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Waldameer & Water World facts for kids
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Water World and a portion of the amusement park as seen from the Tom Ridge Environmental Center
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| Location | Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Coordinates | 42°06′31″N 80°09′20″W / 42.108691°N 80.155458°W |
| Status | Open |
| Opened | 1896 |
| Owner |
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| General manager | Steve Gorman |
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| Operating season | Early May to Labor Day |
| Area | 34 acres (14 ha) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 36 |
| Roller coasters | 5 |
| Water rides | 1 |
Waldameer & Water World is an amusement park combined with a water park, located right at the base of a beautiful area called Presque Isle in Erie, Pennsylvania. Think of it as two parks in one, offering both thrilling rides and refreshing water fun.
This park has a long and interesting history. It's actually the fourth oldest amusement park in Pennsylvania and the tenth oldest in the entire United States! It's also special because it's one of only thirteen "trolley parks" that are still open today. Trolley parks were amusement parks built at the end of trolley lines a long time ago to encourage people to ride the trolleys.
One of the most famous rides at Waldameer is a wooden roller coaster called Ravine Flyer II, which is known for its exciting layout and speed.
Contents
How Does Waldameer & Water World Work?
Waldameer has a unique way of letting people enjoy the park. The amusement park part is "admission-free," which means you don't have to pay just to walk into the park and look around. You can enjoy the atmosphere, play games in the arcade, or use the covered picnic areas without buying a ticket to get in.
To ride the rides in the amusement park, you have a couple of options. You can buy a paid wristband that lets you ride as many rides as you want for the day. Or, you can use a system called "Wally Points" on a "Wally Card." You load points onto the card and then scan it at each ride you want to go on, and the points are used up. This gives visitors flexibility in how they want to experience the park.
The Water World part of the park is different. To enter Water World and enjoy all the water slides and pools, you need to pay an admission fee. Once you're inside Water World, you can enjoy all the water attractions it offers.
The name "Waldameer" comes from the German language and roughly translates to "woods by the sea," which fits its location near Lake Erie and surrounded by trees.
History
The story of Waldameer begins a long time ago, even before it was called Waldameer! It started as a simple picnic area known as Hoffman's Grove.
In 1896, a company called the Erie Electric Motor Company leased the picnic area. They had a clever idea: they renamed the park "Waldameer" to sound appealing to the many German-speaking people living in the area. To make it easy for people to get there, the trolley car company extended their service line right to the park, making Waldameer the last stop. This helped bring more passengers to the trolley line and more visitors to the park!
In its early days, people came to Waldameer to enjoy the beaches, listen to live music at a dance hall, and ride a beautiful carousel that was added in 1905.
Roller coasters have been a part of Waldameer for over a century! The park's first roller coaster, called Figure Eight, opened in 1902. It was later updated and renamed Dip the Dips and operated until 1937. Another coaster, Scenic Railway, was added in 1915. A famous designer named John Miller created a coaster called Ravine Flyer which opened in 1922.
A dance hall called Rainbow Gardens was built in 1925, replacing an earlier one that was lost in a fire. Rainbow Gardens also had a fire later on but was rebuilt, showing the park's determination to keep popular attractions.
The 1920s were a time of adding many classic rides, like the Ye Mill Chutes water ride and the Aerial Swing. Other popular rides from the first half of the 1900s included a Flying Scooters, a Whip, and a Tumble Bug.
After a break from adding new roller coasters, the Comet roller coaster opened in 1951. It was the first new coaster since the original Ravine Flyer closed. Comet is still operating today and is recognized as an "ACE Coaster Classic," which is a special title given by roller coaster enthusiasts to classic coasters.
In the 1950s, Waldameer added a special area just for younger children called Kiddieland. This was a great idea because lots of families had young children at that time. Kiddieland has several smaller rides perfect for little ones. The oldest ride still operating at the park today, called Pony Cart, is located in Kiddieland.
Waldameer is also home to two classic "dark rides," which are indoor rides where you travel through scenes, often with spooky or fun themes. These are the Whacky Shack, which has two stories, and Pirate's Cove, which is a walk-through attraction. Both were designed by a famous dark ride creator named Bill Tracy in the early 1970s.
Adding Water Fun: Water World
In 1986, Waldameer added a whole new section dedicated to water fun called Water World. It started with two big water slides and a play area for young children called the Tad Pool.
In 1988, the park made a big decision to sell its classic carousel at an auction. They kept a few pieces, like a giraffe and a horse, but most of the money from the sale was used to make Water World even better. In 1989, they added four more water slides, including speed slides and raft slides. That same year, they also bought a brand new carousel with sixty horses to replace the old one.
Water World has continued to grow over the years. In 2015, they opened a very large wave pool, which was the biggest in the surrounding area. More additions for younger kids came in 2016 with small slides and a splash pad called Kidz Zone. In 2017, a fun water playground called Battle of Lake Erie was added. In 2018, they added a cool bowl slide called CannonBOWL and a ride with hot air balloon-like cars called Balloon Race. A new water coaster slide called Rocket Blast was added in 2023 and won an award for being the best new water park ride that year!
Today, Water World has many major water slides, a lazy river where you can float along, heated pools, the big wave pool, and play areas for children.
Exciting Rides and Attractions
Waldameer has a wide variety of rides for different ages and thrill levels.
- Roller Coasters: Besides the famous Ravine Flyer II and the classic Comet, the park has added other coasters over the years. Ravine Flyer 3, a smaller coaster for families, opened in 2000. Steel Dragon, a spinning coaster, arrived in 2004. In 2020, a compact spinning coaster called Whirlwind was added.
- Thrill Rides: For those who love excitement, Waldameer has rides like XScream, a tall drop tower added in 2007. In 2009, they added a large spinning ride called Mega Vortex. In 2019, a large swinging ride called Chaos was introduced.
- Family Rides: There are many rides that families can enjoy together, like the Scrambler and Tilt-A-Whirl, which were added in the 1960s. The Sky Ride, which gives you a nice view from above, was added in 1978. Other family favorites include Sea Dragon (a swinging ship), the Ferris Wheel, Wipeout, and Ali Baba, all added in the 1990s. In 2011, a new area called the North End opened with family rides like Flying Swings, SS Wally, and Wendy's Tea Party.
- Dark Rides: As mentioned, the classic Whacky Shack and Pirate's Cove offer unique indoor adventures.
- Kiddie Rides: Kiddieland is filled with rides just for younger children, including the historic Pony Cart and the Happy Swing, added in 2012.
- Water Rides: Besides the slides and pools in Water World, the amusement park side has water rides like Thunder River, a log flume ride that replaced an older water ride in 1996.
Recognitions and Awards
Waldameer & Water World and its rides have received several awards and recognitions over the years.
In 1996, the National Amusement Park Historical Association (NAPHA) celebrated Waldameer's 100th year of operation. In 2021, NAPHA recognized the park's 125th season with a special plaque.
The park's owner for many years, Paul Nelson, was named "Person of the Year" by Amusement Today magazine in 2008. After he passed away, he was honored again in 2024 with the "Legend" award at the Golden Ticket Awards for his dedication to Waldameer.
The Ravine Flyer II roller coaster has won many awards since it opened in 2008. It was named the "Best New Ride" in 2008 and has consistently been ranked among the top wooden roller coasters in the world every year since 2009, even reaching the top five in 2016. In 2025, Ravine Flyer II was recognized as the second-best wooden coaster and the fourth-best coaster overall in the United States by the USA Today 10 Best Awards.
Waldameer's classic dark rides, Whacky Shack and Pirate's Cove, have also won numerous awards from DAFE.org (Darkride and Funhouse Enthusiasts). They are often ranked among the best classic dark rides and walk-through attractions.
The Rocket Blast water coaster slide won the award for "Best New Water Park Ride" in 2023.
Changes and Updates
Amusement parks often make changes to keep things fresh and exciting for visitors. Waldameer & Water World is no different!
In 2024, the park retired the Spider ride after it had been operating for 47 years.
Looking ahead to the 2025 season, the Spider ride is being replaced by a new ride called Time Twister, which is a type of ride called a NebulaZ. There are also other improvements happening for 2025, including a refreshed entrance area for Water World. The Paratrooper ride was relocated and will not be operating during the 2025 season.
Waldameer has also shared some exciting plans for the future. They have confirmed that there will be a new attraction added to Water World in 2026 and a new amusement ride added to the park in 2027. This shows that the park is always looking for ways to bring new fun to its visitors.
In the Media
Waldameer has even been featured in media! In 1996, a documentary film called "Waldameer: 100 Years of Fun" was made to celebrate the park's first century.
More recently, the park has inspired a series of children's books called "Waldameer Mystery Files." These books, which started coming out in 2017, feature fictional characters who solve mysteries happening at the park. The books are written by David Gorman, whose father is the park's president and general manager, and whose grandfather was the late Paul Nelson, the park's owner for many years.
Gallery
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Ali Baba and Whirlwind
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From left to right: Rally Racer, Liquid Lightning, Cannon Bowl, Awesome Twosome, Bermuda Triangle, Raging River, and Wild River