Wildwater Kingdom was a water park located in Aurora and Bainbridge Township, Ohio, United States. Owned by Cedar Fair, the park opened in 2005 as part of the larger Geauga Lake and Wildwater Kingdom resort. The site was previously the location of SeaWorld Ohio and later served as the marine life section of the larger . Worlds of Adventure was purchased by Cedar Fair in 2004 and the marine life area was converted into a water park for the 2005 season. Cedar Fair closed the Geauga Lake amusement park following the 2007 season but kept the water park open. It was first known as Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom, and the name was later shortened to Wildwater Kingdom. Its normal operating season extended from late May to Labor Day each year. The park featured 15 water slides including Thunder Falls, which opened as the tallest water slide complex in Ohio. In August 2016, Cedar Fair released a statement announcing the permanent closure of Wildwater Kingdom. Its final day of operation was September 5, 2016.
The former SeaWorld site began to be demolished in late 2004, when Geauga Lake started construction on a new water park. On November 11, 2004 Geauga Lake announced Wildwater Kingdom, a new water park scheduled to open in 2005. It would be constructed in two phases, with the first phase costing $16 million and the second phase $8 million. The first phase consisted of a ProSlide Tornado, an activity pool, an action river and a new children's area with a multistory play structure. Hurricane Mountain, Ohio's tallest water-slide complex, was moved from the existing water park to the new Wildwater Kingdom and renamed Thunder Falls. Together, they formed Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom. The parks were connected by a floating bridge in the middle of the lake. The second phase was scheduled for construction after the 2005 season to be ready for the 2006 season: however, not all of the second phase was built. A wave pool, an adult pool with whirlpool spas and a swim-up bar and two more water-slide towers were planned, but only the wave pool was built. In addition to the attractions announced by the park, phase-two plans included an open-air auditorium and the reopening of the Happy Harbor play area. If both phases were completed, it would cover and be one of the largest water parks in the United States. However, after plans fell through for most of the second phase the park's area was. Before Wildwater Kingdom, Geauga Lake had a water park which operated for over 20 years. During the Six Flags era, it was known as Hurricane Harbor; Cedar Fair renamed it Hurricane Hannah's after it purchased the park in 2004. Hurricane Hannah's closed at the end of the 2005 season. It sat vacant and fenced off during the 2006 and 2007 seasons at Geauga Lake. On September 21, 2007, Cedar Fair announced its decision to close the ride side of Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom and reopen as a water park in 2008. On July 11, 2011, Cedar Fair announced they had dropped Geauga Lake from the title; the water park would be called Wildwater Kingdom. While Geauga Lake's property is for sale, Cedar Fair has stated that Wildwater Kingdom is not for sale. Cedar Fair announced on August 19, 2016, that Wildwater Kingdom would not reopen after the 2016 season. According to their press release, "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 water park's final day of operation was September 5, 2016. The last remaining rides were demolished in November 2017.
Slides and pools
Other attractions
In addition to slides and pools, the park featured several other family attractions. In 2010 it added a beach family-fun area, a children's attraction featuring a giant chessboard with movable playing pieces such as knights, rooks and pawns. There was also a sand-beach area overlooking Geauga Lake. Little Tikes Town, a children's area with playhouses and toys, was located behind Thunder Falls.
Reception
Wildwater Kingdom was regarded as Northeast Ohio's best water park. When the park operated as Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom, the water park was the park's "highest rated attribute".
In popular culture
A scene between Kevin Costner and Frank Langella in the 2014 film Draft Day, was filmed at Wildwater Kingdom.
