Action Park facts for kids
| Previously known as Mountain Creek Waterpark (1998–2013, 2016–Present) | |
 |
|
| Location | Vernon Township, New Jersey, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°11′26″N 74°30′27″W / 41.19056°N 74.50750°W |
| Status | Closed |
| Opened | May 26, 1978 and 2014 |
| Closed | September 2, 1996 and May 29, 2016 |
| Owner | Great American Recreation |
| Slogan | Where You're the Center of the Action! There's Nothing in the World like Action Park |
| Renovated and reopened as Mountain Creek Waterpark in 1998 | |
Action Park was a famous amusement park and water park located in Vernon Township, New Jersey, United States. It was built on the same land as the Vernon Valley/Great Gorge ski resort. The park mostly had water rides and first opened in 1978. It was owned by a company called Great American Recreation.
Action Park had three different areas: the Alpine Center, Motorworld, and Waterworld. Waterworld was one of the first modern water parks in America. Many of its rides were very special and unique. This made people who loved thrills come from all over the New York metropolitan area. Even though it was popular, Action Park also became known for rides that weren't always designed well. Sometimes the staff were not fully trained or were too young. Because of these issues, the park had a reputation for not being very safe. Some people even called it "Accident Park" or "Class Action Park." Over time, problems with safety led to many rides closing down. Eventually, the whole park closed its doors in 1996.
In 1998, a company called Intrawest bought the ski area, including Action Park. They completely updated the park. They fixed and improved many rides, especially those that were considered unsafe. Some rides were removed entirely. After these big changes, the park reopened as Mountain Creek Waterpark.
Contents
History of Action Park
The idea for Action Park started in 1976. Eugene Mulvihill and his company, Great American Recreation (GAR), owned the Vernon Valley/Great Gorge ski area. They wanted to find a way to make money during the summer months. So, they built a long alpine slide down one of the ski trails.
How the Park Grew
In 1978, Mulvihill added two water slides and a go-kart track. He called this small collection of rides the "Vernon Valley Summer Park." The next year, more water slides and a swimming pool were added. This area became known as the Waterworld section of "Action Park." By 1980, they also created Motorworld on some swampy land. These areas together made one of the first modern water parks in North America.
.jpg)
.jpg)
The park grew a lot from its small beginnings. It started with just an alpine slide and two water slides. Eventually, it became a huge place with 75 rides. This included 35 rides where you could control your own vehicle and 40 water slides.
Years of Popularity and Challenges
Action Park was most successful in the early and mid-1980s. Most of its rides were working, and its reputation for being dangerous hadn't fully developed yet. Even when some accidents happened, many people still came to the park.
The park's challenges began to grow in the mid-1980s. Legal issues and financial problems started to affect the park. Despite these issues, many visitors still came. The park often had over one million visitors each year during the 1980s. On some busy weekends, as many as 12,000 people would visit.
Changes in the 1990s
By the 1990s, Action Park was advertised as the world's largest water park. They even launched a website where visitors could find information about rides and directions. However, some rides had to be closed down. This was due to the costs of dealing with accidents and the rising price of insurance. The number of visitors also started to drop because of a tough economy.
The company that owned Action Park faced many financial difficulties. They tried to stay open, but eventually, they had to close. Action Park closed for good on September 2, 1996. The owners hoped to reopen it, but on June 25, 1997, they announced that all their operations, including Action Park, would stop.
New Ownership and Reopening
After the original company closed, a new group bought the resort, including Action Park. They planned to spend a lot of money to improve the ski resort and the water park. In February 1998, a Canadian company called Intrawest bought the park. They completely changed the Waterworld section of Action Park. They reopened it in 1998 as Mountain Creek Waterpark. The Motorworld and Alpine Center sections were taken down.
Action Park Returns (Briefly)
In 2010, the entire Mountain Creek ski area and water park was sold. The new owner was Eugene Mulvihill, who had owned the original Action Park. He passed away two years later. Under this new ownership, the water park's name was changed back to Action Park. This happened for the 2014 season. However, in 2016, the name was changed back to Mountain Creek Waterpark again. So, the Action Park name was retired once more.
Other Action Park Locations
Action Park also had a few other locations that were similar to the main park.
Pocono Action Park and Motorworld
In 1980, Great American Recreation opened Pocono Action Park and Motorworld in Tannersville, Pennsylvania. This park had a Waterworld section with slides and tube rides. It also had a Motorworld section with racing attractions, like go-karts. This park closed by late 1991. The rides were later removed, and a shopping center called The Crossings Premium Outlets was built there.
Action Mountain
In June 1984, another park called Action Mountain opened in Pine Hill, New Jersey. This park offered an alpine slide, go-karts, bumper boats, and different kinds of water slides. It also had swimming pools. By 1986, the company that owned Action Mountain had financial problems. They sold the park to help pay off their debts. In 1999, the land was turned into the Pine Hill Golf Course.
Images for kids
-
Chairlift to alpine slide.
-
Cannonball Loop, the infamous looping water slide, was only opened for brief periods in Action Park's existence.
-
Less buoyant chlorinated water made the wave pool harder to swim in than salt water in the ocean.
-
Taking the Tarzan swing into a cold pool.
-
Carrying tubes up the mountain.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Action Park para niños
