworks was the name of Kings Islands' first waterpark, before it was redone as Boomerang Bay.

How about Scioto Springs? Or Scioto Falls? Atleast that would keep it somewhat localized (a la Wyandot). If not that, then at least something generic (a la Splashin' Safari, Soak City, Typhoon Lagoon). I don't mind so much if they name the slides/attractions weird names. Besides, it's easier to make up your own references to those (Holiday World's new slide is The Toilet Bowl ;)).

*** This post was edited by Pagoda Gift Shop 7/13/2007 12:52:04 PM ***

The design of the entire facility, though, utilizes an African theme. Nearly every choice they had was in that realm. This is not the one I voted for, but they were all equally bad. It was like voting for a president.*** This post was edited by OhioStater 7/13/2007 4:30:31 PM ***

At first I hated this name with all the others, but once I accepted the fact that the name began with "Zoo", I felt better.

Of course "Wyandot Lake" never had anything to do with anything because WL isn't near Wyandot County and it's sure not by a lake of any sort.

I posted a name suggestion that disappeared for no reason.

I posted the suggestion Scioto Rapids.

Of course that doesn't tie into their overly African focus on things either.

Have any of you looked at the overall design for their expansion? Like we really need another huge golf course around Columbus.

The zoo is getting way too commercial and less and less about the animals.

Wyandot (or one of the other spellings) is the name of indian tribe from the region. In fact, Chief Leatherlips was shot, killed, and buried nearby, and there is a Leatherlips Memorial just down the road from Wyandot Lake.

I think the O'Shaugnessy Reservoir counts as a lake. The zoo even ran a small paddlewheel excursion boat for a while. I think that boat is now the Kaylee Belle at Conneaut Lake.

The zoo is surrounded by golf courses. The only one the zoo has anything to do with is Safari Golf Club which has existed long before the current expansion.

"Leatherlips??!" I said to myself. I just had to look that up, and sure enough, it was the white settlers that gave him the name. I would be interested in knowing what his true name was.

http://www.graveaddiction.com/leather.html

And I agree they should have registered the name for a website before making the announcement. That was just a lack of knowledge on their part. This isn't the first time someone has bought and registered a name for a website with the hope of making some money off it later. It's done all the time.

I can't believe the domain was still available after the announcement. Someone looking to make a buck should have registered all the possible choices when voting began. (actually the park should have, but clearly no one thought of that :) )

Seems like they must have made some sort of deal. http://www.ZoombeziBay.com now points to the Columbus Zoo website.

I was wondering- I noticed that on the above web site, when you click on the "attractions" link there is no mention of anything but the waterpark rides. Are the Sea Dragon and the other dry rides indeed going to open this year?