Zoombezi Bay

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Zoombezi Bay
Image:Zoombezi Bay Logo.gif
Location Powell, Ohio, United States Flag of the United States
Website www.zoombezibay.com
Owner Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
Opened May 26, 2008
Previous names Wyandot Lake - ? to 2006
Operating season Memorial Day to Labor Day
Area 22.7 acres
Rides 11 total

Zoombezi Bay is a water park owned by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium off of Riverside Drive in Columbus, Ohio. Opening on May 26, 2008, the park was a success with its 11 water rides. The dry park, Jungle Jack's Landing also made its debut in the 2008 season. Zoombezi Bay boasts all new water slides, a new wave pool, two lazy rivers, and cabana rental. Also changing was the zoo's front entrance, with a more theme-park style entrance.




Contents

[edit] Admission

Zoombezi Bay has been noted for having higher admission rates than the former Wyandot Lake. The rides in Jungle Jack's Landing are pay-as-you go (mostly $1-2), with the zoo offering a $15 all day wristband. Admission to Jungle Jack's Landing is included with a Columbus Zoo and Aquarium or Zoombezi Bay ticket.

[edit] Season Passes

$79.99 - General
$69.99 - Bought at Kroger
$59.99 - Already a Columbus Zoo Member General Admission $29.99

Ages 2-9

60+ $24.99

[edit] Parking

$5.00

[edit] Hours

[edit] Most Days

Monday-Friday: 10:30 AM to 8:00 PM
Saturday: 10:30 AM to 9:00 PM
Sunday: 10:30 AM to 8:00 PM

[edit] End of Season

All Days: 10:30 AM to 7:00 PM

[edit] Attractions

Picture Name Description Height Requirement Notes
Wild Tides 544,500-gallon wave pool with a maximum depth of six feet. Waves can reach up-to four feet high. Same Name as Wyandot Lake's wave pool but all new.
Croctail Creek Adult-only lazy river containing 203,000 gallons of water, 850 feet in length, and just a little under 32 inches in depth. Age: 21+ Same river as Canoochee Creek when Wyandot Lake was around.
Roaring Rapids 570,000 gallons of water for 1,500 feet at 32 inches deep and an average of 17 feet wide. Even features a section with waves!
Barracuda Bay 18,000-square-foot pool/playground aimed at children Formerly Christopher's Island
Coming Soon Katoomba Lagoon 4,000 square foot water playground for smaller children Under 36"
Slippery Seals Three slides. Part of the "Sea Splash" Complex. Similar to the three body slides at Wyandot Lake
Sea Snakes One- or two-person raft slides starting from a 51 foot tower with the premier attraction being a bowl shaped slide section where the rider slides around the side of the bowl in a circular motion. 48" Two Slides. Part of the "Sea Splash" Complex.
Sea Tubes One or two person raft from 51 feet 48" Two Slides. Part of the "Sea Splash" Complex.
Cyclone Waterslide that ends in a reducing-radius tunnel 48"
(See Above) Tahitian Twister Five-person raft ride 48" or 42" and accompanied by an adult
Dolphin Dash "Race" style slide 42" Can accommodate six riders at once (side-by-side)


[edit] Wyandot Lake Era

Wyandot Lake's Logo 199?-2006
Wyandot Lake's Logo 199?-2006
Wyandot Lake's Old Entrance
Wyandot Lake's Old Entrance
Wyandot Lake's Old Ferris Wheel
Wyandot Lake's Old Ferris Wheel
A very old picture showing the original carousel and the Sea Dragon, which was then called the Jet Flyer.
A very old picture showing the original carousel and the Sea Dragon, which was then called the Jet Flyer.


Funtime Parks, Inc which owned Wyandot Lake merged with Premier Parks, Inc in 1995 which subsequently bought the Six Flags chain in 1999.

The park was operated by Six Flags under the name Wyandot Lake until the end of the 2006 season. While under Six Flags management, the park hosted to over 45 rides and attractions including "Sea Dragon". Six Flags ran into financial trouble shortly after purchasing Wyandot Lake. This forced Six Flags to sell a number of water and amusement parks.

In June 2006, Six Flags and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium announced the purchase the park at the end of the 2006 season. [1] Shortly thereafter, the Zoo announced the current reconstruction of the park. Because of the construction, the zoo also announced that Wyandot Lake would be closed for the 2007 season. In addition, zoo also announced that they would be renaming the park from Wyandot Lake to Zoombezi Bay prior to its opening in 2008.

[edit] Old Wyandot Lake Attractions

Name Type Description Operating Notes/Fate
Starfish Ferris Wheel A Big-Eli chain driven red Ferris Wheel. ?-2006 Because it was chain-driven, the wheel was often broken down
Christopher's Island Water Treehouse A three section water treehouse. Pirate themed. 1997- Exact same location today, fixed-up and renamed Barracuda Bay
Hum-Dingies Boats Old kiddie boat ride with real water and boats with bells attached. ?-2004 Part of "Kiddie Land" Replaced with Kiddie Stage and Seating
Dune Buggies Cars Circular Hampton car ride with two sets of motorcycles. Red, yellow, and blue spinning canopy. ?-2006 Part of "Kiddie Land"
Sand Dollar Mini Ferris Wheel Mini "Big-Eli" chain-driven Ferris Wheel ?-1997 Part of "Kiddie Land." Almost always broken down. Never Replaced
? Circular Car Ride A car ride where riders would go in a circle, but be able to change the position (radius) of their path by turning the steering wheel. ?-2000 (?) Part of "Kiddie Land." Most likely from the same manufacturer as "Sea Horses." Riders would often get grease on their hands if the touched the wrong place in the car. Replaced by "Guppies".
Guppies Fish A small circular fish ride where colorful fish would go up-and down. (similar to the motion of a Merry-Go-Round) 2000?-2006 Part of "Kiddie Land." Replaced the old circular car ride.
? Space-Ships Almost like swings, these two (or four?) space-ships were hung by chains to a canopy. Riders would go around in a circle swinging slightly outward. ?-2000? Part of "Kiddie Land." Almost always broken. Replaced with "Tottering Turtles"
Tottering Turtles Turtles A circular ride with a hill in one point. Almost like a roller coaster, but very small and electric powered throughout the ride (no chained hill). 2000?-2006 Part of "Kiddie Land." Replaced the space-ship ride.
Sea Horses Horses This ride was almost like a little carousel (no music) and was actually horse-themed, not seahorse-themed ?-2006 Part of "Kiddie Land." Possibly made by the same manufacturer as the old circular car ride.
Dirt Bikes (?) Motorcycles A Hampton motorcycle ride with hills throughout. Spinning red and white canopy. ?-2006 Part of "Kiddie Land."
Jet Fighter? flying ships A spinning ride where all the ships rose to 6' in the air and came down all at once. ?-2000? Part of "Kiddie Land." Replaced with "Flying Elephants"
Flying Elephants Elephants A spinning ride where all the elephants rose to 6' in the air and came down all at once. 2000?-2006 Part of "Kiddie Land." Replaced "Jet Fighter (?)" Similar to the current elephant ride in Jungle Jack's Landing, but not the same.
Monsoon Rider-Controlled spinning Circular ride with carts seating two people (facing each other) that could be manually spun by a wheel in the center of the car. Painted Blue with white and yellow fluorescent bulbs at top. ?-2006
Black Squid Evelyn Spider This ride had six (possibly 8?) arms, and has the two cars attached right above the arm. The cars spun independently and each car had to be loaded separately by an employee. Had yellow and green florescent bulbs along with yellow incandescent bulbs under the downward-curving arms. ?-2006 Not operating often, as it was subject to frequent breakdowns and long wait times (because of loading)
Neptune's Revenge Scrambler This ride had three arms with three cars on each prong that spun as the ride goes around. Was painted white with a future-theme. ?- Moved to Jungle Jack's Landing, renamed "Dust Devil" and painted brown.
Barracuda (Original) Ferris Wheel with Cages This ride, similar to the "zipper", was a blue Ferris Wheel with completely free spinning (?) cages. ?-2000? This was the original "Baracuda" ride. The ride that replaced it kept the same name and sign, but was actually a Tilt-A-Whirl.
Barracuda (Replacement) Tilt-A-Whirl This ride had seven cars that moved with chaotic motion around a bumpy circular track. Had generic red, white, and blue theme. 2000?- Moved to Jungle Jack's Landing, renamed "Whirligigs" and painted in a pond theme.
Sea Dragon Figure-Eight Junior Coaster This ride was built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company and has been giving rides ever since. 1956- While now part of Jungle Jack's Landing, the coaster has remained in the same location. It also kept the same name and sign (on the station), but received a fresh coat of white paint.
Grand Carousel (original) Carousel This Mangels-Illions Carousel had 52 Horses and 2 Chariots. In the middle sat a Stinson (Style "JB66M-1" 46-Note

Carousel Voice) Band Organ that played every day.

1938-1999 Beautifully and completely restored. Now sits at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
Grand Carousel (replacement) Carousel Typical amusement park carousel. Had white and blue incandescent bulbs. No band organ, but played music from CD. 2001-2006 Kept name and old signage of "Grand Carousel"
Wild Tides Wave Pool Wave Pool Large wave pool ?-2006 New wave pool in Zoombezi Bay kept name, but is actually a completely new and different wave pool.
Buccaneer Bay Kiddie play area This was a small kiddie play pool ?-1997 This pool became home to the exit of "Shark Attack" when the bigger "Christopher's Island" was built in '97. ("Christopher's Island" is now called "Barracuda Bay" and is part of Zoombezi Bay)
Frog Pool Kiddie Play Area Small circular pool with small slide where toddlers would slide through a frogs mouth. Featured red mushroom water feature. ?-2006
Canoochee Creek Lazy River This lazy river had features such as a leaky tunnel, air bubbles, steam (coming from the scenery), a bar along the way called "Croctail Island", and a "mill". ?- Still used today as "Crocktail Creek" in Zoombezi Bay. It is for Adults only and still has Croctail Island. Also toned down, for a "lazier" effect. Some of the scenery was burned down in a fire, but replaced soon after.
Havoc Harbor (original) Bumper Cars These bumper cars were the classic style, one/two rider type. Had an island-themed backdrop with a concrete center island. ?-2002? The cars were destroyed in a fire, and replaced with gentler cars under the same name.
Havoc Harbor (replacement) Bumper Cars These bumper cars were the one-rider type. Two hand controlled sticks were used to operate the car that had a intertube-like bumper. Cars were in all different colors. Power was distributed through the floor, rather than the ceiling. 2002- These cars were the replacement to the cars that were destroyed in the fire. They now occupy Jungle Jack's Landing as "Condor Craze."
Shark Attack Water Slide This red slide held up to three people and let sliders go up onto the side of the slides through centripetal force while turning. 1997-2006 Occupied former home of "Buccaneer Bay"
Zuma Falls Water Slide Two gentle generic white water slides. Riders rode tubes down this open slide. ?-2006 Started from same tower as the "Jet Stream." Auctioned off to "the Beach" when Wyandot Lake closed.
Jet Stream Water Slide Two fast black covered water slides, with small holes of light throughout. ?-2006 Started from same tower as the "Zuma Falls." Auctioned off to "the Beach" when Wyandot Lake closed.
Splash Slides Body Slides Three body slides (one straight down, one curvy, and one completely covered) The two open slides were light blue, while the covered slide was a greenish color. These slides could be seen well from the parking lot. ?-2006 Name changed frequently with different sponsors; I remember "Ice Mountain Splash" and "Sunkist Splash". The covered slide was hardly ever open and eventually was permanently closed around 2003.

[edit] Reconstruction

Construction of Zoombezi Bay in 2007
Construction of Zoombezi Bay in 2007

Work began on October 2006 to remove the former picnic area and clear trees and other out-dated rides. Many of the rides and equipment were auctioned off in order to offset the cost of some renovation. One signature Wyandot Lake water slide complex, with "The Jet Stream" and "Zuma Falls", was purchased for $500 by The Beach Water Park, located in Mason, Ohio. As of July, 2007 everything had been removed from the former Wyandot Lake except the "Sea Dragon" and Christopher's Island. The Zoo is continuing normal operation as the rebuilding of the park continues.

[edit] New Name

On July 12, 2007, the zoo announced that the new name of the park would be Zoombezi Bay. The zoo selected the name from an online poll at the zoo's website. Other names that were considered included Kisawa Waves, Katoomba Lagoon, Kahuna Island and Tahiti Tides. [2]




[edit] References

  1. ^ Zoo to keep Wyandot Lake afloat, Marla Matzer Rose. Columbus Dispatch, June 13, 2006.
  2. ^ Park rechristened Zoombezi Bay: Former Wyandot Lake to Reopen in May, Suzanne Hoholik. Columbus Dispatch, July 12, 2007

[edit] External links