Sun Splash Family Waterpark
Cape venue's new play structure, Pirate's Cove welcomes smallest guests
Cannons spray refreshing water into the sky as a tipping bucket pours 300 gallons over children waiting to slide down the new multilevel Pirate’s Cove play structure at Sun Splash Family Waterpark. Guests at the 14-acre Cape Coral entertainment venue of waterslides and pools last year may have been frustrated at delays in opening the new splashpad and playground feature. But as the park's youngest visitors toddle or run into the cool spray, that should feel like a distant memory for those smaller children and their folks this new attraction at Sun Splash was designed to please. For Lori Lervuurt, a Cape Coral mom who has taken her family to Sun Splash for years, Pirate’s Cove is a welcoming relief following the removal of another treasured structure. She knows her 4-year-old son, Benjamin, for instance, once again has a place geared for younger children. “My kids were huge fans of the original Tot Spot,” she says. “With that area gone, there wasn’t a lot for kids who aren’t confident swimmers.” Sun Splash general manager Sandy Greiner says reopening a play zone for smaller kids at the city-owned park is a huge attraction for those of us coming through the gates this season. For those too short to scream through the tunnels of much larger attractions such as Cape Fear, she says, this interactive feature designed exclusively for park-goers under 48 inches is reason to anticipate a banner season. Greiner believes guests will immediately see an improvement over the nowdemolished Tot Spot, the former structure for smaller children. “The old area was literally there from when the park opened in 1992,” she says. “It was falling apart, and has been one of those things we have wanted to improve since I got here.” Engineering delays and a devastating fire last year that destroyed the main administration building and a dining area delayed the opening of Pirate’s Cove. The $700,000 investment in upgrades and equipment, though, should pay off as those with small children return. The new attraction was purchased from Wizard Works, a New York builder of aqua parks. Of course, Sun Splash also has new buildings to replace those destroyed in last year’s blaze―a new gift shop and concession area make much of the park feel brand new. And popular slides such as the enclosed Electric Slide or the dropfrom-the-sky X-celerator remain ready to thrill those standing more than 4 feet tall.
Sun Splash has become a treasured amenity for those living in the Cape Coral area. For councilman Richard Leon, for instance, the park holds special memories. Starting at age 16, Leon worked first in the park’s kitchen, later as a lifeguard. “A lot of the people I’m friends with today,” Leon says, “it is because we worked together at Sun Splash. When you look at the opportunity to have a water park like this in our community, there’re a lot of good things to come from it and a lot of experiences to be had.” In addition to serving ticket-holding guests during season, the park also hosts swimming lessons and special events through the year. The operation ends up employing about 250 workers during peak times. Greiner expects in the neighborhood of 130,000 patrons to visit Sun Splash this season, a welcomed turnaround from last year’s troubles and an associated drop-off in attendance resulting in a lower than normal 90,000 of us coming to the park. She imagines Pirate’s Cove will give plenty of folks more incentives to return. Which is certainly true for Lervurrt, who used to take her nowadult daughter to the park regularly, but let annual passes lapse last year because the Tot Spot was out of commission. While she still took Benjamin for swim lessons, she’s very much excited to return to the re-energized waterpark “now that they’re going to have a dedicated little-kid friendly area again,” she says. Sun Splash Family Waterpark will be open on weekends through May 29, then seven days a week until Aug. 8 when hours return to a weekend schedule. After Sept. 24, the park closes again until March 2018. Details are at sunsplashwaterpark.com.