Wet 'n Wild (Las Vegas)

Wet 'n Wild was a 27-acre (11 ha) water park located at 2601 South Las Vegas Boulevard on the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada.[1][2] The park opened in 1985 and operated until 2004.

This article is about the defunct water park on the Las Vegas Strip. For the like named park in the Las Vegas Valley, see Wet'n'Wild Las Vegas. For other uses, see Wet 'n Wild (disambiguation).
Wet 'n Wild Las Vegas
Location2601 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Winchester, Nevada, United States
Coordinates36.140361°N 115.158450°W / 36.140361; -115.158450
OwnerPalace Entertainment
Operated byPalace Entertainment
OpenedMay 18, 1985 (May 18, 1985)
ClosedSeptember 26, 2004 (September 26, 2004)
Area27 acres (11 ha)
Pools2 pools
Water slides10 water slides
Children's areasA single children's area
WebsiteOfficial website (archived)

History

Construction was underway as of October 1984, with plans to open the 27-acre park on May 1, 1985. The $12 million project was a joint venture between Howard Hughes Development Corporation – part of Summa Corporation – and San Diego-based Wet 'n' Wild. Howard Hughes Development Corporation conceived the project because of the potential to expand the local tourism market through family entertainment, and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority believed that the water park would appeal to families visiting Las Vegas. Howard Hughes Development Corporation chose a water park theme as the company did not want to compete against southern California's Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm theme parks, as many Las Vegas tourists were residents of southern California. The concept of a water park in Las Vegas was also considered ideal because of the city's dry and hot weather.[3]

The water park was located on the Las Vegas Strip, between the Sahara and El Rancho hotel-casinos. Wet 'n Wild opened on May 18, 1985, after $14 million was spent on construction. The park included three turbine engines capable of creating rolling four-foot waves in a 170-foot pool. The park also featured a 17,000-square-foot surf lagoon containing 500,000 gallons of water, ranging in depth from eight feet to two inches. The surf lagoon was a main attraction, as well as a 76-foot-high water slide known as the Der Stuka,[4] located along Las Vegas Boulevard on the property's west end, south of the Sahara.[5] Approximately 500,000 people were expected to visit the water park during its first year.[3][4] By June 1986, park attendance had increased 19.7 percent from the previous year.[6] A capsule known as the Bomb Bay was eventually added atop the Der Stuka. The Bomb Bay required people to push a button, which opened the floor beneath them, plummeting riders to the slide approximately 20 feet below.[5]

The Playboy Wet and Wild Bikini Fashion Show was held at the park in 2000

In 1993, the park was sued by Russell Beatty, a man who suffered temporary paralysis after his neck was broken in three areas. Beatty had been waiting for his son at the bottom of the Hydro Blaster water slide and was struck by a 275-pound man. Beatty alleged that lifeguards allowed the man to go down the slide too soon, resulting in the injury.[7]

The park was acquired by Universal Studios in October 1998, Ogden Corp in March 1999, Alfa SmartParks in March 2000, and Palace Entertainment on July 10, 2002.[8] The park closed in 2004.[9][10][8]

Redevelopment plans

In March 2007, Publishing and Broadcasting Limited and Christopher Milam announced plans to purchase the site for $1.2 billion. They intended to replace it with a mixed-use tower called the Crown Las Vegas.[11] The cost of the project was estimated to be $5 billion, and its original completion date was set for 2014.[12] In March 2008, the project's cancellation was announced and the site was put up for sale.[13]

The idea of turning the abandoned site into a stadium began in 2010, when Milam revealed plans for the Silver State Arena. Milam's company International Development Management would get the 27-acre land from Sue Lowden and her husband Paul, and atop build a 20,000-seat stadium at the cost of $750 million, using about $9 million a year in redevelopment district taxes.[14] The project stalled after Clark County rejected a proposal to fund 15% of the venue with public money and nearby residents opposed construction.[15]

In 2013, businessman Jackie Robinson, a former UNLV student and NBA player, announced that he was planning on using the same site of the proposed Silver State Arena to build the All Net Resort and Arena, a $1.4 billion privately funded complex encompassing an arena, hotel and shopping project that could attract an NBA franchise to Las Vegas.[16] The arena itself would cost $670 million.[17] The project was delayed from its initial date.[18] As of late 2019, the project's sponsors claimed that funds were in hand and construction would be completed in three years.[19]

Notes
  1. "Park Information". Wet 'n Wild. Archived from the original on August 3, 2004. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  2. "Property history". Clark County Assessor's Office. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  3. Moreno, Richard (October 14, 1984). "Aquatic amusement park hopes to attract families". Reno Gazette-Journal. Retrieved March 20, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Anderson, Barbara (May 16, 1985). "Vegas water park opens Saturday". Reno Gazette-Journal. Retrieved March 20, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Velotta, Richard N. (October 4, 2012). "Wet 'n' Wild water park coming to Las Vegas". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  6. "Tourism boom expected". Reno Gazette-Journal. June 30, 1986. Retrieved March 20, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Man sues Vegas water park". Reno Gazette-Journal. September 3, 1993. Retrieved March 20, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Jennifer Robison (July 10, 2002). "Wet 'n Wild sold for fourth time in four years". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  9. Caroline Bleakley (October 12, 2012). "New Water Park to be Named Wet 'n' Wild Las Vegas". KLAS-TV. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  10. Matt Guillermo (October 3, 2012). "Vegas water park resurrects 'Wet 'n' Wild' name". KVVU-TV. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  11. ReviewJournal.com - Business - Australian magnate to invest in LV casino
  12. Haynes, Rhys (2007-07-23). "Packer's high Vegas punt". The Daily Telegraph.
  13. Michael West (26 March 2008). "Packer dealt a dead hand in Vegas" (PDF). The Sydney Morning Herald.
  14. "Developer touts 20,000-seat arena". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  15. Case Keefer. "Las Vegas' history filled with failed stadium, arena projects". LasVegasSun.com.
  16. Richard N. Velotta. "Another arena proposed for the Las Vegas Strip". LasVegasSun.com.
  17. Alan Snel. "Ground breaking near for $1.4 billion Strip arena complex". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  18. Karp, Hannah. "Las Vegas Betting New Venue Hits Jackpot". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
  19. https://news3lv.com/news/local/robinson-says-massive-all-net-resort-and-arena-on-las-vegas-strip-still-on


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