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Nicole

and Team / Co
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Jul 22, 2013
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CNN has an article on water parks in which Water Country, Adventure Island, and Aquatica are all mentioned. It was originally updated at the end of July, but for whatever reason it is back on CNN's front page. (Don't really think this is a slow news day, so not sure why.) I didn't see it posted elsewhere, so hope this isn't a double post.

CNN: How to get soaking wet this summer

Water Country: "A highlight at SeaWorld's Water Country USA in Williamsburg, Virginia, is the Nitro Racer, where body surfers can enjoy a "six-lane highway full of slippery fun." Water Country hosted 748,000 guests in 2012, according to the Themed Entertainment Association."

Adventure Island: "Riding Wahoo Run at Adventure Island in Tampa, Florida, provides soaking wet thrills. Rafts carrying as many as five people shoot through a water flume at speeds exceeding 20 feet per second. They corkscrew through a half-enclosed tunnel into a splash pool. More than 650,000 people passed through Adventure Island's gates last year, according to the Themed Entertainment Association."

Aquatica: "SeaWorld's Aquatica in Orlando, Florida, drew more than 1.5 million visitors last year, according to the Themed Entertainment Association. Thrill rides include the popular Dolphin Plunge and the "lightning-fast" Tassie's Twisters."
 
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We have better attendance numbers than Adventure Island? That actually surprises me.

Sky
 
Two things to keep in mind. First, Adventure Island is not year round operation. It's weekend only in Spring and Fall, then daily in the Summer.

Second, they have to complete with the many Gulf beaches about 30 minutes to an hour away, plus the water parks in Orlando about an hour away.

Plus Adventure Island is only a so-so water park, in my personal opinion.
 
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Not like Water Country has done anything recently to improve their image either. They've been on a steady decline since 2005 and I'm amazed that their attendance hasn't dropped as much as I thought it would.
 
I actually enjoyed Adventure Island. In my opinion all of the various water parks have pros and cons.

That said the parking lot was...bizarre. It was very hilly and cracked. And I don’t mean “sloped.” It didn’t seem that any attempt to flatten the ground had been made, before the rolling hills were covered with tarmac. It was a terrible first impression.
 
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