Wet'n'Wild Las Vegas
Wet'n'Wild Las Vegas was a water park in Spring Valley, Nevada.[2] The park was part of Village Roadshow Theme Parks' Wet'n'Wild chain of water parks located across the world. The park opened in May 2013 and is located at 7055 S. Fort Apache Road, southwest of the I-215 and Sunset Road interchange. The water park reopened June 22, 2020 with enhanced COVID-19 safety protocols. The Park was purchased by Cowabunga Bay in March 2022, re-branded as Cowabunga Canyon[citation needed]
| Wet'n'Wild Las Vegas | |
|---|---|
| Location | Spring Valley, Nevada, United States |
| Owner | Village Roadshow Limited (majority stake)[1] |
| Operated by | Village Roadshow Theme Parks |
| Opened | May 23, 2013 |
| Area | 41 acres (17 ha) |
| Pools | 2 pools |
| Water slides | 10 water slides |
| Children's areas | A single children's area |
| Website | Official website Google map |
History
On August 6, 2011, plans to develop a 26-acre (11 ha) water park in the Las Vegas Valley were unveiled. The owners of the Hawaiian Falls chain of water parks in Texas were behind the proposal to open the park by Memorial Day Weekend 2012.[3] On November 14, 2011, Splash Canyon Waterpark was officially announced along with a listing of the rides and attractions to be included in the park.[4] On February 3, 2012, it was announced that the opening of the water park would be delayed by a year to ensure everything would be completely operational before opening.[5]
In June 2012, Australian-based entertainment company Village Roadshow revealed they had plans to open a Wet'n'Wild-branded water park in Las Vegas.[6] The company already operates Wet'n'Wild Hawaii and Wet'n'Wild Phoenix in the United States, as well as a number of amusement and water parks in Australia including Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast and Wet'n'Wild Sydney.[7] On October 4, 2012, it was announced that Village Roadshow Theme Parks would be opening Wet'n'Wild Las Vegas in May 2013 on the site of the proposed Splash Canyon Waterpark.[8] Village Roadshow holds a 51% stake in the park with private investors including Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf holding the remaining 49%.[9] The 41-acre (17 ha) water park cost over US$50 million.[2]
In mid-May 2013, Wet'n'Wild Las Vegas announced the park's opening and operating schedule, as well as the beginning of a charity auction for the first rides on four of the park's slides. Due to the expected popularity of the park, Wet'n'Wild Las Vegas' opening was staggered for different ticket holders. Following a private grand opening party on May 23, the park opened to Gold Pass holders on May 25, Season Pass holders on May 28, and all other ticket holders on June 3.[10]
The overwhelming demand for season passes caused the park to cease selling passes for the year and has pushed expansion of the park forward to the immediate end of the season, as Village Roadshow owns 71 acres around the park for future expansion.
A 2019 high school "neon night" was marred by multiple fights requiring police intervention and an early closure of the park.[11]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wet'n'Wild Las Vegas did not open in spring 2020. Even after legal restrictions were removed and its competitor, Cowabunga Bay in Henderson, Nevada, reopened, Wet'n'Wild Las Vegas remained closed.[12] As of May 31, 2020, the company's website shows no projected opening date and the manager told a local reporter that the park is "at least several weeks away from reopening."[12][may be outdated as of June 2020]
Attractions
Wet'n'Wild Las Vegas features 26 attractions including:[13]
- Canyon Cliffs – two speed slides
- Colorado Cooler – a 1,000-foot-long (300 m) lazy river
- Constrictor – a multi-person raft ride featuring corkscrew turns and speeds of up to 18 miles per hour (29 km/h)
- Desert Racers – a 360-foot-long (110 m) multi-lane racer water slide with 6 lanes
- Hoover Half Pipe – a WhiteWater West Boomerango water slide
- Rattler – a WhiteWater West Rattler water slide
- Royal Flush Extreme – a WhiteWater West bowl water slide
- Splash Island – a WhiteWater West AquaPlay area which features a variety of slides as well as a 300-US-gallon (1,100 L) tipping bucket
- The Wave Pool – a 17,000-square-foot (1,600 m2) wave pool capable of producing 3-foot-high (0.91 m) waves
- Zipp, Zapp, and Zoom – a series of inline tube slides
- Tornado – A slide that "simulates a natural storm experience" including weightlessness[14]
References
- ^ https://wetnwildlasvegas.com/about/about-las-vegas.aspx
- ^ a b Velotta, Richard N. (October 4, 2012). "Wet 'n' Wild water park coming to Las Vegas". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
- ^ Harvin, Sharie (August 6, 2011). "New Waterpark in the Works for Las Vegas". KLAS-TV 8 News Now. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
- ^ Splash Canyon Waterpark (November 14, 2011). "Splash Canyon Waterpark to Open Memorial Day 2012 in Las Vegas". Digital Journal. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
- ^ The Associated Press (February 3, 2012). "Vegas waterpark delays grand opening until 2013". News Times. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
- ^ "Village Roadshow and Sanderson set sights on Asia". Park World Online. June 18, 2012. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
- ^ "Theme Parks". Village Roadshow Limited. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
- ^ Guillermo, Matt (October 4, 2012). "Vegas water park resurrects 'Wet 'n' Wild' name". Fox 5. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
- ^ Westthorp, Tanya (October 5, 2012). "Coast Wet'n'Wild inspires Vegas park". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
- ^ "First official rides on four Wet 'n' Wild Las Vegas slides to be auctioned for Andre Agassi Foundation for Education and Opportunity Village". Las Vegas Sun. May 16, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
- ^ "Multiple fights bring early end to Wet'n'Wild high school event". August 2, 2019.
- ^ a b "Parks, pools, rec facilities in Southern Nevada reopening Friday". May 28, 2020.
- ^ "Attractions". Wet'n'Wild Las Vegas. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
- ^ "Wet 'n' Wild Las Vegas". Allegiant Travel Company. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
External links
- Official website
- Wet'n'Wild Las Vegas Flyover on YouTube
Coordinates: 36°03′36″N 115°18′00″W / 36.059941°N 115.300122°W