Water Park of America facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Water Park of America |
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North side of the park. Water slide tubes exit the slide tower and re-enter the building.
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| Location | Bloomington, Minnesota, United States |
| Coordinates | 44°51′40″N 93°15′04″W / 44.861116°N 93.251020°W |
| Owner | Great Wolf Resorts |
| Opened | May 2006 |
| Closed | End of January 2017 |
| Status | {{{status}}} |
Great Wolf Lodge, originally the Water Park of America, was home to the tallest indoor water slide in the U.S. It covered 70,000 square feet (6,500 m2) with a slide tower nearly ten stories high. It opened in May 2006. Located in Bloomington, Minnesota, it was a half mile from the Mall of America and close to the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport.
The water park was attached to the Radisson Hotel. Both the hotel and the water park were managed by Evolution Hospitality. In January 2017, it was announced that Great Wolf Resorts had purchased the property. The hotel and waterpark closed for renovations and rebranding as a Great Wolf Resort. Great Wolf reopened the property in December 2017.
Water rides
The park had a slide tower containing several water slides, and an open area at ground level that contained water rides.
The slide tower contained three body slides, two tube slides, and one family slide (this was the tallest slide, that started at the tenth level of the building and ended at the bottom). Body slides were slides on which riders slid directly on their body, without an innertube.
Ground level
Below the slide tower was a wave pool, a lazy river, a swimming pool, a small pool with floating "logs" which children leaped across, a flow rider, two hot-tubs, and a children's area for smaller children.
The wave pool ran for ten minutes and then was turned off for five minutes to let the machine that produced the waves cool. The wave pool was a tapered pool that started with a beach entry and that got about five and a half feet deep. It was the beginning and end of the lazy river.
The lazy river was three-feet deep and made a circuit around the outer perimeter of the park. The lazy river was ridden on a one-person or two-person innertube through “caves,” under bridges and waterfalls, past pools. The ride ended in the wave pool.
The swimming pool, also known as the "activity pool," was four feet deep. One end had four basketball hoops for games of water ball, the other end was for general swimming.
Next to the swimming pool was a smaller pool that had floating cross-sections of “logs” attached to the floor of the pool like lily pads. Suspended above the pool was a cargo net for children to hold onto as they jumped from log to log.
The flow rider was a shallow but fast moving sheet of water, moving from 30–35 miles per hour, on which the rider could surf or "boogie-board". The flow rider was 3 inches (76 mm).
The park had two cave-pool themed hot tubs.
The children’s playground area contained a playground with stairs that led to towers, cargo netting, and slides sitting in a few inches of warmer water. At the top of the playground was a wooden bucket that filled with water. Once full, it dumped water on anyone below, resulting in laughter and excitement from the children. The children’s playground had three water slides for small children but which older children and adults could use. The playground contained numerous other water toys and devices.
Life-vests
The water park also provided free life-vests for children which could be brought as long as one was a Coast Guard approved flotation device.
Northern Lights Arcade
The Northern Lights Arcade was located between the entrance to the water park and the main lobby of the hotel. It was an arcade primarily consisting of redemption games. It included favorites such as Pac-Man, and Pinball as well as newer games like Initial D, Maximum Tune, and Pump It Up.
Characters
This waterpark before the Great Wolf Lodge takeover, had its own set of characters geared towards children. They were known as Hobey and Friends.
Hobey the Bear is Water Park of America’s main mascot. He’s named after the Hobey Baker award, which is only fitting as his favorite sport is hockey! Hobey hails from Eveleth, Minnesota, and enjoys fishing, picking berries, and wandering the North Woods. Despite being from this cold state, Hobey prefers warm and humid weather. In fact, his love for warmer temperature is what brought him to Water Park of America! When he’s not busy surfing the Cascade Falls FlowRider® or sliding down the Eagles Nest 10th Floor Body Slide, Hobey enjoys making sure that everyone enjoys their time at Water Park of America.
Garry the Groundhog is a distant cousin of Goldy Gopher, the famous and much-beloved mascot for the University of Minnesota sports teams. Here at Water Park of America, Garry likes to keep a decidedly lower profile, basking in the warm waters of the St. Croix Lazy River, snacking on berries and nuts, and finding cozy spaces to burrow and take a nap. He also loves to help water park guests have a great time at the park, so be on the lookout for him during your stay.
Ollie the Otter joined the team at Water Park of America after Hobey saw him fishing on the banks of the Minnesota River. After showing Hobey some tricks of the trade, Ollie was invited to join the helpful team at Water Park of America. Ollie enjoys eating seafood and swimming when he’s not having fun with guests at the park.
Roxi the Raccoon is more commonly known as the happiest raccoon in Minnesota! She loves eating delicious food at Water Park of America and snoozing near the FlowRider®. If you need any help during your trip to the park, feel free to ask Roxi the Raccoon for advice.
