Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe

Last updated
Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe
Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe logo.png
Location Greensboro, North Carolina, United States
Coordinates 36°0′27″N79°50′25″W / 36.00750°N 79.84028°W / 36.00750; -79.84028
Owner Parques Reunidos
Operated by Palace Entertainment
OpenedSeptember 1983;40 years ago (1983-09)
Previous namesAqua Gardens
Water Country USA
Emerald Pointe
Operating seasonMemorial Day – Labor Day
StatusOperating
Visitors per annum406,000 [1]
Area40 acres (160,000 m2)
Pools5 [2] pools
Water slides15 [2] water slides
Children's areas2 [2] children's areas
Website www.emeraldpointe.com

Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe (often simply referred to as Wet 'n Wild or Emerald Pointe) is a water park located in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States, and part of the Wet 'n Wild chain. There are 40 rides and attractions, including 5 pools, 2 children's areas, and one of the largest wave pools in the country. [3] The Themed Entertainment Association has ranked the park 20th in North America in terms of attendance, of which they had 407,000 visitors as of 2015. [1] Major regional competitors are Carowinds' Carolina Harbor in Charlotte, North Carolina and Dollywood's Splash Waterpark in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Contents

History

Originally named Aqua Gardens, the park opened in September 1983. From 1984 to 1986, it used the name Water Country USA. In 1986, it was purchased by a local company and renamed Emerald Pointe. In March 1999 Ogden Corp purchased the property, along with Raging Waters and Wet 'n Wild's assets, and renamed the park Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe. In 2019, the newest attraction "Bombs Away" was revealed at the end of the season to the public and was originally slated to open for the 2020 season. Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, it has been delayed to open for the 2022 Season. [4]

Rides and attractions

Current attractions

NameOpenedManufacturerType
Bermuda Triangle2023iSlideEnclosed body slide
Bombs Away2022Dual ProslideFree fall and enclosed body slide
Riptide Racer2015FibrartFour racing mat slides
Dr. Von Dark's Tunnel of Terror2009ProSlideEnclosed funnel tube slide
Dragon's Den2005Proslide"Toilet Bowl" open tube slide
Tropical DropProslideSmall body slide
The Edge2004Water FunHalf-pipe water slide
Double Barrel Blast1996ProslideTwo short freefall body slides
Shipwreck Cove1984Large pool
Lazee River1986Lazy river
Leisure Lagoon1984Small pool
Raging Rapids1984Inline tube slide
Runaway Raft Ride1997ProslideInline tube slide
Splash Island2000ADGChildren's area
Scooter Run2000ProslideSmall inline tube slide
Happy Harbor1994Children's area
Cyclone Zone1995 Toroid-shaped pool
Daredevil Drop1998ProslideFreefall body slide
Thunder Bay Wave Pool1984Wave pool
Twin Twisters2000ProslideTwo enclosed body slides
Soak Zone2013Children's area

Former attractions

NameOpenedClosedManufacturerType
Bonzai Pipeline/Speed Slides2014Two freefall tube slides
White Water Run2008Three inline tube slides
Skycoaster 2008Skycoaster
Pirate's PlungePulley ride
Hydra Fighter II20012003CaprioWater roller coaster

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hersheypark</span> Theme park in Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States

Hersheypark is a family theme park in the eastern United States in Hershey, Pennsylvania, about fifteen miles (25 km) east of Harrisburg, and 95 miles (155 km) west of Philadelphia. The park was founded in 1906, by Milton S. Hershey as a leisure park for the employees of the Hershey Chocolate Company. It is wholly and privately owned by Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company. Hersheypark has won several awards, including the Applause Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carowinds</span> Amusement park

Carowinds is a 407-acre (165 ha) amusement park primarily located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the park opened to the public on March 31, 1973. Carowinds straddles the state line between North and South Carolina, adjacent to Interstate 77, with a portion of the park located in Fort Mill, South Carolina. It was constructed at a cost of $70 million following a four-year planning period led by Charlotte businessman Earl Patterson Hall. Carowinds also features Carolina Harbor, a 27-acre (11 ha) water park that is included with park admission. Annual events include the Halloween-themed S-Carowinds and the Christmas-themed WinterFest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Six Flags Hurricane Harbor</span> Water park chain

Hurricane Harbor is a chain of water parks that are part of the Six Flags theme park chain. Although the parks are not identical, common features include a variety of body slides, speed slides, tube slides, wave pools, lazy rivers, and shopping areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Six Flags Hurricane Harbor SplashTown</span> Water park in Spring, Texas

Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Splashtown is a water park located north of Houston in Spring, Texas, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Busch Gardens Williamsburg</span> European-themed amusement park in James City County, Virginia

Busch Gardens Williamsburg is a 422-acre (1.71 km2) amusement park in James City County near Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Located approximately 60 miles (100 km) northwest of Virginia Beach, the park was developed by Anheuser-Busch (A-B) and is owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. It opened on May 16, 1975, adjacent to Anheuser-Busch's brewery and near its other developments, including the Kingsmill Resort complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Village Roadshow Theme Parks</span>

Village Roadshow Theme Parks is a division of Village Roadshow Limited which operates theme parks and attractions in Australia and the United States of America. The Sydney Attractions Group Pty Ltd was formerly part of Village Roadshow Theme Parks; however, it was sold in 2011 to Merlin Entertainments.

Wet 'n Wild is a name used by various water parks across the United States, Brazil and Mexico, originally owned by SeaWorld creator George Millay. It is not to be confused with the Wet'n'Wild brand owned by Village Roadshow Theme Parks and CNL Lifestyle Properties or the stand-alone waterpark Wet N' Wild Waterworld in Anthony, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SeaWorld Orlando</span> Theme park and marine zoological park

SeaWorld Orlando is a theme park and marine zoological park located in Orlando, Florida. Although separately gated, it is often promoted with neighboring parks Discovery Cove and Aquatica as well as Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, all of which are owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. In 2022, SeaWorld Orlando hosted an estimated 4.45 million guests, ranking it the 10th most visited amusement park in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SeaWorld San Diego</span> Theme park in San Diego, California

SeaWorld San Diego is a theme park located in Mission Bay Park, San Diego, California, United States. Owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, the park is an animal-focused marine mammal park, oceanarium, marine animal rehabilitation center, and aquarium with both indoor and outdoor aquatic exhibits. The park's shared waters of Mission Bay connect directly to the Pacific Ocean, and it is this location which enables the rescuing, rehabilitating and re-releasing of injured, orphaned or stranded marine animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legoland Billund Resort</span> Original Legoland park

Legoland Billund Resort, the original Legoland park, opened on 7 June 1968 in Billund, Denmark. The park is located next to the original Lego factory and Billund Airport, Denmark's second-busiest airport. Over 1.9 million guests visited the park in 2011, and since the opening more than 50 million guests have visited the park. This makes Legoland the largest tourist attraction in Denmark outside Copenhagen. The Legoland parks that have since been built are modelled upon Legoland Billund, most noticeably the Miniland area, which is made up of millions of plastic Lego bricks.

SeaWorld Ohio was a theme park and marine zoological park, located in Aurora, Ohio. It was owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, formerly known as Busch Entertainment Corporation. The Ohio location was the second SeaWorld park to be built in the chain, following SeaWorld San Diego which opened just six years earlier. The park was developed by George Millay, founder of the SeaWorld brand. Wildwater Kingdom, a waterpark built by Cedar Fair in 2005, occupied the property until its closure in September 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wet 'n Wild Orlando</span> Former water park in Orlando

Wet 'n Wild Orlando was the flagship water park of Wet 'n Wild owned by NBC Universal, located on International Drive in Orlando, Florida. It was founded in 1977 by SeaWorld creator George Millay. It closed on December 31, 2016.

Wet 'n Wild, Wet'n'Wild, Wet N Wild appears in the names of a variety of water parks around the world, including:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raging Waters Sydney</span> Water park in Sydney

Raging Waters Sydney, formerly Wet'n'Wild Sydney, is a water park in the greater western Sydney suburb of Prospect, New South Wales, Australia, that opened on 12 December 2013. The park was announced on 11 September 2010 and was the third Wet'n'Wild water park operated by Village Roadshow Theme Parks, after locations on the Gold Coast and Las Vegas. On 2 July 2018, it was announced that the park had been acquired by Parques Reunidos who renamed the park Raging Waters Sydney for the 2019 season. It is the only attraction outside the United States owned by Palace Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray's Splash Planet</span> Water park in Charlotte, North Carolina

Ray's Splash Planet is a Mecklenburg County, North Carolina funded water park located in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The aquatic facility is operated by the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation department. Ray's Splash Planet is considered one of the largest indoor water parks in both of the Carolinas and is the largest water park in Charlotte, North Carolina, with over 29,000 square feet of space and using over 117,000 gallons of water at 87 degrees. The water is cleaned and sanitized through the use of chlorine, filtration and an ultraviolet germicidal irradiation system. There are multiple attractions including the Blue Comet, a three-story figure 8 slide, and other family friendly attractions like the Orbiter, Saturation Station, the Vortex, Meteor Showers, Moon Beach and the Sea of Tranquility. The water park also features a fitness center and gymnasium shared with the Irwin Academic Center, an educational center of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools system. The first floor of the facility includes the pool area, locker rooms, birthday party classrooms and concessions stand. The second story includes the fitness center with an aerobics/dance studio. Access to the indoor gymnasium is also located on the second floor. Ray's Splash Planet is located on North Sycamore Street near Johnson & Wales University and is just off Interstate 77 in North Carolina in the Third Ward section of Uptown Charlotte. The water park opened on October 15, 2002 with help from Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation's partnership with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Major competitors are Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina, Great Wolf Lodge in Concord, North Carolina and Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Cowabunga Canyon Waterpark is a water park in Spring Valley, Nevada. The park was part of Village Roadshow Theme Parks' Wet'n'Wild chain of water parks located across the world, until it was purchased by Pyek Group in March 2022. Pyek Group also owns Cowabunga Bay and together these 2 water parks makeup the Cowabunga Vegas brand. The park is located at 7055 S. Fort Apache Road, southwest of the I-215 and Sunset Road interchange.

Wet 'n Wild was a 27-acre (11 ha) water park located at 2601 South Las Vegas Boulevard on the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. The $14 million water park opened on May 18, 1985, as a joint venture between Howard Hughes Development Corporation and Wet 'n Wild. A number of ownership changes occurred beginning in 1998. It was eventually sold to Palace Entertainment in 2002. However, the land itself was leased throughout the water park's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palm Springs Surf Club</span> Water park in Palm Springs, California

Palm Springs Surf Club is an upcoming surf club located in Palm Springs, California. The park operated under Cedar Fair's ownership as Knott's Soak City until 2013 when CNL Lifestyle Properties acquired it and changed the name to Wet'n'Wild Palm Springs. In 2019, the park was acquired by Pono Acquisition Partners I, LLC. The park is set to open in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chimelong Ocean Kingdom</span> Theme park situated in Hengqin, Zhuhai, China

Chimelong Ocean Kingdom is a theme park situated in Hengqin, Zhuhai, People's Republic of China. It was designed by PGAV Destinations. The park broke ground on November 28, 2010 and soft-opened on January 28, 2014. The grand opening occurred on March 29 of that year. The first phase of the park cost RMB 10 billion to build. It is part of the Chimelong International Ocean Tourist Resort, which aims to become the "Orlando of China". According to TEA and AECOM, it was the 10th most visited theme park in the world in 2018, with 10.83 million visitors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal Volcano Bay</span> Amusement park in Orlando, Florida, United States

Universal Volcano Bay Water Theme Park, or Volcano Bay, is a tropical-themed water theme park at Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida. Owned and operated by Universal Destinations & Experiences, Volcano Bay replaced Wet 'n Wild as Universal Orlando Resort's only water park, and it was the first water park constructed by Universal itself. The park, themed around a 200-foot-tall (61 m) artificial volcano named "Krakatau", opened on May 25, 2017.

References

  1. 1 2 "2015 Theme Index" (PDF). Themed Entertainment Association (TEA). Themed Entertainment Association (TEA). Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "List of Attractions at Wet 'n Wild". Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe. Wet 'n Wild Emerald Point. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  3. "Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe Park Info". Wet 'n Wild Emerald Point. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  4. Joyner, Amy. "Riding a Wave of Success at Emerald Pointe". News & Record Greensboro. Retrieved 5 January 2017.