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Schlitterbahn is the name used for the three waterparks located in Texas and one in Kansas City, Kansas. Schlitterbahn is a German word meaning "slippery road". Schlitterbahn's catch phrase is "The hottest, coolest time in Texas!" The park allows customers to bring in their own food and non-alcoholic drinks. This is a rare feature among modern amusement parks.
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Schlitterbahn Parks
Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort
The Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort in New Braunfels, Texas, originally opened in 1979 with four water slides, is built along the cool spring-fed waters of the Comal River. Bob and Billye Henry purchased 40 acres (16 hectares) on the Comal River called Landa Resort in the early 1970s. They slowly added the water recreation that is now known as Schlitterbahn West. In 1991, the Henrys bought another 25 acre (10 ha) piece of property known as Camp Warnecke and transformed it into Schlitterbahn East. The two parts of the park are separated by several city blocks with free parking available at both locations and a free shuttle between the two areas. Schlitterbahn East is further divided into two themed areas; Surfenburg, built in 1991, and Blastenhoff, built in 1996. In 1994, Schlitterbahn opened the first ever uphill water ride, known as the Dragon Blaster. Since then, they have added several other uphill water coasters, the Master Blaster and the Family Blaster. The Master Blaster in particular has often been voted as the best water ride in the US by travel publications and is frequently mentioned on the Travel Channel as such. In addition to these water coasters, the New Braunfels park now boasts over 3 miles (5 km) of inner tube rides, 7 water playgrounds for children, 17 water slides, and the world's first surfing machine (Boogie Bahn, which is used by both professionals and casual visitors).
Schlitterbahn is considered by some to be the best waterpark in the world, and has been named so by the Travel Channel.[1] Amusement Today gave it their 'Golden Ticket Award' for the "Best Waterpark" of 2007, 2008, and 2009.
Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark
In 2001, the 15-acre (61,000 m2) park (6 ha) Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark opened in South Padre Island, Texas.
Schlitterbahn Galveston Island
A third Schlitterbahn park, the 30-acre (120,000 m2) Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark, was originally scheduled to open in Galveston, Texas in May 2005; but its opening was delayed due to a fire in the hangar where all the construction equipment was located. The Galveston park officially opened its indoor Wasserfest section on March 12, 2006. The first summer section, Surfenburg, opened on April 22, 2006 and the final part of the park, Blastenhoff, opened in Summer 2007. The park will be open year-round, with the indoor Wasserfest section open in the winter season and all three sections open in the summer. In September 2008, the park suffered some water damage to its buildings forcing it to close for several months for repairs. None of the attractions were affected by the hurricane. The park opened again in March 2009. Guests that visit the park will see no signs that damage to buildings ever occurred. For the 2009 summer season, the park has added a new Dryer's Sweet Shop and complimentary wi-fi services in the park.
During the summer season, late April-September, the park features 32 attractions, including high speed body slides, rivers, uphill coasters, tube chutes, kid's playgrounds,and a man-made surfing wave.
During the heated indoor season, October-mid-April, the Wasserfest area of the park is enclosed and features a dozen heated attractions. (Both the air and water are heated to at least 80 degrees.) Wasserfest is the world's first convertible waterpark and has been ranked the #1 Indoor Waterpark in the World by Amusement Today.
Like all the Schlitterbahn Waterparks, guests can bring in their own coolers (glass and alcohol are prohibited.) Parking, lifejackets, and tubes are always free.
Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Watepark is the largest waterpark in the Houston area.
Both the South Padre Island and the Galveston parks feature "Transportainment" river systems, which allow visitors to navigate most of the park without having to leave the water.
Schlitterbahn Vacation Village
Ground-breaking for the next Schlitterbahn in Kansas City, KS was observed on September 18, 2007. It will be Schlitterbahn's first park outside the state of Texas. The project has an estimated cost of $750 million. The site is a 370-acre tract near Village West in Kansas City, Kansas. It is only a few blocks away from the Kansas Speedway. Groundbreaking was on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 at 10:00 am. They hope to open the first phase in Summer 2009 and finish the project in Summer 2011. Park representatives are not giving dates because of harsh Kansas winters. It is going to include Schlitterbahn Water Resort, "Interactive Marine Park", Riverwalk, and Lodging.
Gallery
 Long tube chutes trace through the original park, flowing like rivers with rapids and waterfalls. |
 Slides and pools are everywhere. |
 The original park has several sets of racing slides. |
 The shallow Comal River flows nearby. |
 Spring water from the slides runs straight into the river. |
 Thousands of inner tubes form an impressive tower. The tubes are literal "inner tubes" from tires. |
References
- ^ Edmonds, Rose and Antoniades, Christina (2007). "Best Water Parks in America". travel.discovery.com. http://travel.discovery.com/ideas/family-travel/theme-parks/water-parks_10.html. Retrieved 2007-05-16.
External links
Coordinates: 29°42′48″N 98°07′30″W / 29.71336°N 98.12505°W
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