Seven Peaks Water Park Duneland facts for kids
| Industry | Amusement parks and attractions |
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Enchanted Forest was a small amusement park located in Porter, Indiana. It was open for many years, from 1957 to 1991. After it closed, some of its rides moved to another park called Little Amerricka in Wisconsin. Later, the park changed into a water park.
The park's location is easy to find, right where U.S. Route 20 and Indiana State Road 49 meet. It's north of Chesterton, close to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.
Contents
The Story of Enchanted Forest
From Amusement Park to Water Park
Enchanted Forest first opened its gates in 1957, offering fun and excitement to visitors for over three decades. It closed on August 2, 1991.
A few years later, in 1994, the park reopened with a new name: Splash Down Dunes Water Park. This new park focused on water rides and attractions. Splash Down Dunes stayed open until 2009. There was a disagreement about who owned the park, and it closed down. The original owner got the park back in 2010, but it remained closed for a while.
In 2013, a company called Seven Peaks Water Park bought the property. They reopened it on May 27, 2013, as Seven Peaks Water Park Duneland.
What Happened to the Park?
In June 2017, state officials closed the park. This happened because many visitors experienced skin irritations from the water. It was found that the equipment that cleaned the water was not working correctly. The park needed to fix these problems to make sure it was safe for everyone.
A spokesperson for Seven Peaks said the park would only reopen when it was completely safe. They wanted to make sure it met all health department rules. They also wanted experts to confirm the park's safety.
In 2019, the water park was sold again. The new owner plans to take down the water park. Instead, they want to build an apartment complex on the land.
Fun Rides at Seven Peaks
When it was Seven Peaks Water Park Duneland, the park had several exciting water attractions:
- Fears Tower – This tower had four fast speed slides.
- Slingshot – A thrilling half-pipe water slide that felt like a giant ramp.
- Vortex – A fun bowl water slide where you spun around before dropping into a pool.
- Dune Slides – Four body slides that you rode down without a tube.
- Sandcastle Sliders – Three smaller body slides designed for younger kids.
- Sandbar Bay – A small pool area with a water playground shaped like a pirate ship.
- Duneland Bay – A large wave pool where you could splash and play in artificial waves.
External Links
- "Enchanted Forest Amusement Park" (Northwest Indiana Genealogical Society). This link includes various pictures of the old park.
- Seven Peaks Water Park Duneland at the Roller Coaster DataBase
