Located in Silver Springs, Florida, Wild Waters was a small water park compared to modern standards. The park offered a more relaxed atmosphere compared to its larger competitors. Wild Waters was the sister park of the Silver Springs Nature Theme Park, one of the nation’s first national attractions and home to the world famous Glass Bottom Boat tours. Due to its exotic surroundings, Silver Springs became a desirable filming location. Movies like Tarzan, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and scenes for several television shows were all filmed at Silver Springs.
The 450,000 gallon wave pool would alternate between calm water and generating waves after a certain period of time. The waves would reach 4 feet tall in the deepest end of the pool.
Wild Waters was built in 1978 by ABC Television and was one of the first water parks in the South. There were shady picnic areas, a snack bar, a gift shop, and an open-air fast food counter. Wild Waters would quickly became a favorite Florida tourist destination. The water park helped nearby Ocala to prosper from tourists for many years until Orlando became the primary Florida tourist destination due to Disney World and other major attractions.
Osceola’s Revenge and Bunyan’s Bend were dual flumes that were a part of the Silver River Flumes area. Both flumes began at the same point, but did not run parallel and had different patterns.The Silver River Flumes were located in the center of Wild Waters under the canopy of large trees. The water park was one of the first in the nation to use fiberglass flumes.The Silver River Flumes ended at the same splash pool, now covered in a green algae.Wild Waters only dual speed flumes were called the Silver Bullet. They ran side by side and ended in a splash pool. Unlike newer speed flumes, these did not go straight down from the top.
Cool Kids Cove was a kids water ride area that included slides and tunnels.
Designated a National Natural Landmark in 1971, it was not until 1993 that thorough scientific studies of the springs were complete and wildlife rehabilitation had begun. The State of Florida purchased the property but allowed private companies to continue operating the attractions. Palace Entertainment managed Wild Waters and Silver Springs Park since 2002. Former Governor Rick Scott allowed Palace Entertainment to end their contract in 2013, which was supposed to run until 2029. As a result, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Park Service took control of the parks. Once the state took over, downgrades in service and entertainment were imminent. In 2016, Wild Waters permanently closed. State officials cited financial reasons for the closing. The state wanted to return the property to a more natural environment, with less focus on man-made attractions. Construction crews began demolishing Wild Waters in December 2018.
Graffiti and broken glass litter the closed bath house and gift shop.The Hurricane, a large figure 8 double flume was the tallest ride in the park. Standing 80 feet tall, riders used tubes that were carried to the top.Alligator Ambush was constructed in 2008. The ride consisted of an enclosed water flume that exited into a slide funnel referred to as a toilet bowl, which exited through another small tube into an open chute.
Welcome to AbandonedSoutheast.com!
My name is Leland Kent and I have had an interest in abandoned places ever since I was a kid. In 2016, my obsession with the forgotten and abandoned inspired me to create this blog. My goal is to showcase the obscure, sometimes historic, forgotten places I have visited across the Southeast. I hope to preserve the past through documentation and photographs since many of these amazing places are often lost to neglect, demolition, or renovation. I released my first book, Abandoned Birmingham, in July 2018 and it is available worldwide through most major booksellers. My photographs have been featured on CBS Inside Edition, CNN Travel, Houston Chronicle, The Weather Channel, MSN, Yahoo News, NPR, the UK Sun, the Daily Mail, NOLA.com, AL.com, and many others.
You can reach me at AbandonedSoutheast@gmail.com
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This really brings back a lot of fun memories for me, my family and I visited Silver Springs Water Park in the early ’70s, when I was about 8 yrs old. I’m 54 now, we also rode in one of the glass bottom boats the article mentioned!
I had no idea they were closed, I was just telling my teenage daughter about hen I went there in 1983 and how they were building what I think was called the Hurricane water slide..The glass bottom boat ride I remembered with real animals unlike Disney…So many great memories there …
Wow. Close to home.
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Great urbex photo essay! It’s amazing to se the results of just a few years of neglect.
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Wonderfully documented post. Thanks.
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This really brings back a lot of fun memories for me, my family and I visited Silver Springs Water Park in the early ’70s, when I was about 8 yrs old. I’m 54 now, we also rode in one of the glass bottom boats the article mentioned!
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Always founded abandoned theme parks so fascinating. All the stories and fun to imagine. Thanks for posting. Never heard of this one.
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Well…Wild Waters wasn’t huge, like nearby Wet N’ Wild now Volcano Bay. So….it’s no surprise you might not have heard of her. I miss her terribly.
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I had no idea they were closed, I was just telling my teenage daughter about hen I went there in 1983 and how they were building what I think was called the Hurricane water slide..The glass bottom boat ride I remembered with real animals unlike Disney…So many great memories there …
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