Waterpark enthusiasm continues to grow. According to Hotel & Leisure Advisors, a hospitality consulting firm, 16 indoor waterpark openings and expansions added 480,000 square feet of waterpark space in 2023, while 12 new outdoor waterparks also opened, most of which were municipal facilities. And according to Global Market Insights, a research and management consulting company, waterpark market size is estimated to register a compound annual growth rate of more than 8% between 2024 and 2032.
Many factors are contributing to this market growth, from new attractions and technologies to enhanced non-water offerings. “Waterparks are continuing to evolve along with the vacation market,” said Tim Sheehan, manager of planning with Aquatic Development Group. “Guests now expect a higher level of finish and service. Gone are the days of the carnival mentality of making it cheap and packing them in.” He explained that amenities like upgraded cabanas “all enhance the guest experience. In return, parks are seeing a greater per capita revenue.”
With regard to recent design considerations, Sheehan pointed out how venues around the country are dealing with both the high cost and scarcity of labor. “So all the facilities we design and consult with are interested in minimizing labor to the greatest extent possible. Slide configurations, river layouts and even food and beverage areas are all designed to require the minimum number of staff possible.”
When asked about current waterpark trends, Josh Martin, president and creative director at Martin Aquatic Design & Engineering, said “We see waterparks wanting to add repeatable attractions. This could include slides with different stories or activity pools that challenge guests to repeat something. Even adding different music that plays during a waterslide creates a new ride experience.”
Municipalities continue to reimagine their aquatic offerings, either by opening full-blown regional waterparks or adding waterpark-style features to their existing pools. “With the change in demographics in cities and trying to attract families to their market, offering this hybrid waterpark and aquatic facility is an emerging trend,” said Martin. “A lot of communities have competition pools, but they’re limited in their variety of offerings and don’t really cater to the family experience. With the addition of a waterpark-like attraction, this allows one facility to target multiple generations.”
In the planning phase, Martin said they look at things like budget, project demographics and attendance to understand who the audience will be. And they look at the regional market to examine the competitive landscape. “If a neighboring facility has a lazy river, then maybe that’s not the right fit for this specific project. But if no one is offering, say, a surf simulator, then they can differentiate themselves with a fresh amenity to attract another audience.”
In Ohio, Zoombezi Bay waterpark sits next door to the Columbus Zoo, and all proceeds from the park support the zoo and aquarium. The many attractions include bowl slides, tube slides, body slides, a water coaster/plunge pool, an action river featuring waterfalls and wave generator, an aqua-themed obstacle course and a five-person raft ride featuring LED lights, speakers and eight programmable experiences.
Anthony Sabo, vice president of Zoombezi Bay and guest services, said they’re implementing “the largest capital investment in park history in 2025.”
Sabo discussed some changes during the 2024 season, which included updated food offerings and a new Kickoff to Summer event centered around their wave pool which featured “daily live entertainment, meet and greets with character ambassador Sam Pelican and his aquatic friends, larger-than-life inflatable games and more. Specialty adult beverages were also served up poolside on weekends.”
Another change was the return of 8 o’clock closings during July, which added an hour and was one of the “most requested changes that guests wanted to see.”
As parks look to attract the 21-plus crowd, Zoombezi Bay features their adults-only, 700-foot long heated lazy river featuring a lounge pool connected to a combination walk-up and swim-up bar, and guests can take their beverages along as they float on the river. Sabo said it’s extremely popular, with guests purchasing season passes just to “hang out at Croctail Creek all summer long.”
Sabo said that Baboon Lagoon is for the 5- to 10-year-old set, with kids spending hours “playing on the multi-level play structure (featuring 90 interactive aquatic controls), riding the various slides and of course waiting for the 1,000-gallon bucket to dump the cascading water.” Other features include a net climb, activity pool, in-water basketball and lily pad crossing. A separate 4,000-square-foot heated water playground entertains toddlers.
Thrill-seekers are also an audience that parks seek to engage, and attractions continue to grow in scope and size. “We see more clients wanting communal rides,” said Martin. “It’s less about having body slides and more about having rafts. Rafts that an entire family can do, four to six people, seem to be atop the wish list, but they’re also the most expensive, so it’s a balance.” He pointed out that thrill slides with steep drops have higher height requirements, limiting the amount of people you can serve. “You have to find the right mix.”
Sheehan said guests will always have a soft spot for lazy rivers and wave pools, which fill important roles, acting as a park’s two main “people eaters,” as they “can accommodate a huge number of people compared to a slide or ride that can only handle a few people at a time.” Martin said these attractions depend on factors including a venue’s lifeguarding strategies. And when “it feels like having just a lazy river isn’t enough, we’re adding action sections at a minimum or sometimes a completely separate river for the thrill-seekers.”
Rapids Waterpark in Riviera Beach, Fla., opened in 1979, and has since grown from four acres to more than 35 acres, now offering more than 40 slides and attractions. In 2024 they added their biggest ride ever—Florida’s first dueling water coaster—which stands 54 feet tall and runs 837 feet in length. A new mechanical system was set up for the attraction, which includes “a reservoir with the water underground,” according to Audrey Padgett, director of marketing and sales at Rapids. She said the ride has been “transformative” for the park and a significant draw. “This new attraction has brought in new guests as well as former patrons who haven’t visited in a while.”
When asked about other fan favorites, Padgett mentioned “our multi-person raft rides in which we have four raft ride attractions.” She said their lazy river is always a crowd favorite, and their surf attraction is very popular with both first-timers and hardcore stationary surf wave enthusiasts. “We have a group of season pass holders who started their own (surf simulator) Facebook page.”
In addition to design/build aquatic projects, Sheehan’s company also innovates and manufactures products including surfing machines. “Between the rise of large surf lagoons and surfing being added to the Olympics, surfing is experiencing a huge resurgence around the globe.”
He mentioned their newest surf attraction, which produces a true deep-water wave that adjusts from two to five feet, “allowing everyone—from beginners to experts—to learn or practice surfing in a safe, controlled environment, and only requires the space of a tennis court rather than tens of acres. Water and motion equal profits and positive memories.”
Newer technologies continue to enhance patron visits, and Sabo discussed their mobile app, launched last year, which has proved a “valuable addition to the guest experience,” mostly being utilized for “wayfinding and for mobile ordering from both our cabanas and our brick-and-mortar locations.”
He explained how they went completely digital this year with their season passes and zoo memberships, with “both being housed within the app. This has driven further usage of the app, which also provides excellent data for the organization.”
Sabo said their virtual ride reservation passes consistently sell out, with limited daily quantities available. These allow ride reservations to be booked from anywhere in the park using a wristband, and when it’s almost your turn an alert will be sent. Three pass options are offered, with some allowing for significant reductions in wait times. “It’s a strong revenue driver for the park.”
Martin said that lounge areas and cabanas are big focuses, as “having enough seating and a way to increase the dwell time gives these parks the chance to increase their revenue. I recently had a client say, ‘I can sell as many cabanas as you can fit,’ so we see those being in high demand.”
Padgett said their cabanas tend to sell out in key summer months and on weekends and holidays. Features include privacy curtains, a ceiling fan, a flat-screen TV, loveseat, lounge chairs, table and chairs and a security lockbox. Deluxe versions cater to larger family groups. “Our cabanas have a server, special menu, and adults can order beverages from our bar menu. We have two full bar locations in the park.”
Zoombezi has 42 cabanas, and starting in mid-June, they’re sold out nearly every day, according to Sabo. There are four cabana tiers with different features and price points. And at their adult river attraction, there are 12 premium lounge chairs with a shade canopy and lockbox, which were upgraded this year with additional offerings. “Each rental now comes with towels to use for the day, private tubes to utilize in Croctail Creek, a limited food and drink menu, and a complimentary phone charger. These new additions have been very well received.”
Select seating is another new addition Sabo discussed, which they tested in their children’s lagoon area. “It has six premium lounge chairs, a 12-foot shade umbrella, and the rental comes with one standard locker. This addition was also well-received, seeing an ROI of less than one season. We’ll be expanding our select seating options for 2025.”
Sheehan said they’ve been working with some manufacturers to develop some new furniture collections for clients to choose from. “We’ve found that furniture with cushions is difficult to keep clean. (We) believe that sling fabric furniture is a great bet for waterparks, as the fabric can be both easily cleaned and replaced when needed, given the heavy usage.”
Located in Grand Prairie, Epic Waters is the largest indoor waterpark in North Texas. Offering many attractions, Marketing and Social Media Director Michelle Hernandez mentioned their new seven-story giant drop slide as a “great ride for the thrill-seekers.” Additionally, “little kids love our interactive area called Little Rascals, and the two-person tube, zero-gravity drop slide is very popular as well.” They also have the longest indoor action river in Texas, which Hernandez described as “a very popular place for people to chill and be able to go around the whole waterpark. There are jets making waves in the river every 10 minutes.”
Hernandez said their surf simulator is very popular, and “We always have a (surf instructor) available to help when needed.” They also host competitions for surf machine wave riders and are a stop on the competitive tour. “In fact, we’ve hosted the world championships for (participants) from all over the world.”
Epic Waters has food and drink offerings, including a full-service bar, as well as cabanas, an arcade and gift shop. “Many find our additional amenities as reasons to spend many hours of fun,” said Hernandez. “We’re the experts in providing amazing birthday experiences, and we have many companies that rent the facility for a variety of occasions.”
The waterpark features a retractable roof, a “fun feature, to say that we can open the roof,” said Hernandez. “We open it a lot during the summertime.” The arched roof is 160 feet wide and 384 feet long, with 36 automated retractable roof bays. An 83-foot-high cupola, featuring two retractable roof panels, houses the waterpark’s slide tower.
“Roofing systems are a major decision that needs to happen at the start of a project,” said Sheehan. “The overall design of the park will be impacted by whether the roof is designed as a traditional solid roof versus a translucent system… which can be curved or sloped.”
His company offers a transparent roofing material which radiates with natural light and is known for its energy efficiency and eco-friendliness. “It comes at a premium but can make a great impact on a project, such as at Kartrite, a resort and waterpark in Monticello, New York.”
As far as water treatment, Sheehan said that “there are times when regenerative filtration is appropriate, but given the massive amounts of water being pumped in a waterpark, we find that high-rate sand filtration still works best.”
And for indoor parks, air quality is one of the first and biggest discussion points for a project, according to Sheehan. “Air handling systems are a significant investment and ongoing expense for a facility and can make the difference between an enjoyable park and one that’s humid or hard to breathe in.”
Hernandez said they have a massive dehumidification system and state-of-the-art filtration system with both chemical and ultraviolet disinfection systems.
Martin said they’re seeing sustainability being front-of-mind for clients. “Sometimes this focuses on water filtration, and other times it’s looking for a unique chemical solution.”
And as the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium are all about conservation, it makes sense that Zoombezi Bay would follow suit. “Since 2020, (we’ve) introduced several pollinator gardens in the park, promoting the inclusion of bird, bee and butterfly species,” said Sabo. “We have recycling bins throughout the park to redirect as many items from landfills as we are able.” Purchases at the park are placed in paper bags.
“We compost (food waste) from many of our brick-and-mortar food locations,” said Sabo. Used cooking oils and grease are captured and recycled into biofuel and livestock and pet food, and the pizzeria hood system has a built-in energy management system.
The park has been treating its pools with carbon dioxide, rather than the traditional hydrochloric acid, according to Sabo. “This allows us to utilize a more natural resource while eliminating the use of a caustic chemical.” In the children’s lagoon, water pumps have variable frequency drives which adjust the flow of water to actual demand. Most buildings use energy-saving on-demand hot water heaters. LED bulbs are used throughout the park.
Sabo said they’re striving to be more inclusive with park offerings and operations. “We have complimentary water wheelchairs that guests can check out, allowing the user to transfer into our water attractions or inner tubes via a wheelchair made of PVC,” protecting their personal chair. All areas at the park are considered accessible routes with the exception of one set of stairs, which can be circumvented.
Sabo mentioned a nursing station with a breast milk fridge and several lockable compartments, and he discussed their Sensory Night, where capacity is limited and park sound is turned off. “We turn off the waves in our wave pool and the tipping bucket in (our) lagoon as part of our efforts to improve the experience for those with sensory needs.” And they provide “sensory bags,” which include noise-reducing headphones, fidgets and sunglasses.
Martin’s team worked on Morgan’s Inspiration Island in San Antonio, Texas, which opened in 2017 and was called the “first ultra-accessible waterpark.” He said that while “not all parks have the resources to target ultra-accessible,” they do want to offer something. “I think it’s a balance of what type of park you want to be, but every park needs to have an area that offers something for everyone.” RM