Splash Lagoon
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 | |
| Location | Splash Lagoon Indoor Water Park Resort, Erie, Pennsylvania, United States |
|---|---|
| Opened | February 28, 2003 |
| Owner | Scott Enterprises |
| Theme | Polynesian |
| Operating season | Year-round |
| Website | https://www.splashlagoon.com/ |
Splash Lagoon Indoor Waterpark Resort is a large Polynesian-themed indoor water park located in Erie, Pennsylvania. The park is approximately 80,000 square feet (7,400 m2). It features nine water slides, two hot tubs, one large activity pool, a five-story activity tree house play structure, a toddler play pool, a 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m2) wave pool, a FlowRider, and a 6,500-square-foot (600 m2) arcade. The resort is connected to a Holiday Inn Express, Hawthorn Suites (formerly Residence Inn), and a Comfort Inn, along with Quaker Steak and Lube restaurant & bowling alley.
History[edit]
Though originally planned to open in December 2002, the $17 million water park opened on February 28, 2003. Scott Enterprises, a local franchising company, built Splash Lagoon. Three of the park's water slides swerve in and out of the building, giving it a distinct look. The entire resort is adorned with tropical décor such as tiki statues, large murals, faux tiki torches, artificial palm trees, and sculptures made by local artists.
In 2004, Splash Lagoon prepared to expand the water park with two new slides: Python Plunge, a tube slide, and a body slide called Shark Attack. The slides opened in 2005 along with a new family-sized whirlpool named the Frog Pond and a new dining location, Boston's Restaurant and Sports Bar.
In 2008, Water Parks Resorts Today named Splash Lagoon as sixth largest water park hotel n North America.[1]
On February 25, 2008, it was announced that Splash Lagoon would be adding a wave pool by spring 2009.[citation needed] On September 17, 2011, after years in the planning, the 30,000 square foot wave pool opened to the public, making Splash Lagoon the third largest indoor water park in the country. The same year, Tree Tops Indoor Rope Course opened where people can climb 30 feet above the area near Shark Attack and Python Plunge.[2]
Attractions[edit]
Slides[edit]
All of the water slides at Splash Lagoon were manufactured by ProSlide Technology[3]
| Name | Opened | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Kahuna | 2003 | Tube Slide | A blue fully-enclosed slide that begins with riders going under a small waterfall. Most of the slide is built outside of the waterpark's building. Ends with a helix finale and a drop into the lazy river. |
| Black Hole | 2003 | Body Slide | A yellow fully-enclosed slide that is attached to the Treehouse. Hence its name, the inside of the slide is completely dark. |
| Cyclone | 2003 | Bowl Tube Slide | A blue and green slide where the main element is a large fiberglass bowl of swirling water. Riders begin by descending an enclosed drop into the open-air bowl and spin around a few times before reaching the center where they descend down a short drop into the lazy river. |
| Hurricane Hole | 2003 | Bowl Body Slide | An orange and red slide that similarly to its neighbor Cyclone, has a large bowl element. Unlike Cyclone, instead of a having a chute that riders slide into upon reaching the center of the bowl, it has a large hole in the middle that riders drop through into a six-foot deep landing pool. It is the fastest slide in the park as riders reach a top speed of 40 mph. |
| Maui Wowie | 2003 | Body Slide | A red open-air slide attached to the Treehouse. The ride consists of quick turns and small dips. |
| Python Plunge | 2005 | Tube Slide | A yellow fully-enclosed slide that is mostly built outside of the building. The slide takes place in near complete darkness. The exit of the slide is designed to look like the mouth of a python complete with fangs. |
| Riptide Racers | 2022 | Body Slide | A short blue slide designed for children. It has four parallel lanes so riders can race each other. |
| Shark Attack | 2005 | Body Slide | A high speed slide with quick turns in darkness. Most of the slide is built outside of the building and is painted mostly orange except for a single section painted translucent blue. This section briefly passes through the inside of the building in front of a large mural of a great white shark with its jaws wide open around the slide. |
| Typhoon Twister | 2022 | Body Slide | A red and green open-air slide with a double spiral. |
Other water attractions[edit]
| Name | Opened | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Adventure Bay | 2003 | A large 4-foot deep pool with basketballs and hoops for guests to play with as well as large fake floating lily pads that guests can try to use to cross the pool with support from an overhead cargo net. |
| FlowRider | 2020 | An attraction that simulates bodyboarding by pumping water up an inclined surface that mimics the shape of an ocean wave. |
| Froggy Splash Pad | 2022 | A rainforest-themed splash pad with decorated with jungle murals and giant frog statues. Replaced the Frog Pond, a family whirlpool. |
| Lava Pool | 2003 | A family whirlpool themed to a volcanic crater. |
| Lazy-Crazy River | 2003 | A lazy river decorated with colorful fish sculptures. At one point, the river current splits and riders can choose to float under a waterfall or pass by it. |
| Monkey Shines Island | 2003 | A zero-depth toddler play pool with six small slides, spraying fountains, and a small climbing structure with a bucket that tips over every few minutes once it fills with water. This pool was renovated 2017 which added three extra slides to the existing two (PJ's Plunge and Lola's Lane). |
| Paradise Cove | 2003 | An adult only hot tub with an age requirement of 21 years. |
| Tree House | 2003 | A five-story water play structure with interactive elements such as water cannons and valve wheels. The centerpiece of the Tree House is a giant tipping coconut that dumps hundreds of gallons of water onto bystanders. Four of the park's slides are connected to the Tree House. Formerly known as the Tiki Treehouse until 2022, it previously had more of a tiki theme including a thousand-gallon tiki head tipping bucket. |
| Wild Waters Wave Pool | 2011 | A 30,000-square-foot, 200,000 gallon wave pool that produces six-foot tall waves. Wild Waters was the largest expansion in Splash Lagoon's history following three years of planning and construction and it was once the largest indoor wave pool in the eastern U.S. Unlike many other waterparks, inner tubes are not allowed in the wave pool area. |
Dry attractions[edit]
All dry attractions at Splash Lagoon are open to the public. Water park admission is not required.
| Name | Opened | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Hologate VR | 2018 | A 4 player virtual reality game |
| Treasure Island Arcade | 2003 | 6,000-square-foot arcade and prize redemption center |
| Tree Tops Indoor Ropes Course | 2011 | 3-story ropes course |
| XD Dark Ride | 2021 | Triotech interactive motion simulator game |
Retail and dining[edit]
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Quaker Steak and Lube | Chicken wings & many spicy sauces star on the American menu at this casual, automotive-themed chain. It also features an eight lane bowling lounge and the restaurant can be accessed from outside of the water park. Replaced Hooch and Blotto's Restaurant and Sports Bar |
| Laguna Grill | Snack bar that serves fried foods, hamburgers, pizza, salads, and soft drinks. |
| Surf Shop | Splash Lagoon's main gift shop that sells swim accessories such as bathing suits and towels as well as souvenirs. |
| Surf Bar | Drink bar adjacent to Wild Waters. Sells a variety of a alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Formerly known as The Soggy Dollar. |
| Treasure Island Ice Cream Parlor | Ice cream parlor inside of the Treasure Island Arcade that serves Hershey's Ice Cream, milkshakes, and candy. Replaced the Island Oasis Tiki Bar |
Former attractions[edit]
| Name | Opened | Closed | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aqua Tumbler | 2014 | 2019 | A Fishpipe water ride that consisted of a partially water-filled Zorb ball mounted on a motorized axis. Riders would stand inside of the ball as the axis would spin it vertically. The riders could signal to the ride operator to increase or decrease the speed with a thumbs up/down. Riders under the age of 14 had to sit down throughout the duration of the ride. Riders could purchase a thumb drive containing their on-ride video after the ride. |
| Boston's Restaurant and Sports Bar | 2005 | 2015 | A sports bar that specialized in gourmet pizza, appetizers, and entrees. Replaced by Hooch & Blotto's |
| Frog Pond | 2005 | 2021 | Rainforest-themed family whirlpool that featured jungle murals, decorative rockwork, and giant frog sculptures that sprayed water. Replaced by the Froggy Splash Pad which though no longer a pool, still retains much of the décor from its predecessor. |
| Hula Hopper | 2003 | 2007 | An S&S Worldwide Frog Hopper ride with a tropical theme. |
| Island Oasis Tiki Bar | 2003 | 2018 | Full service bar and lounge on a deck overlooking the water park which served both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. All minors under 21 were required to be accompanied by a legal adult to enter the bar area. Replaced by the Treasure Island Ice Cream Parlor |
| Lazer Tag | 2003 | 2019 | 3,000-square-foot laser tag arena located in a stand-alone building adjacent from the water park next to Holiday Inn Express. |
| Sweet Shop | 2010 | 2014 | A candy store located next to the Laguna Grill. |
References[edit]
- ^ "The Top 25" (PDF). Water Park Resorts Today. Retrieved 11 April 2009.
- ^ "Wave pool opens today at Splash Lagoon in Erie". Archived from the original on 26 September 2012.
- ^ "Splash Lagoon Suppliers" (PDF). 9 December 2002. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2004. Retrieved 7 July 2023.