Zoombezi Bay

Zoombezi Bay

Location	Powell, Ohio, United States
Coordinates	40.154896°N 83.119866°W / 40.154896; -83.119866
Owner	Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
Opened	May 26, 2008
Previous names	Wyandot Lake - 1984 to 2006 Gooding Zoo Park - 1946 to 1984
Operating season	Memorial Day to Labor Day
Area	22.7 acres (92,000 m2)
Rides
Total	11
Website	www.zoombezibay.com

Zoombezi Bay is a water park owned by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium on Riverside Drive in Columbus, Ohio. The park opened on May 26, 2008, and currently has 11 water rides. The dry park, Jungle Jack's Landing also made its debut in the 2008 season. Zoombezi Bay boasts all new water slides, a new wave pool, two lazy rivers, and cabana rental.

Attractions

Picture	Name	Description	Height Requirement	Notes
	Wild Tides	544,500-gallon wave pool with a maximum depth of six feet. Waves can reach up to four feet high.	Children 36" and smaller must wear a PFD unless accompanied within arms reach of a parent.	Same Name as Wyandot Lake's wave pool but all new. Significantly larger and better and safer than the old wave pool.
	Croctail Creek	Adult-only lazy river containing 203,000 gallons of water, 850 feet (260 m) in length, and just a little under 28 inches (710 mm) in depth.	Age: 21+ only	Same river as Canoochee Creek when Wyandot Lake was around. Croctail Island Bar in the middle of the river.
	Roaring Rapids	1,570,000 gallons of water for 1,500 feet (460 m) at 32 inches deep and an average of 17 feet (5.2 m) wide.	Children 36" and smaller must wear a PFD unless accompanied within arms reach of a parent.
	Barracuda Bay	18,000-square-foot (1,700 m2) pool/playground aimed at children	54" and smaller. Parents may accompany small children on the slides.	Formerly Christopher's Island
	Barracuda Bay	4,000-square-foot (370 m2) water playground for smaller children	Under 36"	0" depth entry to 22" max
	Slippery Seals		48"	Three slides. Part of the "Sea Splash" Complex. Similar to the three body slides at Wyandot Lake
	Sea Snakes	One- or two-person raft slides starting from a 51-foot (16 m) tower with the premier attraction being a bowl shaped slide section where the rider slides around the side of the bowl in a circular motion.	48"	Two Slides. Part of the "Sea Splash" Complex.
	Sea Tubes	One or two person raft from 51 feet (16 m)	48"	Two Slides. Part of the "Sea Splash" Complex. (Green one is the fastest)
	Cyclone	Waterslide that ends in a reducing-radius tunnel	48"-700 lb (320 kg) combined	Four person clover-leaf tube
(See Above)	Tahitian Twister	Five-person raft ride	48" or 42" and accompanied by an adult, 800 lb (360 kg) combined
	Dolphin Dash	"Race" style slide	42"	Can accommodate six riders at once (side-by-side), uses blue mats.

Wyandot Lake Era

Wyandot Lake's Logo 199?-2006

Funtime Parks, Inc which owned Wyandot Lake merged with Premier Parks, Inc in 1995 which subsequently bought the Six Flags chain in 1999.

The park was operated by Six Flags under the name Wyandot Lake until the end of the 2006 season. While under Six Flags management, the park hosted over 45 rides and attractions including "Sea Dragon". Six Flags ran into financial trouble shortly after purchasing Wyandot Lake. This forced Six Flags to sell a number of water and amusement parks.

In June 2006, Six Flags and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium announced the purchase of the park at the end of the 2006 season. Shortly thereafter, the Zoo announced the current reconstruction of the park. Because of the construction, the zoo also announced that Wyandot Lake would be closed for the 2007 season. In addition, the zoo also announced that they would be renaming the park from Wyandot Lake to Zoombezi Bay prior to its opening in 2008.

Old Wyandot Lake Attractions

A very old picture showing the original carousel and the Sea Dragon, which was then called the Jet Flyer.

Name	Type	Description	Operating	Notes/Fate
Starfish	Ferris wheel	A 16-seat Eli Bridge chain driven "Aristocrat" Ferris wheel.	unknown-2006
Christopher's Island	Water Treehouse	A three section water treehouse. Pirate themed.	1997–present	Exact same location today, partially fixed-up and renamed Barracuda Bay. The "Geysers and Gizmos" section was recently removed.
Hum-Dinghies	Allan Herschell "Wet Boat"	Old kiddie boat ride with real water and boats with bells attached.	unknown-2004	Part of "Kiddie Land" Replaced with Kiddie Stage and Seating
Dune Buggies	Hampton "Combo"	Circular Hampton car ride with two sets of motorcycles. Red, yellow, and blue spinning canopy.	unknown-2006	Part of "Kiddie Land"
Sand Dollar	Miniature Ferris wheel	Miniature Eli Bridge chain-driven Ferris wheel	unknown-1997	Part of "Kiddie Land." Almost always broken down. Never Replaced.
Cod Cars	Allan Herschell "Midge-O-Racer"	A car ride where riders would go in a circle, but be able to change the position (radius) of their path by turning the steering wheel.	unknown-1999	Part of "Kiddie Land." Replaced by "Guppies".
Guppies	Eyerly "Bulgy the Whale"	A small circular fish ride where colorful fish would go up-and down. (similar to the motion of a Merry-Go-Round)	unknown-2006	Part of "Kiddie Land." Replaced the old circular car ride.
Tottering Turtles	Chambers "Kid Turtle"	A circular ride with a hill in one point. Almost like a roller coaster, but very small and electric powered throughout the ride (no chained hill).	2000–2006	Part of "Kiddie Land." Replaced the space-ship ride.
Sea Horses	Allan Herschell "Rodeo"	This ride was almost like a little carousel (no music) and was actually horse-themed, not seahorse-themed	unknown-2006	Part of "Kiddie Land." Possibly made by the same manufacturer as the old circular car ride.
Dune Cycles	Hampton "Dune Cycles"	A Hampton motorcycle ride with hills throughout. Spinning red and white canopy.	unknown-2006	Part of "Kiddie Land."
(?)	Flying Ships	Four (or two?) metal spaceships hanging from an overhead canopy.	unknown-1999	Part of "Kiddie Land."
Jet Fighter	Allan Herschell "Skyfighter"	A spinning ride where all the ships rose to 6' in the air and came down all at once.	unknown-1999	Part of "Kiddie Land." Replaced with "Flying Elephants"
Flying Elephants	Sartori "Elephant Ride"	A spinning ride where all the elephants rose to 6' in the air and came down all at once.	2000–2006	Part of "Kiddie Land." Replaced "Jet Fighter" Similar to the current elephant ride in Jungle Jack's Landing, but not the same.
Monsoon	King Amusements "Frolic"	Circular ride with carts seating two people (facing each other) that could be manually spun by a wheel in the center of the car. Painted Blue with white and yellow fluorescent bulbs at top.	unknown-2006
Black Squid	Eyerly "Spider"	This ride had six arms, and has the two cars attached right above the arm. The cars spun independently and each car had to be loaded separately by an employee. Had yellow and green fluorescent bulbs along with yellow incandescent bulbs under the downward-curving arms.	unknown-2006	Not operating often, as it was subject to frequent breakdowns and long wait times (because of loading)
Neptune's Revenge	Eli Bridge "Scrambler"	This ride had three arms with three cars on each prong that spun as the ride goes around. Was painted white with a future-theme.	unknown-present	Moved to Jungle Jack's Landing, renamed "Dust Devil" and painted brown.
Barracuda (Original)	Eyerly "Rock-O-Plane"	Ferris wheel with completely free spinning cages. Painted Blue.	unknown-1999	Removed due to safety concerns, though this is questionable. The ride that replaced it kept the same name and sign, but was actually a Tilt-A-Whirl.
Barracuda (Replacement)	Sellner Tilt-A-Whirl	This ride had seven cars that moved with chaotic motion around a bumpy circular track. Had generic red, white, and blue theme.	2000–present	Moved to Jungle Jack's Landing, renamed "Whirligigs" and painted in a pond theme.
Sea Dragon	Figure-Eight Junior Coaster	This ride was built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company and has been giving rides ever since.	1956–present	Originally named "Jet Flyer." While now part of Jungle Jack's Landing, the coaster has remained in the same location. It also kept the same name and sign (on the station), but received a fresh coat of white paint.
Grand Carousel (original)	Carousel	This Mangels-Illions Carousel had 52 Horses, 2 Chariots, and a Wurlitzer 153 Band Organ.	1938–1999	Beautifully and completely restored. Now sits at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
Grand Carousel (replacement)	Carousel	Typical amusement park carousel. Had white and blue incandescent bulbs. No band organ, but played music from CD.	2001–2006	Kept name and old signage of "Grand Carousel"
Wild Tides Wave Pool	Wave Pool	Large wave pool	unknown-2006	New wave pool in Zoombezi Bay kept name, but is actually a completely new and different wave pool.
Buccaneer Bay	Kiddie play area	This was a small kiddie play pool	unknown-1997	This pool became home to the exit of "Shark Attack" when the bigger "Christopher's Island" was built in '97. ("Christopher's Island" is now called "Barracuda Bay" and is part of Zoombezi Bay)
Frog Pool	Kiddie Play Area	Small circular pool with small slide where toddlers would slide through a frogs mouth. Featured red mushroom water feature.	unknown-2006
Canoochee Creek	Lazy River	This lazy river had features such as a leaky tunnel, air bubbles, steam (coming from the scenery), a bar along the way called "Croctail Island", and a "mill".	unknown-present	Still used today as "Crocktail Creek" in Zoombezi Bay. It is for Adults only and still has Croctail Island. Also toned down, for a "lazier" effect. Some of the scenery was burned down in a fire, but replaced soon after.
Bait-n-Bump/Havoc Harbor (original)	Duce Bumper Cars	These bumper cars were the classic style, one/two rider type. Had an island-themed backdrop with a concrete center island.	unknown-2001	The cars were destroyed in a fire, and replaced with gentler cars under the same name. Originally named "Bait-n-Bump", name changed to "Havoc Harbor" around 1994.
Havoc Harbor (replacement)	Bumper Cars	These bumper cars were the one-rider, tank type. Two hand controlled sticks were used to operate the car that had an inner tube-like bumper. Cars were in all different colors. Power was distributed through the floor, rather than the ceiling.	2002–present	These cars were the replacement to the cars that were destroyed in the fire. They now occupy Jungle Jack's Landing as "Condor Craze."
Shark Attack	Water Slide	This red slide held up to three people and let sliders go up onto the side of the slides through centripetal force while turning.	1997–2006	Occupied former home of "Buccaneer Bay. The Shark Attack ride was moved to Sams Surf City in Pensacola Florida. The ride is still called Shark Attack and is due to be open in summer 2011"
Zuma Falls	Water Slide	Two gentle generic white water slides. Riders rode tubes down this open slide.	1994–2006	Started from same tower as the "Jet Stream." Auctioned off to "the Beach" when Wyandot Lake closed.
Jet Stream	Water Slide	Two fast black covered water slides, with small holes of light throughout.	unknown-2006	Started from same tower as the "Zuma Falls." Auctioned off to "the Beach" when Wyandot Lake closed.
Splash Slides	Body Slides	Three body slides (one straight down, one curvy, and one completely covered) The two open slides were light blue, while the covered slide was a greenish color. These slides could be seen well from the parking lot.	unknown-2006	Name changed frequently with different sponsors, such as "Ice Mountain Splash" and "Sunkist Splash". The covered slide, named "The Phantom", was hardly ever open and eventually was permanently closed around 2003.

Reconstruction

Construction of Zoombezi Bay in 2007

Work began on October 2006 to remove the former picnic area and clear trees and other out-dated rides. Many of the rides and equipment were auctioned off in order to offset the cost of some renovation. One signature Wyandot Lake water slide complex, with "The Jet Stream" and "Zuma Falls", was purchased for $500 by The Beach Water Park, located in Mason, Ohio. As of July, 2007 everything had been removed from the former Wyandot Lake except the "Sea Dragon" and Christopher's Island. The zoo continued normal operation as the rebuilding of the park took place.

New Name

On July 12, 2007, the zoo announced that the new name of the park would be Zoombezi Bay. The zoo selected the name from an online poll at the zoo's website. Other names that were considered included Kisawa Waves, Katoomba Lagoon, Kahuna Island and Tahiti Tides.

Theme Song

The Zoombezi Bay theme song "Zoombezi Bay" was written and produced by freelance musician Kelly Warner from Columbus, Ohio. Vocals were performed by Nachilus Kezuck and Brian O'Dell.

External links

• Official site
• About.com info about the park.
• Columbus Zoo & Aquarium