Published by: News Talk Florida
Published date: December 2016

After 40 years of laughter and splashes one of Orlando’s most popular water parks is coming to a close this week.

Wet ‘n Wild opened in 1977 and is now owned by Universal Studios Water Parks. The attraction will close on December 31st to make room for a new water park called Volcano Bay, which is set to open next summer.

George Millay developed Wet ‘n Wild and also founded SeaWorld in San Diego.

Though Walt Disney World had already opened a water park in Orlando, Wet ‘n Wild became the standard for the water park industry.

There are over 744 outdoor water parks in the United States today with three or more slides, according to Hotel and Leisure Advisors.  Four of the world’s most-visited water parks are in Orlando, which includes Wet ‘n Wild.

Former Disney executive Duncan Dickson told the Orlando Sentinel that Millay’s combination of waves and water slides prompted competitors to become more creative.

“When we opened River Country, we thought it was fantastic because we had three slides and a big swimming pool,” Dickson said to the Orlando Sentinel. “Then along comes George Millay with Wet ’n Wild and we kind of go, ‘Oh, wait a minute.’ He really took the River Country concept and really stepped it up and went a lot further.”

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