Splash Lagoon is one of Erie's top tourist attractions; why did it close temporarily

More than 6 million people have walked through the doors of Splash Lagoon Indoor Water Park Resort since it opened 19 years ago.

That works out to more than 325,000 guests a year who have splashed in its waters, careened down its slides or spent time in the arcade at what's been ranked by USA Today as one of the nation's top indoor water parks.

But for nearly a month beginning in April, the splashing stopped and the doors were locked at 8091 Peach St. in Summit Township, Erie County. Some of the park's 75 lifeguards were given other assignments. For parts of another two months, Splash Lagoon was open on a reduced schedule with limited attractions while construction crews worked to make improvements.

"It was a difficult thing to do," said Nick Scott Sr., president of Scott Enterprises, which owns the water park as well as numerous local hotels and restaurants, and Peek'n Peak Resort in Findley Lake, New York. "You never like to shut something down that is doing so well, but it was something that had to be done."

But the facility was due for an upgrade. So,

Scott Enterprises invested about $2 million in a bunch of creative new ways to entertain its patrons, including a multi-level treehouse attraction that's connected to eight slides and something called a Froggy Splash Pad area that offers spraying water features for some of the park's younger guests.

Splash Lagoon also has unveiled a new feature for guests who like their water delivered in bulk. The new Giant Coconut Bucket refills with water every 10 minutes before dumping hundreds of gallons on whoever is beneath it.

The renovation, the sixth since Splash Lagoon opened in 2003, also included new games and improvements to the Treasure Island Arcade.

Scott said a team at family-owned Scott Enterprises works together on each improvement and upgrade to the facility. Scott — who has the last say in those matters — said he's pleased with this most recent upgrade.

"We are always trying to keep the park fresh and new," he said. "We want to keep our standing as one of the top 10 in the country. You have to keep reinventing. We do that with a certain amount of joy when we add new things."

"Summer — relatively speaking — is slow, except when it rains and people flock to the place," he said.

This is the view, taken on June 23, 2022, from the mezzanine of new tree house structure at Splash Lagoon in Summit Township. Over the past few months, the facility, owned by Scott Enterprises, underwent about $2 million worth of renovations. The water park's changes were unveiled on July 6.