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Zoombezi Bay () is a
water park A water park (also waterpark, water world, or aquapark) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming ...
owned by the
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is a non-profit zoo located near Powell, Ohio, Powell in Liberty Township, Delaware County, Ohio, United States, north of the city of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The land lies along the eastern banks of the O'Shaughnes ...
near
Powell, Ohio Powell is a city in Delaware County, Ohio, United States, located 14 miles (21.5 km) north of the state capital of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. Powell had an estimated population of 14,163 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Founded i ...
just north of
Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...
. The park sits on the site of the former ''Wyandot Lake Adventure Park'', which was purchased by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in 2006. Zoombezi Bay opened to the public on May 26, 2008, and currently ranks as one of the Midwest's most popular water parks, attracting more than 400,000 visitors annually.


History


Wyandot Lake

Wyandot Lake originally began as a Columbus
trolley park In the United States, trolley parks, which started in the 19th century, were picnic and recreation areas along or at the ends of streetcar lines in most of the larger cities. These were precursors to amusement parks. Trolley parks were often cre ...
named Olentangy Park in 1896. The park closed in 1937 to make room for an apartment complex and many rides were moved north to Zoo Park, owned by previous owners, Leo and Elmer Haenlein, located across from the
Columbus Zoo The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is a non-profit zoo located near Powell, Ohio, Powell in Liberty Township, Delaware County, Ohio, United States, north of the city of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The land lies along the eastern banks of the O'Shaughnes ...
in Powell. In 1956, Leo Haenlein died and the park was acquired by Floyd Gooding, a carnival operator. Gooding made many changes at the park, including dismantling the oldest Traver Circle Swing and adding the Jet Flyer, the Zoo Park's first roller coaster (later known as the Sea Dragon). Following Goodings's death in the 1970s, ownership was transferred to the City of Columbus, which leased the property to Ohio-based Funtime, Inc. in 1983. Construction soon began on Wyandot Lake Adventure Park, which officially opened on May 24, 1984. Funtime Inc. was then acquired by Premier Parks in 1995. Premier Parks, originally an Oklahoma-based real estate company named TierCo, ventured into the entertainment industry when it purchased the
Frontier City Frontier City is a western-themed amusement park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. It is owned by EPR and operated by Six Flags. The park opened in 1958. Prior to the company's merger with Cedar Fair, Frontier City was one of only two Six Flag ...
theme park in 1983. It later acquired
Six Flags Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is an American amusement park company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It was formed on July 2, 2024, following a merger between longtime rivals Cedar Fair and the former Six Flags ...
in 1999, and changed its name to Six Flags Inc. Under new ownership, the amusement park continued to operate under the name Wyandot Lake. However, by 2003, Six Flags began experiencing financial difficulties, and began the process to sell multiple properties. In June 2006, the
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is a non-profit zoo located near Powell, Ohio, Powell in Liberty Township, Delaware County, Ohio, United States, north of the city of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The land lies along the eastern banks of the O'Shaughnes ...
announced that it had entered an agreement with Six Flags to purchase Wyandot Lake for $2 million, which would be finalized later in the year. Six Flags – struggling with annual losses since 1999 – was eager to negotiate with the nearby zoo amid city plans to realign Powell Road, which would cut through a portion of Wyandot Lake. Shortly thereafter, the Zoo announced plans to invest nearly $45 million to substantially re-develop the former Wyandot Lake property. Officials projected that by expanding Wyandot Lake and operating it in tandem with the zoo, both facilities would become substantially more attractive, with the potential to produce more than $1.3 million in annual profit. Wyandot Lake included both a dry amusement park area, as well as a full waterpark. Among the highlights of the amusement park was the Mangels-Illions Grand Carousel. The
carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...
was one of only a few manufactured by the William F. Mangels Company with wooden horses carved by M.C. Illions and Sons. In 1999, the carousel was removed from Wyandot Lake and underwent a one million dollar restoration before being moved to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Wyandot Lake's Wild Tides Wave Pool had a maximum depth of 9 feet. Substantial portions of the former amusement park were incorporated into the Zoo, becoming
Jungle Jack's Landing Rides at Adventure Cove is a small amusement park area that is part of and owned by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Powell, Ohio. The park was originally part of Wyandot Lake before the zoo purchased the property in 2006, splitting it into two s ...
, Animal Encounters Village, and Colo's Cove Picnic Grove areas. An expanded parking lot and new entry plaza were also constructed, and a parcel on the corner of Powell Road and Riverside Drive was set aside for a new water park.


Reconstruction

In October 2006, work began to remove the former picnic area and clear trees and other out-dated rides. Many older attractions and equipment were auctioned off. Wyandot Lake's popular "Jet Stream" and "Zuma Falls"
water slides A water slide (also referred to as a flume, water chute, or hydroslide) is a type of slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at swimming pools or water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and therefore size. So ...
were purchased for $500 by The Beach Water Park, located in
Mason, Ohio Mason is a city in southwestern Warren County, Ohio, United States, approximately north of downtown Cincinnati. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, Mason's population was 34,792. It is home to Kings Island amusement park and one of ...
. Construction continued through the summer of 2007, with nearly all of the park's undergoing a complete transformation. $20 million was invested to construct three new water slide complexes, along with a new 554,500 gallon wave pool and a , 1.5 million gallon "Action River". During the summer of 2007, an online contest was held to name the new water park. More than 3,000 people voted, and the name Zoombezi Bay was selected from a list that also included Kisawa Waves, Katoomba Lagoon, Kahuna Island, and Tahiti Waves. By the time the park re-opened as Zoombezi Bay on May 26, 2008, only two attractions from the former Wyandot Lake remained within the water park. Christopher's Island was refurbished and renamed Barracuda Bay (2008-2013), while Canoochee Creek was renamed Croctail Creek and now serves as the park's adults-only lazy river. The park's former classic Sea Dragon roller coaster still stands along the park's perimeter, now serving as the signature attraction of the zoo's
Rides At Adventure Cove Rides at Adventure Cove is a small amusement park area that is part of and owned by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Powell, Ohio. The park was originally part of Wyandot Lake before the zoo purchased the property in 2006, splitting it into two s ...
area. Other former Wyandot Lake buildings can still be seen standing around the park's perimeter, but are now separated from the water park by fences and landscaping.


Growth and expansion

On December 5, 2010, during the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium's annual ''Jack Hanna's Into the Wildlights'' holiday television special, Columbus Zoo Executive Director Dale Schmidt announced Zoombezi Bay's first major expansion, which included the addition of two new water slides from manufacturer
WhiteWater West WhiteWater is a manufacturing company based in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. It was established in 1980 and manufactures a variety of products for water parks including water slides and water play areas. The company also owns FlowRider, wh ...
. Python Plunge would be WhiteWater's first tall Master Blaster Express uphill water coaster, while Big Boa Falls represented WhiteWater's first Boomerango Express half-pipe tube slide. Both attractions opened to the public on May 21, 2011. For the 2014 season, Zoombezi Bay announced that it would be retiring an attraction that represented childhood memories for many Central Ohioans. After 17 years of entertaining guests, Barracuda Bay (formerly Christopher's Island) was demolished to make room for an all-new, highly themed AquaPlay RainFortress from WhiteWater West. The new children's area, named Baboon Lagoon after the 16 lifelike
baboons Baboons are primates comprising the genus ''Papio'', one of the 23 genera of Old World monkeys, in the family Cercopithecidae. There are six species of baboon: the hamadryas baboon, the Guinea baboon, the olive baboon, the yellow baboon ...
that can be seen climbing atop the structure, features nine new children's water slides, 90+ interactive water play features, heated water, and a giant orange octopus whose tentacles reach nearly in the air, dumping a giant 1,000 gallon bucket over the structure every 10 minutes. The new addition represented a $4.5 million investment for the property, making it one of the largest in the park's history. Baboon Lagoon opened to the public on May 17, 2014, and would go on to win an award for Best New Product in Themed Exhibit Design from the
International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) represents over 6,000 amusement-industry members in more than 100 countries worldwide and operates several global attractions-industry trade shows. Its annual IAAPA Expo in ...
. The highest attendance number that Zoombezi Bay ever achieved was in 2016 with 426,376 guests. The busiest month in Zoombezi Bay's history was also in 2016, when the waterpark welcomed 161,534 visitors in the month of June. For the 2016 season, Zoombezi Bay transformed its former Tahitian Twister slide (which opened with the park in 2008) to a new slide, now known as the Soundsurfer, "The King of Beats". This new attraction features colorful LED lights, and also plays music that guests choose at the top of the tower before getting on the slide. The slide also went through a re-paint, and the slides new colors are orange and white, instead of the former colors, blue and black. These new features make this slide the first of its kind in America.


Attractions


Current attractions


Former attractions


Zoombezi Bay


Wyandot Lake


Theme song

The Zoombezi Bay theme song "Zoombezi Bay" was written and produced by freelance musician Kelly Warner from Columbus, Ohio. Vocals were performed by Nachilus Kezuck and Brian O'Dell.


References


External links


Official siteColumbus Zoo & Aquarium
{{Six Flags Buildings and structures in Delaware County, Ohio Economy of Columbus, Ohio Former Six Flags theme parks Tourist attractions in Delaware County, Ohio Water parks in Ohio 2008 establishments in Ohio Funtime, Inc.