I'm not saying they're not coming, but the volleyball courts were never mentioned on our construction tour. We'll be sure to ask about them on media day if they don't exist though.
WaterWorks Transforms into Soak City for 2015
- Thread starter Zachary
- Start date
To be honest, I understand why the park wouldn't want them. I noticed at Kings Island that the sand traveled off of people to the wave pool area and since it is so close to Tidal Wave Bay, I'd imagine it doing the same here.
Also, I just re-looked at the park map - the volleyball courts weren't on the map.
On a different note, I'm hoping that the park goes through with Soak City billboards on the back of the Backlot Stunt Coaster billboards (those need replaced as well).
Also, I just re-looked at the park map - the volleyball courts weren't on the map.
On a different note, I'm hoping that the park goes through with Soak City billboards on the back of the Backlot Stunt Coaster billboards (those need replaced as well).
Our full video of the announcement can be found below. Enjoy!
Thanks for sharing the video and for the Instagram photos today!
This was a much needed addition and the last area that really needed a general 'spruce up' since Cedar Fair took over. I was there two weeks ago and peeked inside Soak City and by looking at the photos from the event at the finished product it was a job well done by the park. WaterWorks felt dated in some parts and now the water park is brightly colored and looking fresh all with a new name (oh well if it's generic). Also, I'm happy that they have dealt with the congestion on the north side of the water park and installed the new pathway and the banners on the back of the Backlot billboards. Congrats to KD and Cedar Fair on a job well done.
This was a much needed addition and the last area that really needed a general 'spruce up' since Cedar Fair took over. I was there two weeks ago and peeked inside Soak City and by looking at the photos from the event at the finished product it was a job well done by the park. WaterWorks felt dated in some parts and now the water park is brightly colored and looking fresh all with a new name (oh well if it's generic). Also, I'm happy that they have dealt with the congestion on the north side of the water park and installed the new pathway and the banners on the back of the Backlot billboards. Congrats to KD and Cedar Fair on a job well done.
Pictures from today...Zacharys will be posting more of them at some point.
[flickrset=72157653274182152]
[flickrset=72157653274182152]
Spent the whole day in the new Soak City today. It was VERY crowded, but I felt like the park handled it much better than previous years. The new path to avoid the center bridges was great! Rode all 3 of the new 'tube' slides on Hurricane Heights and with an empty tube bin and full line, we waited about ten minutes! The body slide waits were easily triple that. We simply blew past everybody waiting for the body slides. We were in line for Tornado for about 15 minutes and hadn't even gotten a tube yet, when a young lady passed out unresponsive. A man carried her out of line escorted by a lifeguard and her arms, legs, and head were dangling. It was a bit disturbing and we just got out of line and found a happier place. The overall look of the waterpark was very fresh and nice. I saw improvements absolutely everywhere! Paint, facilities, slides, and eateries were all vibrant. The only disappointment today was the same old piss warm water on the older body/tube slide complex. That was hardly enough to put a bad taste in my mouth about the waterpark though. All in all, it was a fantastic day in a packed Soak City, which are 2 things that usually don't coincide with each other. On a side note, The track work on the north side of Rebel Yell was a nice bonus. Had a great ride on it.
Soak City Opening Weekend Report
An Update by Busch Dominion
When Kings Dominion converted Water Works to Soak City, they did so much more than just rename the water park. Rather, they transformed an aging attraction into a whole new area bustling with excitement. Beyond the enormous new slide complex and wonderful new children’s area, Soak City poses a fresh and beautiful new experience brimming with improvements left and right.
I could go on and on about everything that has changed at Kings Dominion’s water park, but as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so take a look! This report will walk you through everything new at Soak City, front to back.
Entering Soak City, guests are greeted with a new sign. It’s very well done.
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/2_NQL-EQG7/]
The improvements begin as guests continue down the entrance pathway, where all of the asphalt has been replaced with fresh concrete.
Vivid new canopies and stylish new signs decorate the entrance plaza, which has been fully repaved with fresh concrete and even a large new planter.
As part of the renovation of the water park’s amenities, Kings Dominion promised expanded and improved bathhouses in the main entrance plaza. Unfortunately, the bathhouses appeared as cramped and dank as they did last year, but at least they received some new paint and a nice new sign.
Two new restaurants were also added to the entrance plaza. Surfer Joe’s is a new cajun restaurant that replaced Chik-Fil-A. The menu consists mostly of fried foods, but they're unique items you can’t get anywhere else. We tried the Redneck Po’boy, which was two chicken tenders topped with barbecue sauce and coleslaw wedged between a hoagie roll. Unfortunately for my waistline, it was delicious, so I was thankful for all the stairs I had to climb later.
Fonda’s Fiesta is located right next to Surfer Joe’s, serving various Mexican foods. Unfortunately Fonda’s Fiesta was not open this past weekend.
Leaving the main plaza, guests pass Soak City’s main gift shop, Mary’s Shorts and Shades. It got a new sign, but at a quick glance, there weren’t any massive changes here.
Past Tornado, the backside of Backlot Stunt Coaster’s billboards have been covered with colorful new signs. They really turn what used to be an eyesore into a decorative touch.
As guests continue over the bridge to the first portion of the water park, they’ll notice the bridge has been given a spiffy coat of paint.
Leaving the bridge and stepping onto the “island” area of Soak City, the first thing you may notice is that the old mushroom fountain has been replaced by an elaborate display of sprayers.
In the near right hand corner of the island, this old spray structure has been replaced with a circle of umbrellas and chairs. (Photo from WTVR)
Farther down the right side of the “island,” there is a new food vendor called the “Oasis Marketplace”, selling various fresh foods and healthy snacks. It could really use some tables and chairs around it- right now it appears to be plopped on a giant, empty concrete pad.
On the left side of the “island” is one of Soak City’s new attractions, Splash Island. Splash Island may be the unsung hero of Soak City, as it’s truly a fantastic children’s area. It’s all zero-depth and filled with squirting geysers and water jets everywhere, and it’s totally interactive as well. Plus, it’s covered with an enormous shade structure. Really, every water park should have a children’s area like Splash Island.
Here’s a quick look inside Splash Island:
Continuing to the back of the island, you will notice the Baja Bends slides sporting a brilliant new paint scheme. The paint really brings new life to these over 20-year-old slides.
As you cross under Rebel Yell, you’ll notice that the wooden fence that surrounds the perimeter of Soak City has been painted with an attractive new design:
In the back half of Soak City, Tidal Wave Bay is now surrounded with an armada of cabanas. It also provides an awesome look at Intimidator 305!
A new snack stand called “Coastal Coolers” is located near the cabanas. However, it didn’t appear to be exclusively available to guests using the cabanas.
A look over Tidal Wave Bay’s fencing reveals the attraction everyone’s been waiting for: Hurricane Heights!
Likely Soak City’s most anticipated attraction, Hurricane Heights is a massive slide complex consisting of three skybox body slides (Paradise Plunge), two inner tube slides with neon lighting effects and airtime drops (Aqua Blast), and an inner tube slide consisting almost completely of tight, pitch-black helices (Thunder Falls). The complex itself looks fantastic (and is much more impressive in person).
Because lines were so massive, I only got to experience Paradise Plunge, but it was awesome! For those who haven’t ridden it yet, it’s a very similar experience to Water Country USA’s Vanish Point drop slides. However, the slide after the drop is much longer than Vanish Point and each of the three slides offers a different layout. I’ve heard only good things about the other slides, though, and if they’re nearly as fun as they are good-looking, then I’m sure they won’t disappoint.
It’s difficult to emphasize just how massive Hurricane Heights is. Even though it’s shorter than neighboring Pipeline Peak, it seems like the new slide complex is visible everywhere in the back half of the water park. Here’s what it looks like from the main pathway, before entering the Tidal Wave Bay area.
New landscaping is ubiquitous in Soak City. Here’s some of the landscaping near Tidal Wave Bay.
Along the wooded pathway to the main “plaza” of Soak City’s back half is a new Kona Ice trailer. For those who don’t know, Kona Ice is a local shaved ice food truck-type vendor that serves some pretty tasty concoctions. They’ll probably be getting good business this summer!
A great deal of improvements have occurred in the back half’s main “plaza”. First, Sun and Surf gifts has been given a neat new sign:
Also in the plaza, a complex of new all-day lockers has been added.
Perhaps one of the most-needed additions to Soak City was a new bathhouse. These bathhouses have been added in the plaza across from Sharky’s Eats, providing an alternative changing area for guests wishing to avoid the congestion of Soak City’s other bathhouse.
Continuing to the back of Soak City, Lil’ Barefoot Beach has been given a sign very similar to Splash Island’s.
Farther back, this splash pad near Pipeline Peak has been given a vibrant new coat of paint.
Like so many other buildings in Soak City, the Beach Bites snack stand, near Zoom Flume, has a cool new sign.
A new restroom complex has also been added in the very back of Soak City.
Changing the name of Surf City Splash House to Soak City Splash House only seemed natural, so the play area’s giant tipping bucket has been updated with its new name.
Moving back to the front half of Soak City, guests can now take a new pathway that leads along the outside perimeter of Lazy Rider, allowing them to bypass the congestion within the “island”. This path occupies the space that was once home to the Shoot the Curl slide complex.
There’s a large planter in the middle of the pathway. Although it’s seemingly just a nice bit of landscaping, it actually serves a double-purpose, covering up a jumble of electrical utilities. The planter is a pretty and clever way of hiding them!
The new pathway provides some great looks at Lazy Rider, which has been surrounded with fantastic landscaping throughout its circuit.
New, stronger sprayers have been added to Lazy Rider’s ending.
A new exit has also been added to Lazy Rider to decrease congestion.
While the Freestylin’ slides didn’t get touched up with new paint this year, the new path finally connects it to the rest of the water park for the first time in its existence, opening it up to a plethora of new riders. In years prior, Freestylin’ could only be accessed in a dead end protruding from the main entrance plaza, but now it is part of a complete circuit leading throughout the front half of Soak City.
This concludes the photo update of Soak City’s opening weekend. As you can hopefully tell, Kings Dominion put an incredible amount of work into transforming a rundown water area into a vibrant, exciting new water park. Like Kidzville’s conversion to Planet Snoopy in 2013, Soak City is far more than the renaming of WaterWorks: it represents a devoted, deliberate revitalization of one of the park’s main areas. Every change in Soak City felt intentional, with purpose, and it once again shows how Kings Dominion is determined to better the experience for its guests. If you haven’t made the trip to Soak City yet- whether you’ve never stepped foot inside Kings Dominion’s waterpark, or your last visit was to the aging WaterWorks- don’t pass Soak City up. You’ll be amazed either way.
An Update by Busch Dominion
When Kings Dominion converted Water Works to Soak City, they did so much more than just rename the water park. Rather, they transformed an aging attraction into a whole new area bustling with excitement. Beyond the enormous new slide complex and wonderful new children’s area, Soak City poses a fresh and beautiful new experience brimming with improvements left and right.
I could go on and on about everything that has changed at Kings Dominion’s water park, but as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so take a look! This report will walk you through everything new at Soak City, front to back.
Entering Soak City, guests are greeted with a new sign. It’s very well done.
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/2_NQL-EQG7/]
The improvements begin as guests continue down the entrance pathway, where all of the asphalt has been replaced with fresh concrete.
Vivid new canopies and stylish new signs decorate the entrance plaza, which has been fully repaved with fresh concrete and even a large new planter.
As part of the renovation of the water park’s amenities, Kings Dominion promised expanded and improved bathhouses in the main entrance plaza. Unfortunately, the bathhouses appeared as cramped and dank as they did last year, but at least they received some new paint and a nice new sign.
Two new restaurants were also added to the entrance plaza. Surfer Joe’s is a new cajun restaurant that replaced Chik-Fil-A. The menu consists mostly of fried foods, but they're unique items you can’t get anywhere else. We tried the Redneck Po’boy, which was two chicken tenders topped with barbecue sauce and coleslaw wedged between a hoagie roll. Unfortunately for my waistline, it was delicious, so I was thankful for all the stairs I had to climb later.
Fonda’s Fiesta is located right next to Surfer Joe’s, serving various Mexican foods. Unfortunately Fonda’s Fiesta was not open this past weekend.
Leaving the main plaza, guests pass Soak City’s main gift shop, Mary’s Shorts and Shades. It got a new sign, but at a quick glance, there weren’t any massive changes here.
Past Tornado, the backside of Backlot Stunt Coaster’s billboards have been covered with colorful new signs. They really turn what used to be an eyesore into a decorative touch.
As guests continue over the bridge to the first portion of the water park, they’ll notice the bridge has been given a spiffy coat of paint.
Leaving the bridge and stepping onto the “island” area of Soak City, the first thing you may notice is that the old mushroom fountain has been replaced by an elaborate display of sprayers.
In the near right hand corner of the island, this old spray structure has been replaced with a circle of umbrellas and chairs. (Photo from WTVR)
Farther down the right side of the “island,” there is a new food vendor called the “Oasis Marketplace”, selling various fresh foods and healthy snacks. It could really use some tables and chairs around it- right now it appears to be plopped on a giant, empty concrete pad.
On the left side of the “island” is one of Soak City’s new attractions, Splash Island. Splash Island may be the unsung hero of Soak City, as it’s truly a fantastic children’s area. It’s all zero-depth and filled with squirting geysers and water jets everywhere, and it’s totally interactive as well. Plus, it’s covered with an enormous shade structure. Really, every water park should have a children’s area like Splash Island.
Here’s a quick look inside Splash Island:
Continuing to the back of the island, you will notice the Baja Bends slides sporting a brilliant new paint scheme. The paint really brings new life to these over 20-year-old slides.
As you cross under Rebel Yell, you’ll notice that the wooden fence that surrounds the perimeter of Soak City has been painted with an attractive new design:
In the back half of Soak City, Tidal Wave Bay is now surrounded with an armada of cabanas. It also provides an awesome look at Intimidator 305!
A new snack stand called “Coastal Coolers” is located near the cabanas. However, it didn’t appear to be exclusively available to guests using the cabanas.
A look over Tidal Wave Bay’s fencing reveals the attraction everyone’s been waiting for: Hurricane Heights!
Likely Soak City’s most anticipated attraction, Hurricane Heights is a massive slide complex consisting of three skybox body slides (Paradise Plunge), two inner tube slides with neon lighting effects and airtime drops (Aqua Blast), and an inner tube slide consisting almost completely of tight, pitch-black helices (Thunder Falls). The complex itself looks fantastic (and is much more impressive in person).
Because lines were so massive, I only got to experience Paradise Plunge, but it was awesome! For those who haven’t ridden it yet, it’s a very similar experience to Water Country USA’s Vanish Point drop slides. However, the slide after the drop is much longer than Vanish Point and each of the three slides offers a different layout. I’ve heard only good things about the other slides, though, and if they’re nearly as fun as they are good-looking, then I’m sure they won’t disappoint.
It’s difficult to emphasize just how massive Hurricane Heights is. Even though it’s shorter than neighboring Pipeline Peak, it seems like the new slide complex is visible everywhere in the back half of the water park. Here’s what it looks like from the main pathway, before entering the Tidal Wave Bay area.
New landscaping is ubiquitous in Soak City. Here’s some of the landscaping near Tidal Wave Bay.
Along the wooded pathway to the main “plaza” of Soak City’s back half is a new Kona Ice trailer. For those who don’t know, Kona Ice is a local shaved ice food truck-type vendor that serves some pretty tasty concoctions. They’ll probably be getting good business this summer!
A great deal of improvements have occurred in the back half’s main “plaza”. First, Sun and Surf gifts has been given a neat new sign:
Also in the plaza, a complex of new all-day lockers has been added.
Perhaps one of the most-needed additions to Soak City was a new bathhouse. These bathhouses have been added in the plaza across from Sharky’s Eats, providing an alternative changing area for guests wishing to avoid the congestion of Soak City’s other bathhouse.
Continuing to the back of Soak City, Lil’ Barefoot Beach has been given a sign very similar to Splash Island’s.
Farther back, this splash pad near Pipeline Peak has been given a vibrant new coat of paint.
Like so many other buildings in Soak City, the Beach Bites snack stand, near Zoom Flume, has a cool new sign.
A new restroom complex has also been added in the very back of Soak City.
Changing the name of Surf City Splash House to Soak City Splash House only seemed natural, so the play area’s giant tipping bucket has been updated with its new name.
Moving back to the front half of Soak City, guests can now take a new pathway that leads along the outside perimeter of Lazy Rider, allowing them to bypass the congestion within the “island”. This path occupies the space that was once home to the Shoot the Curl slide complex.
There’s a large planter in the middle of the pathway. Although it’s seemingly just a nice bit of landscaping, it actually serves a double-purpose, covering up a jumble of electrical utilities. The planter is a pretty and clever way of hiding them!
The new pathway provides some great looks at Lazy Rider, which has been surrounded with fantastic landscaping throughout its circuit.
New, stronger sprayers have been added to Lazy Rider’s ending.
A new exit has also been added to Lazy Rider to decrease congestion.
While the Freestylin’ slides didn’t get touched up with new paint this year, the new path finally connects it to the rest of the water park for the first time in its existence, opening it up to a plethora of new riders. In years prior, Freestylin’ could only be accessed in a dead end protruding from the main entrance plaza, but now it is part of a complete circuit leading throughout the front half of Soak City.
This concludes the photo update of Soak City’s opening weekend. As you can hopefully tell, Kings Dominion put an incredible amount of work into transforming a rundown water area into a vibrant, exciting new water park. Like Kidzville’s conversion to Planet Snoopy in 2013, Soak City is far more than the renaming of WaterWorks: it represents a devoted, deliberate revitalization of one of the park’s main areas. Every change in Soak City felt intentional, with purpose, and it once again shows how Kings Dominion is determined to better the experience for its guests. If you haven’t made the trip to Soak City yet- whether you’ve never stepped foot inside Kings Dominion’s waterpark, or your last visit was to the aging WaterWorks- don’t pass Soak City up. You’ll be amazed either way.
The number of trash cans in Soak City was shockingly sparse. In fact, it took me a while to even find one to throw some trash away.
However, throughout the day I noticed employees dragging out trash cans from backstage areas to locations in the water park. Maybe they just haven't gotten around to putting them all out yet?
However, throughout the day I noticed employees dragging out trash cans from backstage areas to locations in the water park. Maybe they just haven't gotten around to putting them all out yet?
Water Parks tend to have less trash cans because people go into the water and don't bring along their belongings. Most of the trash cans are found at entrances and exits, shops, and restaurants since that's where people usually have trash to throw away. Just something I've noticed after visiting several Water Parks throughout the years.Joe said:
An interesting Easter egg has shown up on the side of Beach Bites in Soak City.
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/4Kq6ROEQGw/]
Yup, it's the old WaterWorks sign- a clever nod to Soak City's predecessor. It made me smile.
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/4Kq6ROEQGw/]
Yup, it's the old WaterWorks sign- a clever nod to Soak City's predecessor. It made me smile.