Over the decades, water parks have evolved into massive amusement parks with many different types of rides and attractions. Explore the development of water parks across America with this article, including the water parks at Kings Dominion and Kalahari Spotsylvania.
And, you can find plenty of books and other materials on amusement parks in CRRL’s collection:
Books about all kinds of amusement parks and the attractions and rides they feature.
First Into the Pool
The very first development of a water park happened not in the United States, but in New Zealand. 1906 was a year of celebration in New Zealand, as it was the year of New Zealand’s International Exhibition, opens a new window. The International Exhibition was patterned after earlier fairs in the United States and elsewhere and was held in the city of Christchurch, opens a new window. New technologies and attractions were showcased in the fair’s various areas, and the proto-water park was in the “Wonderland” area. “Wonderland” featured a giant water chute, opens a new window that would drop a flat-bottomed boat into a lake. The boat dropped 220 feet, opens a new window from the top of the chute and could fall at a maximum speed of 30 miles per hour. The water chute brought in an estimated 2 million tourists, but had to close in 6 months due to financial losses. The water chute was sold off and operated in Miramar, opens a new window, New Zealand until 1911.
Water parks came to America via the work of Herbert Sellner. Sellner had noticed the popularity of the water chute attraction in New Zealand and made plans to bring it to America, with his own distinct modifications. Sellner called his variant a “water toboggan, opens a new window,” and like the New Zealand version, it was designed as an attraction where a boat would go down a chute into a lake. Sellner’s version was designed for the boat to travel farther after the splashdown--up to 100 feet! The creation of the water toboggan was part of a productive period for Sellner Manufacturing, opens a new window in the 1920s, as the company would go on to pioneer many amusement park staples. Three years later, Sellner created the Tilt-a-Whirl, opens a new window, which remains a staple of amusement parks today.
Going into the water to get away from stress and heat became increasingly popular in the U.S. as the number of public swimming pools, opens a new window expanded, paving the way for modern water parks. A building boom of public pools took place after World War II in the 1940s and 1950s, driven by the invention of gunite, opens a new window (concrete applied with a gun) pools. These pools were cheaper to construct than earlier designs and allowed for pools to be built in hotels and public recreational centers across the country.
The first true water park in America was created in this era of pool building. Lake Dolores Waterpark, opens a new window was built by California businessman Bob Byers as a desert rest stop for travelers between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It first opened to the public in 1962, although Byers and his extended family had used it in years prior for their own amusement. The park’s primary attraction was a man-made series of shallow lakes and pools fed by a desert aquifer. Over time, a 90-foot-tall ridged hill was built up at the water park to hold water slides into the lakes. The most infamous of these were two V-shaped slides designed to be ridden standing up. These slides were dangerous enough that nothing like them is available in modern water parks. The park’s popularity fell into decline by the late 1980s, and Byers sold it in 1990. A succession of owners attempted and failed to return the park to profitability, and the park finally closed for good in 2004. The site of Lake Dolores was never redeveloped, and its ruins, opens a new window haunt the desert path through California’s Interstate 15.
Much larger water parks began to appear as Lake Dolores operated, stealing its thunder. George Millay, opens a new window was instrumental in their development. He had already founded Sea World, opens a new window in 1964 and was preparing to create his own water park in 1975. Millay believed that Central Florida, opens a new window in particular was a great environment for a water park, as its heat and humidity tended to make tourists search for places they could feel cool. Millay named his park Wet ‘n Wild Orlando, opens a new window, and many water slides were added to the park over the years. The park was profitable from its second year onwards, and Millay eventually sold it to Universal in 1998. Universal kept the Wet ‘n Wild name and theme for nearly three more decades before they finally closed the park on January 1, 2017. It was replaced by Volcano Bay, opens a new window, another Universal water park which still operates today.
Water Parks Come to Virginia
Water rides first came to Virginia with the opening of Kings Dominion, opens a new window in 1975. One of the opening attractions was the Shenandoah Lumber Company, opens a new window ride. This log flume, opens a new window is a slide-type ride in which passengers sit in an artificial log, which goes down an open-topped flume, ending with a splashdown in a pool of water. Log flumes are patterned after the flumes once used by logging companies, opens a new window to transport timber over wide distances. The last working log flume in the United States was the Broughton Lumber Flume, opens a new window, which closed in 1986. The “fun versions” continue to bring joy to amusement park visitors all over the world. The Shenandoah Lumber Company is still going strong at Kings Dominion as the 2020s roll on, a rare Day-1 attraction still in operation.
The demand for water rides at Kings Dominion was strong enough for the park to open its own dedicated water park. Hurricane Reef, opens a new window, the earliest version of the water park, was opened in 1992. The original land of Hurricane Reef was only six acres, but the park was greatly expanded over the years (the small northern section of the park was the original Hurricane Reef). The southern section of the park debuted when it was renamed “WaterWorks” in 1999. The park was renamed again in 2015, this time to Soak City. Now sized at 20 acres, Soak City, opens a new window offers a variety of water slides for thrill-seeking visitors.
Before Kings Dominion opened Hurricane Reef, there was already a dedicated water park in Virginia. Water Country USA, opens a new window first opened in Williamsburg in 1984, targeting the Williamsburg tourist market already drawn to Busch Gardens. It was acquired in 1992 by Anheuser-Busch and became closely linked to the nearby Busch Gardens Williamsburg, opens a new window. Water Country USA is themed around late 1950-early 60s Americana and is very popular with Virginia tourists. The park features over a dozen water slides, opens a new window, a multi-floor water play, opens a new window area for families, and a 1,500 foot water highway.
Out of Wisconsin: America's Indoor Water Parks
Late 2026 sees a new introduction to Virginia’s water parks. Kalahari Spotsylvania is part of the new wave of indoor water parks opening across the world. Among the attractions to be featured are a water slide promised to be “the longest indoor master blaster water coaster in North America,” a four-person racing slide, a wave pool, and even a swim-up bar for adults. Kalahari, opens a new window has opened large indoor water parks all across America since 2000, but the origin of indoor water parks is much older.
Indoor water parks were first built in relatively cool places, offering a warm and relaxing environment year round. 1977 saw the opening of the world’s first indoor water park, Alpamare, opens a new window, in Pfäffikon, Switzerland. Although Alpamare and other indoor water parks proved successful in Europe, it would take until 1994 for indoor water parks to come to the US. Water parks and attractions were already very common in Wisconsin Dells, opens a new window by then, and Stan Hanson knew his Polynesian Resort Hotel would need something special to stand out from the crowd. He had recently opened the Polynesian in 1989, but decided to make water attractions available year-round by building them under a roof. The Polynesian became a massive success and inspired the creation of many other indoor water parks.
Wisconsin Dells was also where Kalahari resorts got its start. Todd and Shari Nelson opened the first Kalahari resort, opens a new window in 2000, patterning it after their memories of an African vacation they took in the 1990s. The Nelsons loved the nations they visited on their trip through southern Africa and didn’t want to make what they viewed as another clichéd “jungle” or “tropical island” themed park. The company retains a strong link with Africa, using art from African artists in its resorts and selling sculptures, opens a new window to finance clean water projects in Africa. The current model for Kalahari’s resorts is its location in Round Rock, opens a new window, Texas, which opened in 2020.
More Water Fun in Virginia
Two indoor water parks opened in Virginia in the years before Kalahari Spotsylvania began development. Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg, opens a new window began operations on March 23, 2005. This location was the first Great Wolf Lodge built outside, opens a new window the Midwest when it opened. The company had existed since 1997 and has steadily expanded across the country over the 2000s and 2010s. Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg currently features raft rides, opens a new window, a water playground, opens a new window, and a hot spring, opens a new window section for adults. It also features Kids’ Arts and Crafts, opens a new window sessions daily and a bowling alley, opens a new window for visitors who want activities outside the water.
Massanutten WaterPark, opens a new window opened a few months later, on December 19, 2005, opens a new window, in Rockingham County. Prior to the addition of the water park, the resort began as a golf and ski area with timeshare apartments that first opened in 1973, opens a new window. The water park was built to give Massanutten Resort a more steady stream of income in the skiing off season. The indoor attractions include tube slides, opens a new window, a surf pipeline, opens a new window, and a large water playhouse called Massanutten Mayhem, opens a new window. Outdoor attractions operate seasonally from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend. They include racing slides, opens a new window, a wave pool, opens a new window, and a flume slide called Peak Plunge, opens a new window.
Besides these larger water parks, seasonal water fun can also be had at Thurston Waterpark, opens a new window at the Massad Family YMCA, opens a new window in Falmouth, as well as the Doris E. Buffet Pool,, opens a new window open without charge to residents, opens a new window of the City of Fredericksburg. Going a bit further afield, you'll find Waterworks, opens a new window (Dale City) and SplashDown, opens a new window (Manassas) waterparks and Signal Bay Waterpark, opens a new window (Manassas Park). Check each website for hours and any fees.
