Wet ’n Wild water park waves goodbye

George Millay ventured into uncharted waters when he developed Wet ’n Wild.

The attractions industry hadn’t seen anything quite like the sprawling water playground that Millay, also famous for creating SeaWorld, developed on International Drive.

When Wet ’n Wild opened in 1977, Walt Disney World had already unveiled the smaller, rustic River Country. But experts say Wet ’n Wild was really the first major standalone water park.

On Dec. 31, almost 40 years of splashing and screaming ceased as owner Universal Studios Water Parks closed the attraction. A next-gen water park called Volcano Bay will open next summer across I-4 at the Universal Orlando resort. Universal has not revealed development plans for the Wet ’n Wild land.

Despite the anticipation of Volcano Bay, Universal Orlando Resort President Bill Davis said, “a lot of folks are a little sad to see Wet ’n Wild closing because it’s been a part of the community for 39 years. There are an awful lot of people who have been there — millions, literally — and an awful lot of people who have ... worked there over that 39 years.”

The 250 or so permanent Wet ’n Wild employees are transferring to other parts of Universal, Davis said.

Water parks have become ubiquitous since Millay, who died in 2006, took his big plunge.

Today, the United States has more than 744 outdoor water parks with three or more slides, according to Hotel & Leisure Advisors. Orlando has a heavy concentration, with four of the world’s top 10 most visited parks – including Wet ’n Wild.

The business model became popular because “it was a much more reasonable way for someone who wanted to get into our industry to come into it,” said Dennis Speigel, president of the International Theme Park Services consulting firm. “The capital was so much cheaper, and it didn’t require all the real estate.”

As it grew, “the whole industry kind of revolved around Wet ’n Wild,” said Rick Hunter, chief executive officer of ProSlide Technology, which builds major water park attractions.

Disney, for example, took note of Millay’s success with his combination of waves and water slides.

“When we opened River Country, we thought it was fantastic because we had three slides and a big swimming pool,” former Disney executive