Toggle search
Toggle menu
19.9K
20K
4.3K
333.5K
Coasterpedia
Toggle preferences menu
Toggle personal menu
Not logged in
Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits.

Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom

Amusement park in Ohio, USA
More actions
(Redirected from Geauga Lake)
Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom
Aurora, Ohio, USA
Status
Defunct
Opened
1887
Closed
September 16, 2007
Owner
Cedar Fair
Coordinates
41°21′05″N 81°22′41″W / 41.351250°N 81.378194°W / 41.351250; -81.378194
History
Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom
2005 - 2007
Geauga Lake
2004
Six Flags Worlds of Adventure
2001 - 2003
Six Flags Ohio
2000
Geauga Lake
1887 - 1999

Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom was an amusement park in Aurora, Ohio, USA. First opening in 1887 as a local recreational area; Geauga Lake would gain its first ride, a steam powered carousel, in 1889. It closed on September 16, 2007. The water park continued to operate until September 5, 2016.

History

The entrance in 2005
View of Thunderhawk and Dominator

In 1969, a group of former Cedar Point executives formed Funtime Parks and purchased Geauga Lake.[1] The company sold the land across the lake to Sea World on the basis that the new attraction would increase visitor numbers at Geauga Lake. The area became SeaWorld Ohio.[2] Funtime owned the park until August 15, 1995, when it was sold to Premier Parks as part of a $60 million deal in which it acquired Geauga Lake, Darien Lake, and Wyandot Lake.[3]

After Premier Parks purchased Six Flags from Time Warner, the company began a phased rebranding of their major parks under the Six Flags umbrella. In December 1999, it was announced that Geauga Lake would gain a $40 million expansion and would be rebranded as Six Flags Ohio for the 2000 season with the major addition of the DC Comics and Looney Tunes licenses. The expansion included over twenty new rides including four new roller coasters, a new water attraction and a larger wave pool in the renamed Hurricane Harbor; of which the older wave pool would become the site of a new children's area - Looney Tunes BoomTown. The expansion was made for the park to compete with major rival Cedar Point.[4]

In 2001, Busch Entertainment began the process of rebranding their SeaWorld parks as proper amusement parks and removing the educational aspects. SeaWorld Ohio, which was located next to Six Flags Ohio; was not legally allowed to add roller coasters or flat rides for this reason. Busch offered Six Flags to purchase Six Flags Ohio, but Six Flags counter-offered and officially made the announcement of purchasing SeaWorld Ohio on January 12, 2001.[5] After the purchase was completed, Six Flags merged the two parks together to create a large 700 acre complex called Six Flags Worlds of Adventure. The park was branded as being "Three Parks for the Price of One", and featured the original amusement area which was now named "Wild Rides", the "Hurricane Harbor" water park, and the former site of SeaWorld Ohio was renamed "Wild Life".[6] The creation of Worlds of Adventure not only formed the largest Six Flags park but the largest theme park of all time.[citation needed]

In March 2004, two months before the 2004 season, Six Flags announced they would sell Worlds of Adventure to Cedar Fair for $145 million.[7][8] After the sale was complete, Six Flags Worlds of Adventure reverted back to the Geauga Lake name which also brought along many changes. The DC Comics and Looney Tunes attractions were debranded and rebranded under generic names; with the costumed characters replaced with ones from the Peanuts franchise; with Snoopy becoming the park's new mascot. The Hurricane Harbor Water Park was renamed as Hurricane Hannah's, while the "Wild Life" animal area was removed entirely with the animals being relocated to Six Flags Marine World and Six Flags Great Adventure, as the purchase did not include ownership of the animals since Cedar Fair does not expertise with animal attractions.[9]

In November 2004, Cedar Fair announced that the former SeaWorld Ohio/Wild Life site would become home to a standalone water park named Wildwater Kingdom for the 2005 season, costing $26 million to construct.[10][11]

Beginning in the 2006 season to avoid competing with Cedar Point, Cedar Fair downsized and restructured Geauga Lake as a family-friendly alternative. This included the removal of the Hurricane Hannah's area (which had been sealed off), major attractions such as Mr. Hyde's Nasty Fall and the removal of the Halloween Haunt event, coinciding with a shorter season run from Memorial Day weekend to mid-September.[citation needed]

After the removal of several major rides such as X-Flight, Steel Venom and Bel-Air Express along with the SeaWorld area by the start of the 2007 season, visitors were unhappy about the quick and confusing changes made, and attendance flatlined.[12] Geauga Lake's final operating day was September 16, 2007. Five days later, Cedar Fair announced that Geauga Lake would only operate as a water park from the 2008 season onwards, effectively closing the amusement portion for good.[13][14] Cedar Fair kept most of the rides and relocated them to their other parks; with seven children's rides sent to Cedar Point for its new Planet Snoopy area.[15] An auction of the rest of the rides was held on June 17, 2008.[16][17]

On August 19, 2016, Cedar Fair announced that Wildwater Kingdom would close on September 5 and would not reopen for the 2017 season.[18]

Former roller coasters (14)

Name Manufacturer Type Opened Closed Fate
Beaver Land Mine Ride
Previously Roadrunner Express 		Zierer Sit-Down 2000 2007 Relocated to Papéa Parc
Big Dipper John A. Miller Wooden 1925 2007 Scrapped
Corkscrew Arrow Development Sit-Down 1978 1995 Relocated to MGM Dizzee World
Cyclone Pinfari Sit-Down 1976 1980 Relocated to Holiday World
Dominator
Previously Batman Knight Flight 		Bolliger & Mabillard Floorless 2000 2007 Relocated to Kings Dominion
Double Loop Arrow Development Sit-Down 1977 2007 Scrapped
Head Spin
Previously Mind Eraser 		Vekoma Shuttle 1996 2007 Relocated to Carowinds
Little Dipper National Amusement Device Company Wooden Family 1952 - 1962 1975 Unknown
Raging Wolf Bobs Dinn Corporation Wooden 1988 2007 Scrapped
Steel Venom
Previously Superman Ultimate Escape 		Intamin Shuttle 2000 2006 Relocated to Dorney Park
Thunderhawk
Previously Serial Thriller 		Vekoma Inverted 1998 2007 Relocated to Michigan's Adventure
Villain Custom Coasters International, Inc. Wooden 2000 2007 Scrapped
Wild Mouse B. A. Schiff & Associates Wild Mouse Unknown Unknown Relocated to Chippewa Lake Park
X-Flight Vekoma Flying 2001 2006 Relocated to Kings Island

Closed attractions

Name Manufacturer Type Opened Closed Fate
Americana
Previously Giant Wheel 		Chance Rides Ferris Wheel 1999 2007 Relocated to Kings Dominion
Bayern Kurve Schwarzkopf Bayern Kurve 1973 1980 Unknown
Bel-Air Express Universal Design Monorail 1969 2006 Scrapped
Black Squid
Previously Black Widow and The Spider 		Eyerly Aircraft Company Octopus 1970 2007 Relocated to Kings Dominion (Never operated)
Boardwalk Typhoon
Previously Scrambler 		Eli Bridge Company Scrambler' 1964 2007 Sold to Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts
Bounty Chance Rides Pirate Ship 2001 2007 Sold to Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts
Calypso[19] Ramagosa Calypso 1975 1986 Scrapped
Carousel Marcus Illions Carousel 1937 2007 Relocated to Worlds of Fun
Carousel Allan Herschell Company Junior Carousel 1971[20] 1999 Relocated to Wyandot Lake
Casino Chance Rides Trabant/Satellite 1991[21] 1999 Stored, later relocated to Wild Waves & Enchanted Village
Caterpillar Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown
Century Cycle Hampton Rides Motor Cycle 1969[22] 1999 Relocated to Wyandot Lake
Cuddle Up Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, Inc. Crazy Daisy 1969 or earlier 1972 or later Unknown
Critter Express Venture Critter Track 1986 1999 Relocated to Wyandot Lake
Dippy Divers
Previously Daffy's Deep Diver 		Zamperla Junior Flying Carpet 2000 2007 Relocated to Cedar Point
Dodgems Duce Dodgems 1983 2007 Scrapped
El Dorado
Previously The Mirage 		Weber Flying Carpet 1991 2007 Relocated to Kings Dominion
Flying Jumbos Zamperla Junior Jets 1969[23] 1999 Relocated to Wyandot Lake
Flying Scooters Bisch Rocco Flying Scooters 1958 1999 Unknown
Fly-O-Plane[24][25] Eyerly Aircraft Company Fly-O-Plane 1942 1983 Unknown
Grizzly Run Intamin River Rapids 1996 2007 Scrapped
Guppies[26] Eyerly Aircraft Company Bulgy The Whale 1953 1999 Relocated to Wyandot Lake
Half Pint Express
Previously Yosemite Sam BoomTown Express 		Zamperla Junior Railway 2000 2007 Relocated to Cedar Point
Hay Baler Mack Rides Matterhorn 1976 2007 Scrapped
Himalaya Reverchon Matterhorn 1970 Unknown Unknown
Horseless Highway Hampton Rides Umbrella Ride 1969[27] 1999 Relocated to Wyandot Lake
Hot Air Express
Previously Wile E. Coyote Canyon Blaster 		Zamperla Samba Balloon 2000 2007 Relocated to Cedar Point
June Bug Jump Zamperla Junior Jets 2002 2007 Relocated to Knoebels Amusement Resort
Lickety Split Unknown Tracked Ride 1969[28] 1999 Unknown
Loop-O-Planes Eyerly Aircraft Company Loop-O-Plane Unknown Unknown Unknown
Mad Whirl
Previously Taz's Twister 		Zamperla Junior Teacups 2000 2007 Relocated to Cedar Point
Merry Oldies Arrow Development Track Ride 1972 2007 Scrapped
Musik Express Mack Rides Superbob/Musik Express 1977 2002 Scrapped
Mr. Hyde's Nasty Fall Intamin Free Fall 1997 2005 Scrapped - parts to Demon Drop at Cedar Point
Paratrooper Hrubetz Lifting Paratrooper 1980 Unknown
Pepsi Plunge
Previously Cuyahoga River Logging Co., Deerpark Plunge and Gold Rush 		Sansei Technologies Log Flume 1972 2007 Sold to Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts
Pinwheel Eli Bridge Company Junior Ferris Wheel 1969[29] 1999 Relocated to Wyandot Lake
Pirate's Flight Zamperla Balloon Race 2002 2007 Sold to Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts
Rainbow Racers[30] Eyerly Aircraft Company Midge-O-Racer 1953 1999 Relocated to Wyandot Lake
RipCord Sky Fun 1 Inc. Skycoaster 1999 2007 SBNO - later scrapped
Road Rally
Previously Speedy Gonzales' Trucking Company 		Zamperla Track Ride 2000 2007 Relocated to Cedar Point
Rocket Relay
Previously Marvin the Martian Rocket Ship Ride 		Zamperla Junior Jets 2000 2007 Relocated to Cedar Point
Rocket Ships Traver Engineering Company Circle Swing 1925 1995 Unknown
Rock-O-Plane[26] Eyerly Aircraft Company Rock-O-Plane 1953 1982 Relocated to Wyandot Lake
Round Up Hrubetz Round Up Unknown 1980 Unknown
Salt Water Tugs Allan Herschell Company Roundabout 1969[31] 1999 Unknown
Shipwreck Falls Hopkins Shoot The Chute 2000 2007 Relocated to Celebration City
Silver Bullet HUSS Enterprise 1979 2003 Scrapped
Smackers Unknown Junior Bumper Cars 1969[32] 1999 Unknown
Sky Glide Hopkins Ropeway Unknown 1993 Unknown
Skyscraper Intamin Observation Tower 1974 2006[33] Scrapped
Space Patrol Unknown Rocket Swing Ride 1969[34] 1999 Unknown
Starcastle Voyage Vekoma Swing Carousel 2002 2007 Sold
Starfish Chance Rides Trabant/Satellite 2003 2007 Sold
Star Shooters Allan Herschell Company Sky Fighters 1969[35] 1999 Unknown
Super Cat Ramagosa Caterpillar 1976 1985 Unknown
Tea Party Zamperla Tea Cup 2002 2007 Relocated to Idlewild & SoakZone
Texas Twister HUSS Top Spin 1993 2007 Relocated to California's Great America
Thriller Bees HUSS Ramba Zamba/Swingaround 2003 2007 Relocated to Antibes Land via PARC Management
Thunder Alley Speedway J&J Amusements Go-Karts 1998 2007 Scrapped
Tilt-A-Whirl Sellner Manufacturing Tilt-A-Whirl 1970 1999 Relocated to Wyandot Lake
Time Warp Chance Rides Inverter 1999 2007 Sold to Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts
Toddling Turtles Chambers Junior Tumble Bug 1969[36] 1999 Relocated to Wyandot Lake
Toot n' Hoot Hampton Rides Umbrella Ride 1969[37] 1999 Unknown
Trabant[38] Chance Rides Trabant/Satellite 1970 1988 Scrapped
Train Ride Unknown Miniature Railway 1925 Unknown Unknown
Tree Hopper
Previously Tweety's Club House 		Zamperla Junior Drop Tower 2000 2007 Relocated to Cedar Point
Tumble Bug[30] Traver Engineering Company Tumble Bug 1930 1977 Scrapped
Whip W.F. Mangels Company Whip 1925 Unknown Unknown
Yo Yo Chance Rides Waveswinger 1981 2007 Relocated to Carowinds

Water slides

Geauga Lake also included an adjacent water park, known as Hurricane Hannah's.[39] During Six Flags ownership, it was called "Hurricane Harbor".

Hurricane Hannah's was closed off to guests after the 2005 season following the opening of Wildwater Kingdom on the former SeaWorld Ohio/Wild Life site.

References

  1. ↑ "Geauga Lake Funtime". The Akron Beacon Journal. 1988-05-26. p. 66. Retrieved 2025-01-19.
  2. ↑ "Funtime, Inc., Adding New Rides, Attractions to Geauga Lake Park". The Plain Dealer. 1969-05-18. p. 2. Retrieved 2025-01-19.
  3. ↑ "Premier Parks acquires Funtime parks". The Daily Oklahoman. 1995-08-16. p. 15. Retrieved 2025-01-19.
  4. ↑ "Geauga Lake to Expand and Become Six Flags Ohio". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
  5. ↑ "Six Flags acquires SeaWorld of Ohio". Chillicothe Gazette. 2001-01-12. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
  6. ↑ "Six Flags Buys SeaWorld Ohio To Combine Parks". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
  7. ↑ Cedar Fair, L.P. completes acquisition of Six Flags Worlds of Adventure - Amusement Today (Wayback archive)
  8. ↑ "Six Flags Worlds of Adventure To Be Acquired By Cedar Fair". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
  9. ↑ "Cedar Fair Completes Acquisition of Six Flags Park". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
  10. ↑ "Geauga Lake plans expansion".
  11. ↑ "Geauga Lake 2005 Expansion Includes New Water Park". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
  12. ↑ "The Rise and Fall of Geauga Lake, Sea World, and Wild Water Kingdom in Ohio". cleveland.com.
  13. ↑ "Geauga Lake silences rides; water park remains".
  14. ↑ "Historic Geauga Lake Amusement Park Closing Forever". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
  15. ↑ "Cedar Point gets Geauga Lake rides". The Plain Dealer. 2008-01-12. p. 19. Retrieved 2025-01-25.
  16. ↑ "Geauga Lake auctions off an era of thrills".
  17. ↑ "More Geauga Auction News". NewsPlusNotes.
  18. ↑ "Cedar Fair Pulls the Plug on Ohio's Wildwater Kingdom". NewsPlusNotes. 2016-08-20. Retrieved 2025-01-19.
  19. ↑ "Geauga Lake opens Monday, with a million-dollar look". The Plain Dealer. 1975-05-23. p. 71. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
  20. ↑ "A Brief History of Geauga Lake". Roller Coaster Freak.
  21. ↑ "Two high-speed rides make their debut at Geauga Lake". The Plain Dealer. 1991-06-17. p. 10. Retrieved 2025-01-19.
  22. ↑ "A Brief History of Geauga Lake". Roller Coaster Freak.
  23. ↑ "A Brief History of Geauga Lake". Roller Coaster Freak.
  24. ↑ "Geauga Lake Attracts Many War Workers". The Akron Beacon Journal. 30 May 1942. p. 20.
  25. ↑ "Ride fall injures woman". The Akron Beacon Journal. 9 August 1983. p. 24.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "Article clipped from The Plain Dealer". The Plain Dealer. 1953-04-19. p. 157. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
  27. ↑ "A Brief History of Geauga Lake". Roller Coaster Freak.
  28. ↑ "A Brief History of Geauga Lake". Roller Coaster Freak.
  29. ↑ "A Brief History of Geauga Lake". Roller Coaster Freak.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 "Article clipped from The Plain Dealer". The Plain Dealer. 1930-05-29. p. 20.
  31. ↑ "A Brief History of Geauga Lake". Roller Coaster Freak.
  32. ↑ "A Brief History of Geauga Lake". Roller Coaster Freak.
  33. ↑ "Geauga Lake History". Geauga Lake Today.
  34. ↑ "A Brief History of Geauga Lake". Roller Coaster Freak.
  35. ↑ "A Brief History of Geauga Lake". Roller Coaster Freak.
  36. ↑ "A Brief History of Geauga Lake". Roller Coaster Freak.
  37. ↑ "A Brief History of Geauga Lake". Roller Coaster Freak.
  38. ↑ "Geauga has long, colorful history". The Cleveland Press. 1974-05-21. p. 47. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
  39. ↑ "Trifecta of fun: Geauga Lake rejoins Cedar Point, Kings Island in Ohio lineup". The Blade. 2004-05-23. Retrieved 2025-01-24.

External links

Amusement parks operated by Cedar Fair
Transferred as part of Six Flags merger
California's Great AmericaCanada's WonderlandCarowindsCedar PointDorney Park & Wildwater KingdomKings DominionKings IslandKnott's Berry FarmMichigan's AdventureValleyfairWorlds of Fun
Closed or sold prior to Six Flags merger
Geauga Lake & Wildwater KingdomGilroy Gardens Family Theme ParkKnott's Camp Snoopy
Amusement parks operated by Six Flags
Current Theme Parks
California's Great AmericaCanada's WonderlandCarowindsCedar PointDorney ParkFrontier CityKings DominionKings IslandKnott's Berry FarmLa RondeMichigan's AdventureSix Flags AmericaSix Flags Darien LakeSix Flags Discovery KingdomSix Flags Fiesta TexasSix Flags Great AdventureSix Flags Great AmericaSix Flags Great EscapeSix Flags Magic MountainSix Flags MexicoSix Flags New EnglandSix Flags Over GeorgiaSix Flags Over TexasSix Flags QiddiyaSix Flags St. LouisValleyfairWorlds of Fun
Current Water Parks (Within Park Grounds)
Carolina HarborOceans of FunSix Flags Hurricane Harbor (Great Escape)Six Flags Hurricane Harbor (Over Georgia)Six Flags Hurricane Harbor (St. Louis)Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Darien LakeSix Flags Hurricane Harbor MarylandSix Flags Hurricane Harbor New EnglandSouth Bay ShoresSplash WorksSoak City (Kings Dominion)Soak City (Kings Island)Soak City (Valleyfair)WildWater AdventureWildwater KingdomWild West Water Works
Current Water Parks (Separate Admission or Standalone)
Aquarabia Qiddiya CityCastaway BayCedar Point ShoresKnott's Soak CitySchlitterbahn GalvestonSchlitterbahn New BraunfelsSix Flags Hurricane Harbor ArlingtonSix Flags Hurricane Harbor ChicagoSix Flags Hurricane Harbor ConcordSix Flags Hurricane Harbor Los AngelesSix Flags Hurricane Harbor New JerseySix Flags Hurricane Harbor PhoenixSix Flags Hurricane Harbor OaxtepecSix Flags Hurricane Harbor Oklahoma CitySix Flags Hurricane Harbor RockfordSix Flags Hurricane Harbor San AntonioSix Flags Hurricane Harbor SplashTownSix Flags White WaterWhite Water Bay
Former Properties (Theme Parks)
American AdventuresBellewaerde ParkSix Flags AstroWorldSix Flags AutoWorldSix Flags BelgiumSix Flags Elitch GardensSix Flags HollandSix Flags Kentucky KingdomSix Flags New OrleansSix Flags Worlds of AdventureWalibi AquitaineWalibi LorraineWalibi Rhône-AlpesWarner Bros. Movie World GermanyWarner Bros. Park MadridWild Waves and Enchanted VillageWyandot Lake
Former Properties (Water Parks)
AqualibiHurricane Harbor Worlds of AdventureSix Flags AtlantisIsland KingdomSix Flags Splashwater KingdomSix Flags WaterWorldWaterworld Sacramento
Cancelled
DubaiZhejiang
Retrieved from "https://coasterpedia.net/w/index.php?title=Geauga_Lake_%26_Wildwater_Kingdom&oldid=334368"