NEWS: Another Six Flags Park Is Closing!

[robbalvey]

This just posted to www.screamscape.com

 

http://www.screamscape.com/html/water_parks.htm

 

Six Flags Waterworld Sacramento Sacramento, CA

Park News - (4/13/06) It has been confirmed by the local news that Six Flags will close the Sacramento area waterpark at the end of the 2006 season, ending a 25 year run. Six Flags notified Cal Expo this week that they will not renew their lease on the 14 acre site.

 

I know that to many a water park doesn't seem like as much of a big deal as a rides park, but in my mind it is. Especially given the "boom" lately with water parks.

 

Has anyone here been to this park lately to say if it's been thiving in recent years? I know they added a new slide here either last year or the year before. It was either a Tornado or a Half-Pipe. I forget which bay area Waterworld got which.

 

--Robb "This is not good news." Alvey

[momo1tx]

I saw this earlier, but I really don't think much of it. Unless you're a local, water parks closing rarely seem to have much significance, unless it's a well-known one. I don't know if this one is a large water park, I'm guessing it is, so it would be significant locally, but otherwise it doesn't have much meaning.

[ParkTrips]

I thought Six Flags just operated these parks - could they not theoretically be sold to another operator?

 

Oh and wait until Six Flags America closes... will be Astroworld all over again with the enthusiasts flocking there in the fall.

[Sean Menefee]

Having grown up near Cal-Expo/Water World it’s a true shame to hear this day is coming. I had heard a ton of talk about the park loosing it's SF's branding this year, but this comes as a bit of a surprise.

 

 

Here is picture of the new half-pipe they added last year, (I shot it at the State Fair in August.) As for the park, it's not much of crowd puller anymore due to its location so I'm not all that surprised, that park only really did well during Fair season. Cal-Expo is a great place but you have to walk a bit to actually get to the Water World gates inside the Cal-Expo fairgrounds, (nevermind how crazy parking can get there.) What it will do is open up a ton of area for the fairgrounds to expand over the coming years but I'm going to miss the place when it's 100+ degrees at the fair and we want to cool off. That was always a great combination ticket that we would take advantage of during the summer, and it’s a shame it will be going away after this year.

 

Sunsplash in Roseville it is then, and they have a larger selection of rides shoved into a way smaller footprint.

[I_am_Em0_0]

this is sad news. I live closer to concord but I still went there when I was 5 or so. It was so much fun. I am going to have to go one more time for memorie's sake

[Darien Laker]

It's always sad to see a park close, whatever the reason.

 

I hate how uncertain the fate of the whole chain is right now. Hopefully they won't need to close anymore parks. Selling some to another chain wouldn't be too bad, however.

[ebl]

Losing a park is rarely a good thing, but with Six Flags' financial situation, trimming excess parks will help it back on the road to recovery.

 

Eric

[Angry_Gumball]

That's weird. They just got their halfpipe last year too.

[chaos]

Does anyone have any good pictures of the other waterslides there? I want to know if it's worth the trip.

[PhishyBrewer]

Screw Water World... Let's all go to Sun Splash in Roseville and ride the water coaster.

 

http://roseville.golfland.com/attractions.aspx#SunSplash%20Waterpark

[Angry_Gumball]

I never realized they had a watercoaster. Well, I've never been there either...just passed it on my way to my aunt's house. On the other hand, I'm still waiting to see what's up with the so-called "California Splash" also known as Shadow Cliffs. The site hasn't updated it's self since last year, which is making me wonder if they've even started any construction.

[CoasterCrazy]

This is bad news!

 

Isn't this the third SF park to close within a year?

 

I hope the trend of SF closing their parks doesn't continue. I hope the SF parks that got large attractions this year or last year don't close anytime soon. It wouldn't make any sense to close a park that they just spent a lot of money on.

[ParkTrips]

Well, yea. Astroworld came at the hands of the last 'regime'.

 

Frontier City and now this park are thanks to the new guys who are trying to consolidate their company and get rid of some properties for various reasons. I'd go all in saying they won't be the last.

 

Plus, they still have the one in NOLA, but that doesn't really count.

 

Just because they recently dumped a bunch of money into a park doesn't mean that in the long run it would make more sense fiscally to dump the park

[PhishyBrewer]

Don't threat... trust me, if you guys have seen this place, you'd be glad it's going away also.

[Bush985]

Waterworld is old and ghetto. Their half pipe slide added last year was the first addition since 1998. I used to go here a lot during middle school and such way back in the day, and it was fun at the time.

 

Since though, the companies which have owned the park have not taken care of it properly and allowed for it to become a crap hole. It really isn't a good place to visit anymore, and not taken care of very well... Although I will miss the Cliffhanger and Cobra.

 

-RD

[jamesdillaman]

I'd be worried about SFKK, the setup is much like this one from whatI gather, the land is leased as it is the site of the Fair in Kentucky. I'm not sure if it's the State fairgrounds or county, but they haven't had a new coaster in quite a while, and I'm not sure the parking lot is operated by Six Flags, either (shades of astroworld). Does anyone in Louisville know more? Is the parking operated by Six Flags, or is the land owned by the Chain or just leased?

-James

[Billy Hill]

This particular park really won't be much of a loss. It definitely leaned toward the ghetto side of things. The place was run down, had grassy areas that would get muddy from water splashed up by the rides, had grass and mud floating in the lazy river and wave pool, etc, etc.. All of that is in addition to the crappy location, funky parking and access situation and a more, shall we say, "inner city" type clientel. Sunsplash, just up the freeway about 20 minutes in Roseville, puts Water World to shame and I believe Water World's closing clearly reflects that. I won't miss Water World a bit. It was ghetto 20 years ago, and a visit last summer to see if it had possibly improved only reinforced my perceptions of the place. Good riddance.

[Sean Menefee]

From the Sacramento area? ^

 

And he's right about Sun Splash, the place really has a nice selection of rides they have shoved into a tiny space. The park seems to add vertically to the tower ever few years and as of late you can see it towering over the arcade/golf area from I-80.

 

It's a cool stop if you're passing through the Sacramento/Roseville area. I'll be in the area tomorrow so I'll snap a few shots of the park so the out of towners can see how cool this place is.

 

Sean "Someone (PGA) save Cliffhanger...." Menefee

[Sean Menefee]

A few more shots of Six Flags Water World...(AKA Water World USA)

 

You can see Cobra twisting in the middle of this shot.

 

Sunbaked slide tower.

 

These are from 04' and the park has taken even more of a beating since paint wise. I have a ton of shots from WWUSA that I will have to dig up and place in a gallery now.

[Angry_Gumball]

How are those twisty slides anyway? Do you get some pretty good wall-time on them?