Schlitterbahn

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Schlitterbahn Waterparks
Type Privately/Family Owned Company
Industry Amusement park Waterpark operator
Founded 1979
Headquarters New Braunfels, Texas
Area served Texas
Kansas
Key people Henry Family
Website http://www.schlitterbahn.com

Schlitterbahn is a family-owned and operated company based in New Braunfels, Texas, USA. Schlitterbahn began its first park, Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort, in 1979.[1] Since then Schlitterbahn has developed three waterparks located in Texas and one in Kansas City, Kansas.

Schlitterbahn Waterparks are summer seasonal parks. They operate typically from late-April to mid-September. Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark, which opened in 2006, has one indoor section that has limited operation during fall and winter.

Contents

[edit] Etymology

The name Schlitterbahn is a German word loosely translated as "slippery road".

[edit] History and development

Once a river accommodation called "Landa Resort", Schlitterbahn began as a few waterslides meant to entertain resort guests. By the early 1990s, Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort stretched over 65 acres (260,000 m2) and featured hundreds of resort rooms, dozens of water slides, children's water playgrounds and miles of inner tube chutes.

[edit] Awards

  • Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort in New Braunfels is the reigning [2] winner of the Golden Ticket Award for Best Waterpark and has been since 1998.
  • By 1996, Schlitterbahn had achieved national recognition when it was voted the nation's number one waterpark by the readers of Inside Track magazine.[3]
  • The Master Blaster uphill water coaster has been the Golden Ticket winner for Best Water Attraction from 1998 to 2002 and from 2004 to 2009.

[edit] Blaster Tech

Blaster Technology was invented at Schlitterbahn and is now used at waterparks all over the world. Schlitterbahn even builds rides for some parks and makes the parts required for them, since the parts required are so unique.

[edit] Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort

Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort in New Braunfels originally opened in 1979 with four water slides. It is built along the cool spring-fed waters of the Comal River. Bob and Billye Henry purchased 40 acres (16 ha) on the Comal River called Landa Resort in the 1930s. They slowly added the water recreation park that is now known as Schlitterbahn West. In 1991, the Henrys bought another 25-acre (10 ha) piece of property known as Camp Warnecke and transformed it into Schlitterbahn East. The two parts of the park are separated by several city blocks with free parking available at both locations. A free shuttle runs between the two areas.[4]

[edit] Schlitterbahn West

Schlitterbahn West, also known as the Original Schlitterbahn, is home to the park's signature German-inspired tower. This section of the park has a decidedly German theme, paying homage to its German ancestors. The most popular rides in this section are the spring-fed tube chutes like the Raging River Tube Chute, the Hillside Tube Chute, and Whitewater Tube Chute.[5]

[edit] Schlitterbahn East

Schlitterbahn East is sub-divided into two themed areas; Surfenburg, built in 1991, and Blastenhoff, built in 1996. In 1994, Schlitterbahn opened the first uphill water ride, known as the Dragon Blaster. Since then, they have added several other uphill water coasters, the Master Blaster and the Family Blaster. The Master Blaster has been voted as the best water ride in the world by several travel publications and is frequently mentioned on the Travel Channel as such.

In addition to these water coasters, the New Braunfels park now boasts over 3 miles (5 km) of inner tube rides, 7 water playgrounds for children, 17 water slides, 9 tube chutes, and the world's first surfing machine (Boogie Bahn, which is used by both professionals and casual visitors).

[edit] Comal River

One of Schlitterbahn's most defining features is the park's water source. Most of the water used in the original section of the park, Schlitterbahn West, is pumped from the Comal River that flows along the park's southern boundary. The water is filtered and cleaned and after use is released back into the river. No chemicals are used in the cleaning process so as to maintain the river's pristine state.

[edit] Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark

In 2001, the 15-acre (61,000 m2) park (6 ha) Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark opened in South Padre Island, Texas. This was the second waterpark in the Schlitterbahn family. It is located between the dunes and wetlands on South Padre Island. It is accessible from Padre Boulevard and via a footbridge from the beach.

The entire site is approximately 26 acres (110,000 m2), with the waterpark covering about 15 acres (61,000 m2) of that space. The parking lot covers the remaining seven acres and it is all designed around nearly four acres of protected wetlands. The park includes 11 attractions, and 13 water slides.

The centerpiece of the park is a highly themed, five-story Sand Castle with six turrets connected by ramps, stairs and netclimbs. The Sand Castle was named the Best New Kid’s Ride/Attraction by the International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions.[6]

Another central feature of the park is the Boogie Bahn 2, where guests try their skills during the day and the Schlitterbahn Surf Team performs after park hours. Sea Trek is an underwater diving experience where guests can view the ocean through a diving helmet without ever leaving the park. The park also features a wave pool, five beaches, sand volleyball courts, and the "Transportainment" River System.

Transportainment [transportation + entertainment = Transportainment]

This park features the first installation of the Transportainment river system that transports guests around the park on water. The attraction is designed to minimize the time park guests spend standing in lines.

Shrimp Haus Full-Service Restaurant The Shrimp Haus is adjacent to the waterpark and is open year-round with beach-to-bay views. During the waterpark's season, guests can have a front-row seat from terraces overlooking the park's Boogie Bahn surf machine.

[edit] Schlitterbahn Galveston Island

A third park, the 26-acre (110,000 m2) Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark, was originally scheduled to open in Galveston, Texas in May 2005; but its opening was delayed due to a fire in the hangar where all the construction equipment was located. It officially opened its indoor Wasserfest section on March 12, 2006. The first summer section, Surfenburg, opened on April 22, 2006 and the final part, Blastenhoff, opened in Summer 2007. It is open year-round, with the indoor Wasserfest section open in winter and all three sections open summer. In September 2008, the park suffered some water damage to its buildings after Hurricane Ike, forcing it to close for several months for repairs. It opened again in March 2009. Guests will see no evidence that damage to buildings ever occurred other than some signs informing them where the water level was. For the 2009 summer season, it has added a new Dreyer's Sweet Shop and complimentary wi-fi services.

During the summer season, late April–September, the park features more than 30 attractions, including high speed body slides, rivers, uphill coasters, tube chutes, family raft slides, children's playgrounds and a man-made surfing wave.

During the heated indoor season, October–mid-April, the Wasserfest area is enclosed and features a dozen heated attractions. (Both the air and water are heated to at least 80 degrees.) The 70,000-square-foot (6,500 m2) Wasserfest area is the world's first convertible waterpark and has been ranked the #1 Indoor Waterpark in the World by Amusement Today.

Like all the Schlitterbahn Waterparks, guests can bring their own coolers (glass and alcohol are prohibited). Parking, life jackets, and tubes are always free.

Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark is the largest waterpark in the Houston area.

Both the South Padre Island and the Galveston parks feature "Transportainment" river systems, which allow visitors to navigate most of the park without having to leave the water.

[edit] Schlitterbahn Kansas City

Schlitterbahn Kansas City, in Kansas City, Kansas, is Schlitterbahn's first park outside the state of Texas. The project has an estimated cost of $750 million. The site is a 370-acre (1.5 km2) tract near Village West in Kansas City, Kansas. It is only a few blocks away from the Kansas Speedway. Groundbreaking was at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 18, 2007. The outdoor waterpark opened during the 2009 summer season. The Vacation Village will include Schlitterbahn Water Resort, "Interactive Marine Park," Riverwalk, and Lodging.

When complete, the resort will be a year-round retail and attractions destination with more than 4 miles (6.4 km) of interconnected rivers that carry guests between cabins, treehauses, a full-services hotel, a waterpark and the Riverwalk with destination shopping, dining and other entertainment.

[edit] Projects in development

[edit] Schlitterbahn Cedar Park

In late January 2010, Schlitterbahn announced their next development: a waterpark, boutique hotel and conference center to be located in Cedar Park, Texas.[7] The first phase of this new complex is scheduled to open in summer 2012. The new entertainment resort will have retail space and restaurants, and eventually occupy 95 acres (380,000 m2).

[edit] Schlitterbahn Fort Lauderdale Resort

In June 2010, Schlitterbahn announced that a new waterpark would be built in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The park would consist of giant river systems where visitors can ride inner tubes or swim between water slides, wave pools, downhill rapids and beaches.[8] Treehouse-style hotel rooms would surround the resort. A computer-controlled, water-based conveyor system would run throughout the park. There would be artificial wave pools, pool-to-pool chutes and a network of rapids that is described as the "thrill of a rollercoaster with the fun of a water slide". There would be five pools for young children and two pools dedicated to volleyball and basketball.[9]

[edit] Floods and hurricanes

Schlitterbahn locations in Texas are located in high risk flood and wind zones, and thus are subject to frequent and severe natural disasters. Schlitterbahn New Braunfels has been subject to repeated and severe river flooding. Three major floods in recent history, 1998, 2002, and 2010, caused damage to the park. Most attractions were closed due to flooding for varying lengths of time, with the 1998 flood causing the most severe damage.

Schlitterbahn Galveston Island was closed during the approach of Hurricane Rita in 2005. It was damaged by storm surge flooding and wind by Hurricane Ike in 2008.

Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark in South Padre Island was closed due to the approach of Hurricane Alex in summer 2010. Hurricane Dolly in 2008 was one of the most notable storms to date to affect South Padre Island, although the park was not substantially damaged.

[edit] Gallery

  • Long tube chutes trace through the original park, flowing like rivers with rapids and waterfalls.

  • Slides and pools are everywhere.

  • The original park has several sets of racing slides.

  • The shallow Comal River flows nearby.

  • Spring water from the slides runs straight into the river.

  • Thousands of inner tubes form an impressive tower. The tubes are literal "inner tubes" from tires.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Loose, Cindy (July 4, 2004). "Water park fans say Texas's Schlitterbahn is the slippiest, drippiest of them all. We had to take the plunge". http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/658479471.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jul+4%2C+2004&author=Cindy+Loose&pub=The+Washington+Post&edition=&startpage=P.01&desc=Water+park+fans+say+Texas%27s+Schlitterbahn+is+the+slippiest%2C+drippiest+of+them+all.+We+had+to+take+the+plunge. 
  2. ^ http://www.amusementtoday.com/corndog/2009GTAissue.pdf
  3. ^ http://www.schlitterbahn.com/news/corp-history.asp
  4. ^ Vokac, Joan and David (2009). Great Towns of America: All New Guide to the 100 Best Getaways for a Vacation or a Lifetime. West Press. ISBN 9780930743109. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0930743105 
  5. ^ O'Brien, Tim (2006). Ripley's Legends: Pioneers of the Amusement Park Industry. Ripley Entertainment Inc.. ISBN 978-1-893951-13-6. http://www.amazon.com/dp/1893951138 
  6. ^ http://www.schlitterbahn.com/news/spi.asp
  7. ^ "New-Schlitterbahn Cedar Park!". 2010. http://schlitterblogkc.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-schlitterbahn-cedar-park.html. Retrieved 2010-01-29. 
  8. ^ Miller, Keith. Out and Back Section. "Schlitterbahn Sets Sights on South Florida". FunWorld September 2010: 9
  9. ^ http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-water-park-stadium-20100615,0,3025001.story

[edit] External links

Portal icon Texas portal

Coordinates: 29°42′48″N 98°07′30″W / 29.71336°N 98.12505°W / 29.71336; -98.12505

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Schlitterbahn&oldid=474077721"
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