“Industry Firsts”—WhiteWater’s USA Project Openings for Summer 2022
With the start of the water park season already underway in the United States, WhiteWater is proud to highlight a number of projects this year, both opened and upcoming, from coast to coast.
First SlideWheel® in the Americas
Making history at Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park, the first SlideWheel in the Western hemisphere opened on the Memorial Day weekend. A cross between a Ferris wheel and a water slide, this rotating spectacle creates an unpredictable ride experience that seemingly defies the laws of physics.
World Debut of Blasterango Battle in the Smokies
Further down south, Soaky Mountain Waterpark in Tennessee will open a one-of-a-kind dueling ride—the world’s first Blaster Battle and Boomerango fusion, or Blasterango Battle, where riders compete side by side on Master Blasters, finishing with never-before-seen translucent Boomerango walls that will make them feel like they are going over “The Edge.”
More Openings in the USA
In Florida, Orlando World Center Marriott, one of the largest properties in the area, added an outdoor oasis with a 50-ft water slide tower launching three thrilling inner tube rides—the first in an Orlando resort. The slides include Boomerango, AquaSphere, and Tailspin, utilizing colors that are fun and reflect a refined resort palette.
SeaWorld’s Aquatica opened “Reef Plunge”—slides that start with ocean-themed AquaLucent effects in dark AquaTubes and finish with clear acrylic flumes that take riders past real marine life.
Still in Florida, Island H2O Water Park in Kissimmee launched an innovative yet simple all-digital season pass solution—a first in the industry. It was developed by WhiteWater’s software arm, Vantage, to automate the process, make the experience seamless for guests and operators, as well as save time and reduce staffing needs.
Three Palace Entertainment parks—Raging Waters Los Angeles in California, Sandcastle Waterpark in Pennsylvania, and Wet’n’Wild Emerald Pointe in North Carolina—will open “Bombs Away,” a high-thrill body slide complex with an AquaDrop and Flatline Loop. Similarly, Wild Water Adventures in California will offer its own version called “Green Mamba.”
Staying in California, the highly anticipated opening of the brand-new Wild Rivers on the site of the old water park after a decade of closure has become the talk of Orange County. The park has sourced all of its water attractions, seven complexes in total, from WhiteWater. From high-speed body slides to stomach-tickling family raft rides to RainFortress 4, a multi-level interactive water play structure, guests of any age will find hours of fun.
Play is what LEGO® is all about. With over 800 installations of AquaPlay structures worldwide, LEGOLAND® New York is trusting WhiteWater to open another one this year—an AquaPlay 1050—along with a number of AquaSplash Toys, for its water playground.
“It’s great to see such high-profile openings in North America, which are inviting more investments in the attractions industry after the events of the last two years,” said Doug Smith, Global Head of Sales. “With this changing landscape, WhiteWater is innovating to offer clients not only products that allow venues to stand out, but solutions to help them digitally transform with the times.”
Over 70 projects worldwide supplied by WhiteWater are expected to open in 2022, encompassing water rides for theme parks, surf attractions, and Vantage venue management platform, in addition to water slides and aquatic play.
For more project opening announcements throughout the year, follow WhiteWater on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/whitewaterwest.
