Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom
| |
| Location |  |
| Status | Defunct |
| Operated | 1887 to September 16, 2007 |
| Owner | Cedar Fair |
| Previous names | Six Flags Worlds of Adventure, Six Flags Ohio |
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
In 1969, a group of former Cedar Point executives formed Funtime Parks and purchased Geauga Lake.[1] The company 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.[2]
The park was renamed Six Flags Ohio in 2000, when Six Flags purchased the park in order to compete with Cedar Point.[3] In 2001, the nearby SeaWorld Ohio merged with Six Flags Ohio. Now conjoined, the parks opened under the name Six Flags Worlds of Adventure.[4]
After the 2003 season, Six Flags Worlds of Adventure was struggling as Six Flags faced financial problems, and guests were often worn-out from exploring the massive 700-acre park.[5] In 2004, the park was sold to Cedar Fair.[6] The DC Comics and Bugs Bunny franchise were replaced by Peanuts franchise, and some of the rides were renamed. The SeaWorld area was also removed, and Hurricane Harbor became Hurricane Hannah's.
In 2005, Wildwater Kingdom opened in the former SeaWorld area.
Starting in 2006, Geauga Lake began to downsize the attractions, as Geauga Lake was never meant to be so large, and Cedar Fair wanted Geauga Lake to become a small family park, like Michigan's Adventure. Mr. Hyde's Nasty Fall was dismantled prior to the 2006 season. In addition, the Halloween Haunt event was removed and Geauga Lake began to run from Memorial Day weekend to mid-September.
After the removal of several major rides and the SeaWorld area, visitors were unhappy about the quick and confusing changes made, and attendance flatlined.[7] Geauga Lake's final operating day was September 16, 2007. Five days later, Cedar Fair would publicly announce the park's closure on September 21, 2007. The rides were dismantled and sold to other Cedar Fair parks. However, Wildwater Kingdom remained open until 2016.[8] An auction sale was held on June 17, 2008.[9]
On August 19, 2016, Cedar Fair announced that Wildwater Kingdom would close on September 5 and would not reopen for the 2017 season.[10]
Former roller coasters (14)
| Name | Manufacturer | Type | Opened | Closed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver Land Mine Ride | Zierer | Family | 2000 | 2007 | Relocated to Papéa Parc |
| Big Dipper | John A. Miller | Wooden | 1925 | 2007 | Scrapped |
| Corkscrew | Arrow Dynamics | Sit-Down | 1978 | 1995 | Relocated to MGM Dizzee World |
| Cyclone | Pinfari | Sit-Down | 1976 | 1980 | Relocated to Holiday World |
| Dominator | Bolliger & Mabillard | Floorless | 2000 | 2007 | Relocated to Kings Dominion |
| Double Loop | Arrow Dynamics | Sit-Down | 1977 | 2007 | Scrapped |
| Head Spin | 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 | Intamin | Shuttle | 2000 | 2006 | Relocated to Dorney Park |
| Thunderhawk | 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
References
- ↑ "Favorite family place gears up for the 1990's", The Akron Beacon Journal.
- ↑ "3 Theme Parks Sold To Premier", The Daily Oklahoman.
- ↑ "Geauga Lake to Expand and Become Six Flags Ohio". Ultimate Rollercoaster. https://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/news/archives/december99/stories/120999_02.shtml.
- ↑ "Six Flags Buys SeaWorld Ohio To Combine Parks". Ultimate Rollercoaster. https://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/news/archives/january01/stories/011001_01.shtml.
- ↑ "How Six Flags Built & DESTROYED the World's Largest Theme Park". Airtime Thrills. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TURwEOZyTo.
- ↑ Cedar Fair, L.P. completes acquisition of Six Flags Worlds of Adventure - Amusement Today (Wayback archive)
- ↑ "The Rise and Fall of Geauga Lake, Sea World, and Wild Water Kingdom in Ohio". cleveland.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRX1aKYQV8w&t=67s.
- ↑ "Geauga Lake silences rides; water park remains". https://www.mytownneo.com/article/20070930/NEWS/309309531.
- ↑ "Geauga Lake auctions off an era of thrills". https://www.dispatch.com/story/business/2008/06/18/geauga-lake-auctions-off-era/23399879007/.
- ↑ Cedar Fair Pulls the Plug on Ohio's Wildwater Kingdom - NewsPlusNotes
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