Geauga Lake facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Geauga Lake

Previously known as Geauga Lake (1887–2000, 2004) Six Flags Ohio (2000) Six Flags Worlds of Adventure (2001–2003) Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom (2005–2007)
Park entrance, 2005
Location	Bainbridge Township and Aurora, Ohio, United States
Coordinates	41°20′54″N 81°22′09″W / 41.34839°N 81.36919°W / 41.34839; -81.36919
Status	Removed
Opened	1887
Closed	September 16, 2007 (2007-09-16)
Owner	Funtime, Inc. (1968-1995) Premier Parks/Six Flags (1995-2003) Cedar Fair (2004-2007)
Operating season	May through September
Area	550 acres (220 ha)
Attractions
Total	54
Roller coasters	8
Water rides	2
Website	www.geaugalake.com (archived)

Geauga Lake was a popular amusement park in Ohio, USA. It opened way back in 1887 next to a lake with the same name. At first, it was just a fun spot for picnics and swimming. The park added its first ride in 1889. Later, in 1925, a famous roller coaster called the Big Dipper was built.

Over the years, the park grew with many more rides. In 2000, it became Six Flags Ohio, adding four new roller coasters. The next year, Six Flags bought the nearby SeaWorld Ohio and combined both parks. This created a giant park called Six Flags Worlds of Adventure.

In 2004, the park was sold to another company, Cedar Fair. The SeaWorld part was turned into a water park in 2005. The whole place was then known as Geauga Lake and Wildwater Kingdom. Sadly, on September 21, 2007, the amusement park closed forever. The water park, Wildwater Kingdom, stayed open until 2016 before it also closed.

Park History: From Picnics to Thrills

Early Days: Picnic Lake Fun (1872-1886)

Before it was an amusement park, Geauga Lake was known as "Picnic Lake." People came here for picnics and swimming as early as 1872. It was a lovely spot for families to spend a day outdoors. A large steamboat even circled the lake, sometimes pulling a boat with a dance floor!

Geauga Lake Amusement Park (1887-1969)

The official Geauga Lake park opened in 1887. In 1889, the park got its first ride: a carousel powered by steam. More rides quickly followed!

Big Dipper from across the lake.

A big change happened in 1925 when the park built the Big Dipper. This was a huge wooden roller coaster, 2,800 feet (850 m) long and 65 feet (20 m) high. It was one of the biggest of its kind! The park also had a large swimming pool. In 1926, famous swimmer and actor Johnny Weissmuller (who played Tarzan!) even set a world record in that pool.

Geauga Lake also had a dance hall where famous bands played. Imagine dancing to music by Guy Lombardo! In 1937, a beautiful, hand-carved carousel was added.

A tornado hit the park in 1942, causing damage, but the park quickly rebuilt. In 1952, a fire destroyed the dance hall and other buildings. After that, Geauga Lake focused only on being a seasonal amusement park with rides and swimming.

Funtime Era: New Rides and SeaWorld (1969-2000)

In 1969, a company called Funtime Incorporated bought the park. They continued to add exciting rides. In 1970, a marine life park, SeaWorld Ohio, opened right across the lake! For 30 years, Geauga Lake focused on thrilling rides, while SeaWorld showed off amazing marine animals and shows.

In 1972, the park added the Gold Rush log flume, a water ride. Two years later, the Skyscraper ride took people up 21 stories for amazing views. Before 1973, you paid for each ride separately. But after that, you paid one price to enjoy all the rides. The Geauga Dog became the park's fun mascot!

New roller coasters arrived, like the Wildcat in 1976 and the Double Loop in 1977. In 1978, the Corkscrew coaster opened, making Geauga Lake one of the first parks anywhere with two looping coasters!

Swimming in the lake was still popular. In 1983, Boardwalk Shores was added with paddleboats and water slides. A year later, The Wave, a huge wave pool, opened.

Raging Wolf Bobs, added in 1988, was added to celebrate the park's centennial anniversary

In 1988, Geauga Lake celebrated its 100th birthday! They added the Raging Wolf Bobs, a cool wooden roller coaster. In the 1990s, more rides like The Mirage and the Texas Twister were added.

In 1995, a company called Premier Parks bought Funtime. They invested a lot of money in new rides, like the Mind Eraser and Grizzly Run, a water rapids ride. The Corkscrew coaster was moved to a park in India. In 1997, the water area grew with Hook's Lagoon and new water slides.

In 1998, Premier Parks bought Six Flags. The park added another coaster, Serial Thriller. In 2000, Geauga Lake officially became Six Flags Ohio.

Six Flags Era: Worlds of Adventure (2000-2004)

In 2000, Six Flags Ohio got a huge upgrade with $40 million spent on 20 new rides! This included four new roller coasters:

• Road Runner Express (a smaller coaster)
• Villain (a wooden coaster)
• Batman: Knight Flight (a floorless coaster)
• Superman: Ultimate Escape (an inverted coaster)

A new water ride called Shipwreck Falls and a new wave pool were also added. The old wave pool area became a new kids' area called Looney Tunes Boomtown, themed after the famous cartoon characters.

In 2001, Six Flags bought SeaWorld Ohio for $110 million. They combined the two parks into one giant park called Six Flags Worlds of Adventure. This made it one of the largest theme parks in the world! The SeaWorld side became the "Wild Life" area, keeping its animal shows. The original amusement park became the "Wild Rides" area. A new flying roller coaster called X-Flight was added. The park was advertised as "Three Parks for One Price" because it had rides, water rides, and animal shows.

The logo when it was known as Six Flags Worlds of Adventure

In 2003, the water park area got even bigger with Hurricane Mountain, which was the largest water slide complex in North America at the time. This area was renamed Hurricane Harbor.

Cedar Fair Era: Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom (2004-2007)

View of Thunderhawk (yellow), Dominator (blue), and Raging Wolf Bobs (white) with the ferry boats (then unused) in the background in 2006

In 2004, Cedar Fair, the company that owns Cedar Point, bought Geauga Lake for $145 million. The park went back to its original name, Geauga Lake. All the Looney Tunes and DC Comics superhero themes were removed. Many rides got new names because Cedar Fair didn't own those characters. For example:

• Batman: Knight Flight became Dominator
• Mind Eraser became Head Spin
• Serial Thriller became Thunderhawk
• Superman: Ultimate Escape became Steel Venom
• Road Runner Express became the Beaver Land Mine Ride

The SeaWorld side of the park was closed down. The animals were moved to other Six Flags parks.

In 2005, Cedar Fair spent $26 million to build a brand new water park called Wildwater Kingdom on the old SeaWorld site. This led to the park's new name: Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom. The Wildwater Kingdom side had many water slides and a kids' play area.

In 2006, Wildwater Kingdom expanded even more. The park's season became shorter, only opening from Memorial Day to Labor Day. At the end of 2006, two big roller coasters, X-Flight and Steel Venom, were removed. X-Flight moved to Kings Island and became Firehawk. Steel Venom moved to Dorney Park and became Possessed.

The Park Closes (2007)

One of the last standing rides, Ripcord, pictured in 2011

The last day of operation for the Geauga Lake amusement park was September 16, 2007. Just five days later, Cedar Fair announced that the amusement park side would close permanently. Only the water park, Wildwater Kingdom, would remain open for future seasons. This news made many people sad, and there were efforts to save famous rides like the Big Dipper and the Carousel.

The land where the amusement park stood was put up for sale. The remaining rides and parts were sold off in an auction in June 2008.

In 2020, a home building company bought a large part of the land to build houses. They even named some streets after old Geauga Lake rides, like "Carousel Court" and "Dipper Way"! Another company bought the rest of the land to build more homes, restaurants, and shops.

What Happened to Geauga Lake's Coasters?

Many of Geauga Lake's roller coasters were either moved to other parks or taken apart.

What was left of the Geauga Lake entrance as pictured in 2011

• Beaver Land Mine Ride: Moved to a park in France.
• Big Dipper: This classic wooden coaster was taken apart in 2016.
• Dominator: Now open at Kings Dominion.
• Double Loop: Taken apart and sold for scrap metal.
• Head Spin: Now open at Carowinds as The Flying Cobras.
• Raging Wolf Bobs: Taken apart. Some parts were saved by a museum.
• Steel Venom: Now open at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom as Possessed.
• Thunderhawk: Now open at Michigan's Adventure.
• Villain: Taken apart and sold for scrap.
• X-Flight: Moved to Kings Island as Firehawk. It closed in 2018.

Past Rides and Attractions

Geauga Lake had many different rides over its long history. Here are some of the rides that were once at the park:

Roller Coasters

Other Fun Attractions

Looney Tunes Boomtown (Kids' Area)

This area had rides themed to the famous Looney Tunes characters.

Hurricane Harbor (Water Park)

This was the water park area during the Six Flags era.

Park Names and Owners Over Time

The park changed owners and names several times. It started as two separate parks: Geauga Lake and SeaWorld Ohio.

Geauga Lake at the Roller Coaster DataBase