Wild Adventures Information
Wild Adventures Water & Theme Park is located 5 miles (8.0 km) from Valdosta, Georgia, United States. It is owned by Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation. The park features approximately 59 rides and attractions, including eight roller coasters, hundreds of exotic animals, shows, Splash Island water park and numerous concerts from country, pop, rock, Christian, to oldies superstars. All of the rides and attractions (except for Go-Karts, Mini Golf, Skycoaster, and Skill Games), general seating concerts, daily shows, special events and the water park are included with park admission. Reserved seating for concerts can be purchased, park admission is still required to get in.
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History
Kent Buescher, founder of Wild Adventures, started the park on a plot of farm land outside of Valdosta, Georgia in 1996. Starting out as a small petting zoo(Liberty Farms)D&L, over the years, Wild Adventures has become one of the Top 50 Theme Parks in North America. The park is home to eight roller coasters and numerous flat rides. The rides were initially added to the park in 1998 and has since rapidly grown. Splash Island, the park's water park, opened in 2003 as the park's largest expansion which includes several water slides and attractions.
In 2004, Adventure Parks Group purchased Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven, Florida. The company was privately held by Buescher. Expansion died down for the park following the Cypress Gardens purchase.
In 2005, The Gauntlet was added, which is an S&S Power Screamin' Swing complex. For the park's 10th anniversary in 2006, the park announced their intent to add the Shaka Zula River Adventure log flume, relocated from the defunct Miracle Strip Amusement Park in Panama City Beach, Florida. The ride was delayed due to engineering problems, but never opened to the public.
In September 2006, Adventure Parks Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The park operated without interruption during the bankruptcy reorganization.
On September 25, 2007, Wild Adventures was sold because of bankruptcy requirements. Adventure Parks Group LLC, announced that Cypress Gardens Adventure Park in Winter Haven and Wild Adventures park in Valdosta, Ga., will be sold to the highest bidder in a private auction starting Sept. 25. The sale will fulfill requirements resulting from a Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing by Adventure Parks Group a year ago, but it does not mean the end of either theme park. The opening minimum bid for a package purchase of the parks is $53.25 million, Sumner said. An opening minimum bid for Cypress Gardens alone is $17.4 million and the opening minimum bid for Wild Adventures alone is $38.85 million. In September 2006, Adventure Parks Group filed for bankruptcy protection from creditors seeking payment for $25 million in debts. Much of the company's financial difficulties can be traced to 2004, when three hurricanes (Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances and Hurricane Jeanne) ravaged East Polk County, Florida and left a trail of destruction at Cypress Gardens.
On September 25, 2007, The Ledger reported that Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation had purchased Wild Adventures for $34.4 million.[1]
Upon Herschend taking over the park, they had the Gauntlet removed and indicated that they do not plan on opening the Shaka Zula River Adventure log flume ride. However, Herchend did bring in the new ride, The Rattler, the first new ride in three years, which opened March 21, 2008.[2] It is a Huss Frisbee type flat-ride manufactured by Moser Rides of Italy. Also, in 2008, the Tiger Terror rollercoaster was sold and moved to Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, Florida and renamed to "Tasmanian Tiger".
In February 2009, the American post-apocalyptic zombie comedy Zombieland was partly filmed at Wild Adventures.
Before the 2010 season, the largest number of rides have been added and removed. The Gold Rush rollercoaster had been removed. The Mystery Maze had been removed. The Viking Voyage roller coaster had been added along with two new flat rides, Whirling Wildcats and Falcon Flyers. All three rides were from the now defunct Celebration City in Branson, Missouri. In 2010, The Bug Out rollercoaster was renamed to "Go Bananas". The S&S Doubleshot was renamed to "Firecracker".
Attractions
The Boomerang roller coaster The Cheetah The Viking VoyageRoller Coasters [3]
| Ride | Year Opened | Year Removed | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ant Farm Express | 2000 | Vekoma steel roller skate coaster. A family-friendly twisted steel coaster. | |
| Boomerang | 1998 | Vekoma Boomerang coaster. A common shuttle coaster that inverts riders. | |
| Cheetah | 2001 | CCI wooden roller coaster, the largest roller coaster at the park. | |
| Fiesta Express | 2003 | Zamperla kiddie coaster, a mini wild mouse coaster. | |
| Go Bananas! | 2000 | Maurer Söhne wild mouse roller coaster. | |
| Gold Rush | 1999 | 2009 | Chance Rides family coaster. |
| Hangman | 1999 | Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster (SLC). | |
| Tiger Terror | 1998 | 2008 | |
| Swamp Thing | 2003 | Vekoma family suspended coaster. | |
| Viking Voyage | 2010 | S&MC Steel roller coaster |
Gallery
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Cheetah Roller Coaster
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Falcon Flyer
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The Rattler (Formerly the Gauntlet)
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Hangman Roller Coaster
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Go Bananas Roller Coaster (Formerly the Bug Out Coaster)
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Boomerang Roller Coaster
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S&S Double Shot tower. Renamed to Firecracker (Formerly the Double Shot)
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Ant Farm Express Roller Coaster
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Swampthing Roller Coaster
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Whirling Wildcats
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Gold Rush Roller Coaster. Removed before 2010 Season
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View from observation deck of Mysery Maze. Removed before 2010 Season
Splash Island Water Park
Splash Island EntranceSplash Island is a Polynesian themed water park and is free with admission into Wild Adventures. It takes up 27 acres (110,000 m2) of the 177-acre (0.72 km2) park with 7 rides, and 5 shops. Splash Island first opened in 2003 being Wild Adventures largest expansion since rides were introduced in 1999.
When Splash Island was opened it had no theming and looked more like a community pool center. In 2008, Wild Adventures announced that Splash Island would undergo a 4 million dollar renovation turning the park into a Polynesian themed paradise. Wild Adventures also announced their intent to build a new ride, the Wahee Cyclone.
Rides
- Bonzai Pipeline
- 3 Inter-twined slides featuring the tallest slides in Georgia built in 2004
- Catchawave bay
- A large 25,000-square-foot (2,300 m2) wave pool built in 2003
- Hakini Rapids
- A 5-Story "Family Sized" water slide with unexpected turns and drops built in 2011
- Kalani Blasters
- 2 Medium sized inter-twined slides built in 2003
- Kona Cliffs
- A giant, "Family Sized" speed slide with three drops built in 2011
- Paradise River
- A relaxing "lazy river" through the water park built in 2003
- Polynesian Adventure
- A giant 4 story water fortress built in 2003
- Wahee Cyclone
- A large 5 story water tornado built in 2009
- Sea Turtle Cove
- A small water play area for younger children built in 2006
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Wahee Cyclone
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Banzi Pipelines
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Kalani Blasters
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Polynesian Adventure
Annual events [4]
- Boy Scouts Day
- Girl Scouts Day
- Home School Day
- All American Weekend - Festival commemorating the spirit of America.
- Kidzpalooza - Summer event with shows and events focused on the young and young at heart. It's all about kids.
- Phobia Halloween themed event with several attractions.
References
- ^ Cypress Gardens Has New Owner | TheLedger.com
- ^ Valdosta Daily Times - Riding the Rattler
- ^ Coasters & Thrills
- ^ Wild Adventures Special Events Page
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Coordinates: 30°43′12″N 83°19′24″W / 30.72°N 83.32333°W
Categories:
- Amusement parks in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Zoos in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Visitor attractions in Lowndes County, Georgia
- Companies that have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
- Buildings and structures in Lowndes County, Georgia
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