Raging Waters is a chain of two water theme parks in San Dimas, California, and Sydney, Australia. The parks are operated by Palace Entertainment and owned by its parent company Parques Reunidos, but they each contain different attractions. The parks are generally closed during the winter months.
| Industry | Water park |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1983 |
Area served | California, United States |
| Owner | Palace Entertainment |
| Parent | Parques Reunidos |
| Website | www |
Raging Waters Los Angeles
edit
Raging Waters Los Angeles opened June 18, 1983, located in Los Angeles County in the city of San Dimas, near SR 57 between Interstate 10 and Interstate 210. At 60 acres, park management described it as California's largest waterpark (2011).[1] The park was formerly known as "Raging Waters San Dimas" but, as of 2016, official media was using the name "Raging Waters Los Angeles" for this location.[2] The park inspired the waterpark scenes in the 1989 movie Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.[3]
Attractions
editAqua Rocket is a ProSlide Hydro Magnetic slide that uses magnetic propulsion to propel a raft up hills.
Amazon Adventure is a quarter-mile-long, 3-foot-deep (0.9 m), tropical river that runs through a section of the park. Riders sit in rafts as the current pulls them around the river route.
Bermuda Triangle consists of three twisting, turning tunnels that recycle more than 2,500 gallons of water per minute, and make riders feel like they have ‘entered’ the Bermuda Triangle.
Bombs Away are two WhiteWater trapdoor slides, one with an open free-fall drop, and the other with an enclosed loop; opened in 2023.[4]
Dark Hole is a system of two tunnel water slides with a drop of 52 feet. Riders formerly had to sit in a single-person raft (identical to the ones used in Amazon River), but as of 2016, riders sit in a two-person raft, speeding through total darkness. This attraction was the first of its kind in the country. Riders travel at a speed of 26 miles per hour.[5]
Dr. Von Dark's Tunnel of Terror is a ProSlide Trantrum slide in which riders experience a 40-foot drop into a dark tunnel. Riders will then drop into a small mini-funnel.
Dragon's Den is a slide which debuted in 2004, and is a two-person tube-ride that sends guests plummeting down a steep 45-foot (14 m) tunnel,[5] circling around a 35-foot (11 m) bowl 9-foot (2.7 m) until they fall through a secret tunnel at the bottom. As of 2016, Dragon's Den is also ridden as a single-rider attraction, with tubes identical to the ones used in Amazon River.
High Extreme is the name of two 600-foot-long (180 m) mat slides that reach speeds of up to 35 miles an hour (56 km/h).[6]
Kid's Kingdom is a small kids’ water playground with 4 small water slides.[7]
Little Dipper Lagoon is a kids’ splash area with a few small water slides for toddlers and very young kids.
Neptune’s Fury is a 600-foot (180 m) long, pitch-black raft slide which can hold up to 4 people.[8]
Ragin’ Racer is a ProSlide 8-lane mat racer slide where riders experience multiple drops before a splash-down.[9]
Speed Slides are high speed body slides called Raging Rocket and Screamer.[10]
Splash Island Adventure is an SCS Interactive water playground with 4 water slides, a 1,000-gallon tipping bucket, and more than 75 interactive water features.[11]
Thunder Rapids is a five-person family raft slide that is open-air.[12]
Volcano Fantasea is a small volcano themed kids area.
Wave Cove is a wave pool that produces 3-foot-tall waves every 12 minutes.[13]
Raging Waters Sydney
editRaging Waters Sydney is located in Greater Western Sydney, and was formerly known as Wet'n'Wild until being acquired in 2018 by Parques Reunidos.
Morey's Piers
editThe Raging Waters in Wildwood, New Jersey is operated by Morey's Piers; only the three Raging Waters parks are owned by Palace Entertainment.
Former parks
editSacramento
editRaging Waters Sacramento is located at Cal Expo and was formerly known as Six Flags Waterworld. Palace Entertainment would terminate their lease on November 8, 2022 "after a careful review of company priorities". In 2023, Silverwood Entertainment took over the park and announced a 3-year plan to completely refurbish the park.[14] The park will reopen in 2025 under the name "Calibunga" and will include a year-round restaurant named "Cal Soleil", as well as a Chuck E. Cheese themed area.[15][16]
San Jose
edit
Raging Waters San Jose was located in Lake Cunningham Park in East San Jose, adjacent to Capitol Expressway, Eastridge Mall, Eastridge Transit Center and Reid-Hillview Airport. The park opened to the public in 1985, and was the largest water park in Northern California.[17] On September 6, 2023, it was announced via Raging Waters San Jose's social media that the park would not be reopening for the 2024 season.[18]
On May 10, 2024, it was announced that the water park will reopen as CaliBunga Waterpark.[19]
The park reopened on July 4th, five days after the original planned opening date of June 29th.[20]
Salt Lake City
editUntil early 2011, there was also a Raging Waters park in Salt Lake City, Utah, later operated as Seven Peaks Salt Lake.[21] The Raging Waters/Seven Peaks park in Salt Lake City would close down in 2018 with the site being demolished in 2021.[22]
References
edit- ^ Jauregui, Andres (October 21, 2011). "Water Parks In Southern California: A Huffington Post Travel Guide". Huff Post. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
- ^ RagingWatersLA (April 8, 2016). "Five weeks until Opening Day! #LiveForSummer with a @RagingWatersLA Season Pass! BUY NOW!". Twitter. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
- ^ David Allen (August 7, 2010). "This 'Bill and Ted' fact isn't bogus". The San Bernardino Sun. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
- ^ "RAGING WATERS LOS ANGELES ANNOUNCES NEW BOMBS AWAY, SIX-STORY FREE-FALL SLIDES FOR SUMMER 2020 SEASON" (PDF) (Press release). San Dimas, California. August 12, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
- ^ a b "Family & Kid-Friendly Things to Do in Los Angeles - Attractions". Raging Waters Los Angeles. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
- ^ "High Extreme Water Slides | Raging Waters LA".
- ^ "Kid's Kingdom | Slip Down Water Slides | Raging Waters LA".
- ^ "Neptune's Fury | Water Rafting | Raging Waters LA".
- ^ "Ragin' Racer | Speed Water Slides | Raging Waters LA".
- ^ "Speed Water Slides | Raging Waters LA".
- ^ "Splash Island Tropical-Themed Adventure | Raging Waters LA".
- ^ "Thunder Rapids Water Ride | Raging Waters LA".
- ^ "Wave Cove | Three-Foot Wave Pool | Raging Waters LA".
- ^ Macht, Daniel (June 6, 2023). "Silverwood Entertainment moves ahead with 3-year plan to remake Raging Waters site in Sacramento". KCRA. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ Mitri, Lysée (August 10, 2023). "A closer look at the old Raging Waters site in Sacramento slated for revamp". KCRA. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
- ^ "Chuck E. Cheese Signs First-Ever Location Based Entertainment Licensing Deal with New California Dreamin' Water Park" (Press release).
- ^ "Raging Waters San Jose - Attractions". Raging Waters San Jose. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
- ^ "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
- ^ staff • •, NBC Bay Area (May 11, 2024). "Calibunga: San Jose Raging Waters to reopen with new name". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
- ^ "CaliBunga water park pushes back opening to July 4". The Mercury News. June 28, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ "FAQ". SevenPeaks.com. Archived from the original on April 20, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
- ^ Nelson, Paul (October 15, 2021). "Demolition begins at abandoned Raging Waters/Seven Peaks water park". KSL. Retrieved July 14, 2022.