Waldameer & Water World facts for kids

Waldameer Park & Water World

Water World and a portion of the amusement park as seen from the Tom Ridge Environmental Center
Location	Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Coordinates	42°06′31″N 80°09′20″W / 42.108691°N 80.155458°W / 42.108691; -80.155458
Status	Open
Opened	1896
Owner	Erie Electric Motor Company (1896–1920s) Marine Bank (1920s) Alex Moeller (1920s–1978) Paul Nelson (1978–2023) Laine Nelson (2023–present)
General manager	Steve Gorman
Slogan	"The joy spot of Erie!" "Just for fun!" "You're gonna love it!" "Fun is in the air!"
Operating season	Early May to Labor Day
Area	34 acres (14 ha)
Attractions
Total	36
Roller coasters	5
Water rides	1

Waldameer Park & Water World is a super fun amusement park and water park located right next to Presque Isle in Erie, Pennsylvania. It's one of the oldest amusement parks around, being the fourth oldest in Pennsylvania and the tenth oldest in the entire United States! It's also one of the few remaining "trolley parks" that are still open today. One of its most famous rides is the exciting Ravine Flyer II roller coaster.

What's cool about Waldameer is that you don't have to pay to get in! You can walk around, enjoy the atmosphere, and check out the arcade and picnic areas. To go on the rides, you can either use a special wristband or load "Wally Points" onto a "Wally Card." The water park part, called Water World, has lots of awesome water slides and pools, but you do need to pay to enter that section. The name "Waldameer" comes from German words that mean "woods by the sea," which perfectly describes its location!

Discovering Waldameer's Past

The park started way back as a simple picnic spot called Hoffman's Grove. In 1896, a company called Erie Electric Motor Company took over. They changed the name to "Waldameer" to welcome the many German families living in the area. This company also ran trolley cars, and they extended their trolley line right to the park. This made it easy for people to visit, hoping more riders would use their trolleys. In the early days, people loved the park's beaches, a dance hall with live music, a beautiful carousel from 1905, and a German beer garden where waiters sang.

Early Roller Coasters and Fun Rides

Waldameer's very first roller coaster, called Figure Eight, opened in 1902. It was updated in 1907 and renamed Dip the Dips, thrilling riders until 1937. Another coaster, Scenic Railway, opened in 1915 and ran for a few years. In 1922, a new coaster called Ravine Flyer opened. It was designed by a famous roller coaster builder, John Miller, and operated until 1938.

A large dance hall, Rainbow Gardens, was built in 1925 after the first one burned down. Even after Rainbow Gardens caught fire in 1937, it was rebuilt, showing how important it was to the park.

The 1920s brought many popular rides to Waldameer. These included the Ye Mill Chutes water ride and the Aerial Swing. Other classic rides like a Flying Scooters, a Whip, and a Tumble Bug also entertained guests. In 1951, the Comet roller coaster opened. It was the first new coaster since Ravine Flyer closed. The Comet is now recognized as an ACE Coaster Classic, which means it's a special, classic coaster.

Kiddieland and Dark Rides

In the 1950s, Waldameer added a special area just for younger kids called Kiddieland. This was perfect for the many families with young children after World War II. The oldest ride still operating at the park, Pony Cart, is in Kiddieland!

The park also has two classic "dark rides" that are full of surprises. These are Whacky Shack (built in 1970) and Pirate's Cove (built in 1972). Whacky Shack is a two-story ride, and Pirate's Cove is a fun walk-through funhouse. Both were created by a famous dark ride designer named Bill Tracy.

Water World and New Thrills

In 1986, Waldameer opened its exciting water park, Water World. It started with two big water slides and a play area for kids called the Tad Pool.

The park sold its old, classic carousel in 1988 to help pay for Water World's expansion. Most of the money was used to add four new water slides in 1989: a speed slide, a free fall slide, and two raft slides. A brand new Chance Rides carousel with sixty horses also opened in 1989.

From the 1960s to the 1990s, many more rides were added. These included a Scrambler and a Tilt-A-Whirl in 1964. The Paratrooper ride arrived in 1973, and the Spider ride and Sky Ride were added in the late 1970s. The 1990s brought the Sea Dragon, the Ferris Wheel, Wipeout, and Ali Baba. In 1996, for Waldameer's 100th birthday, the old Ye Mill Chutes water ride was replaced by Thunder River, a fun Hopkins Rides log flume.

Modern Additions and Park Growth

In 2000, a smaller roller coaster for families, Ravine Flyer 3, opened. Then, in 2004, the Steel Dragon spinning coaster arrived. For the 2007 season, Waldameer added XScream, a thrilling 140-foot-tall drop tower that became the tallest ride in the park.

The highly anticipated Ravine Flyer II wooden coaster opened in 2008. This new coaster was so popular that park attendance jumped by 20%, making it the busiest season ever! Ravine Flyer II even won an award for Best New Ride of 2008. In 2009, the park added a Mega Disk'O ride called Mega Vortex.

In 2010, Waldameer introduced a modern cashless payment system using "Wally Cards" and "Wally Points." A new family area called the North End opened in 2011 with three new rides: Flying Swings, SS Wally, and Wendy's Tea Party. In 2012, another fun ride, Happy Swing, was added to Kiddieland.

Water World Expands Again

In 2015, Water World got even bigger with the addition of a huge wave pool. In 2016, Kidz Zone opened, offering several small slides and a splash pad for younger children. A large water playground, Battle of Lake Erie, was added in 2017. New for 2018 were a cool bowl slide called CannonBOWL and a Samba Balloon 8 ride named Balloon Race. In 2019, the park unveiled Chaos, a thrilling Discovery Revolution frisbee ride.

Even though Waldameer opened later in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it still added a new spinning coaster called Whirlwind. This was the park's first new coaster since Ravine Flyer II in 2008. In 2023, Paul Nelson, who owned the park for many years, passed away. He was honored in 2024 for his dedication to Waldameer. The Spider ride retired in 2024 after 47 years and was replaced in 2025 by Time Twister, a new NebulaZ ride. Also in 2025, the entrance to Water World was redone, and the Paratrooper ride was moved to a new spot. It is expected to reopen in 2026. In June 2025, Waldameer announced four new water slides and an updated Endless River for Water World. Two of these slides and the new Endless River are set to open in 2026. The park also confirmed a new amusement ride for 2027.

Merry-Go-Round Grove picnic pavilion

Whacky Shack & Pirate's Cove

Waldameer's Ferris Wheel and Ravine Flyer 3

Mega Vortex

Ali Baba and Whirlwind

Park Achievements and Recognition

In 1996, the National Amusement Park Historical Association (NAPHA) celebrated Waldameer's 100th year of operation. In 2008, Paul Nelson, the park owner, was named "Person of the Year" by Amusement Today magazine. That same year, Ravine Flyer II was named "Best New Ride" and ranked as the 11th best wooden coaster in the world! It has stayed in the top 10 best wooden coasters every year since 2009, even reaching number five in 2016.

In 2021, NAPHA recognized Waldameer's 125th operating season with a special plaque. In 2024, Paul Nelson received the Legend award after his passing. In 2025, Ravine Flyer II was named the second-best wooden coaster and fourth-best coaster overall in the United States by the USA Today 10 Best Awards.

Waldameer's two Bill Tracy dark rides, Whacky Shack and Pirate's Cove, have won many awards from DAFE.org. Both rides are consistently ranked among the top 10 in their categories. In 2023, the Rocket Blast water coaster slide won Best New Water Park Ride of 2023.

Exciting Rides at Waldameer

Roller Coasters

Thrill Rides

Family Rides

Dark Rides

Kiddie Rides

Water Rides

Water World: Splash into Fun!

From left to right: Rally Racer, Liquid Lightning, Cannon Bowl, Awesome Twosome, Bermuda Triangle, Raging River, and Wild River

Rally Racer from above

Water World is the amazing water park inside Waldameer. It opened in 1986 and now has 12 big water slides, a relaxing lazy river, two warm heated pools, a cool wave pool, and two play areas just for kids.

Water World Attractions

Upcoming Water World Fun

Park Incidents: Safety First

Ravine Flyer Coaster

On August 8, 1938, the Ravine Flyer coaster had an issue where it couldn't get over a hill after crossing Peninsula Drive. A passenger became very upset, and another passenger tried to help, but sadly fell from the ride. The ride was closed for investigation. While some reports said the ride was cleared, it was taken down at the request of the park owner's wife, who was very saddened by what happened. Seventy years later, in 2008, the Ravine Flyer II was built in its place, crossing Peninsula Drive again. The old ride's station is now a picnic area.

Chaos Ride

On June 28, 2019, the Chaos ride got stuck upside-down for about two minutes. No one was hurt, and the ride was closed for the rest of the day. It reopened the next day with the upside-down part temporarily removed. By July 4, the issue (loose wires) was fixed, and the ride went back to its full cycle.

Flying Swings Ride

On August 17, 2024, the Flying Swings ride didn't slow down properly when it came back to the ground. Some riders bumped their legs on the fence. The ride was inspected and reopened a few days later after tests showed it was safe.

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External Links

• Waldameer & Water World at the Roller Coaster DataBase
• The Bill Tracy Project