![]() For example, Ontario Place in Toronto, ON had an attractive splash pad feature designed by famed designer Eric McMillan and various places around the world opened large pools that generated waves. Now, adding a log flume (which was the only high capacity water ride available at the time) could have been a fix and already being done by parks, but he thought outside the box and looked at trends around the world. After opening SeaWorld in Orlando in 1973 and being subsequently removed from his own company, George Millay saw a compelling need in the summer when he realized how hot and humid it was at that SeaWorld location. What we now know as a water park is Wet’n Wild, and that concept created by George Millay, an industry legend who was also the driving force behind SeaWorld. Guests initially rode in black inflatable tubes that were clearly inspired by rubber tires and that type of river attraction did encourage George Millay and many water park operators. The standout attraction was the “White Water Rapids,” a 330 feet long river that flowed downhill down chutes, through a waterfall and past bubbling rapids. It was a unique park, but it concentrated more on the swimming aspect, and the few water slides were mostly very basic body slides. ![]() Walt Disney World opened in 1975 a unique attraction patterned after an “old-fashioned swimming hole.” River Country was located off Fort Wilderness Campground and used a section of Bay Lake walled off, and it’s own self-contained water system that drew water from Bay Lake. River Country, Wet’ n Wild, KECO and others are featured in this article. In this article, we will talk about the debut of the water park as we know it and talk about the various innovators.
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