Wildwater Kingdom

***Wildwater Kingdom*** was a waterpark in Aurora, Ohio right across from Geauga Lake. The park stood on the land where SeaWorld Ohio once stood. It operated from 2005 until 2016.

### Names

Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom (2008-2011)

## History

#### Beginnings

Wildwater Kingdom was located on the former site of SeaWorld Ohio. In January 2001, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment sold SeaWorld to Six Flags, who combined the former site with Six Flags Ohio to form Six Flags Worlds of Adventure. Six Flags sold Worlds of Adventure to Cedar Fair in 2004, resulting in the removal of all Looney Tunes and DC Comics branding from the park and the Geauga Lake name being reinstituted for the park.

#### Wildwater Kingdom

Demolition of SeaWorld began in late 2004. Cedar Fair made plans to convert the site to a new water park. On November 11, 2004, Cedar Fair unveiled the new park as Wildwater Kingdom, announcing that it would open in 2005 upon the completion of the first phase of construction, which would include attractions such as ProSlide Tornado, an activity pool, an action river and a new children's area with a multistory play structure. The Hurricane Mountain water-slide complex at SeaWorld would be retained but renamed Thunder Falls. The amusement and water park complex would be rebranded as Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom, connected by a floating bridge running through the middle of the lake. The construction project was conducted in two phases, with the first costing $16 million and the second costing $8 million.

The second phase began the following offseason with plans to be completed in time for 2006, involving the addition of a 38,000-square-foot (3,500 m2) wave pool, an adult pool with whirlpool spas, a swim-up bar, and two more water-slide towers. There were also plans to add an open-air auditorium and reopen a play area called Happy Harbor. However, only the wave pool was built. If the second phase had been completed, Wildwater Kingdom would have encompassed 20 acres (8.1 ha) to become one of the largest water parks in the United States. Instead, it was only expanded to 17 acres (6.9 ha).

Before Wildwater Kingdom, Geauga Lake had its own water park which operated for more than 20 years. During the Six Flags era, it was known as Hurricane Harbor. Cedar Fair renamed it Hurricane Hannah's following its acquisition of World of Adventures in 2004. Hurricane Hannah's was closed permanently after the 2005 season, and it sat vacant and fenced off during the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

On September 21, 2007, Cedar Fair announced that the amusement ride portion of Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom would not reopen in 2008. Cedar Fair decided to continue to operate the waterpark as "Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom". In 2008, the park was demolished and left a few structures continued to stand until 2016: the Big Dipper roller coaster, the parks once grand entrance in half of its original height, the majority of the park's parking lot, the walkways fading, and the coasters concrete supports getting covered weeds or sinking into the swamp where two coasters that once were by the lake. Eventually, the **Geauga Lake** subscript was dropped from the title in 2011, and it was marketed as simply Wildwater Kingdom. It put Geauga Lake's property up for sale in 2013. The waterpark continued to operate on the land where SeaWorld once stayed.

#### Closure

On August 19, 2016, Cedar Fair announced the Wildwater Kingdom would not return for the 2017 season. In their press release they stated, "Cedar Fair has been working cooperatively with both Bainbridge Township and the City of Aurora to redevelop the entire property into what will best benefit the surrounding communities. After examining its long-range plans, Cedar Fair has determined that the time is right to begin this transition and will continue to work together with community leadership in the positive future development of the property." The park would end up following its neighbors fate and close permanently on September 5, 2016 and the remaining ides were torn down in 2017. One month later on October 17, 2016, the parks entrance and the Big Dipper were demolished after sitting there for 8 years.

In August 2020, ground was broken for a mix-used development, featuring 308 residential units, 20 acres of commercial space and 98 acres of park land to replace the former Wildwater Kingdom park and parking lot.