Noah's Ark Water Park | |
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Slogan | "America's Largest Waterpark" |
Location | Lake Delton, Wisconsin, United States |
Coordinates | 43°36′13″N89°47′11″W / 43.603578°N 89.786282°W |
Owner | Herschend Family Entertainment |
Opened | 1979 |
Operating season | May through September [1] |
Area | 70 acres (280,000 m2) |
Pools | 2 pools |
Water slides | 47 (currently) water slides |
Website | noahsarkwaterpark |
Noah's Ark Family Park Inc. is the largest outdoor water park in the United States. It features 51 water slides and dozens of various attractions. The park is located in the village of Lake Delton, Wisconsin.
In 1979, the Waterman family purchased 205 feet (62 m) of frontage property on U.S. Route 12 in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin [ citation needed ] and created a bumper boat ride and built a go-kart track, which replaced the Delton Outdoor Theatre, the area's drive-in theater. The park opened as "Noah's Incredible Adventure," [2] which became the name of a Noah's Ark attraction in 2003.[ citation needed ] In 1994, the Gantz family of Dubuque, Iowa, purchased Noah's Ark and added the "OctoExplorer", a yellow submarine with moving periscope, water guns and soft-surfaced waterslides. [2] In 2003, Noah's Ark Waterpark celebrated 25 years of operation.[ citation needed ] In 2012, the park was purchased by Palace Entertainment. [2] While under the ownership of Palace Entertainment, six attractions have been closed and three have been added. Other changes include fencing the park's perimeter, removing per-use lockers, and instituting parking fees. During this ownership, the park has seen numerous general park infrastructure upgrades such as a bathroom, restaurant, store remodels, a 400-person dormitory for employees, an employee cafeteria, a convenience store, and new Human Resources offices.
An electrical fire destroyed the iconic ark structure at the front of the park in 2012. Originally a ticket office, the ark was being used as a museum and storage facility at the time of the fire. [3] A new ark was built in homage to the original ark on top of the Flash Flood splash bridge.
On March 13, 2020, the park was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. It opened later on June 20, 2020, but closed early on August 1, 2020, for the rest of the season after two employees tested positive for the virus.
In early 2025, the park was sold to Herschend Family Entertainment. [4]