LV Strip water park makes its final splash

Heather Rawlyk

Monday, Sept. 27, 2004 | 11:01 a.m.

For the past 17 years, 65-year-old Svein Jacobsen has spent nearly every day of the summer soaking up sun at Wet 'n Wild on the Las Vegas Strip.

So when he heard the news that the water park would close for good on Sunday, the last day of its regular season, Jacobsen felt "an overwhelming sadness" for both himself and Las Vegas.

"This has been a place I come to every day and see my friends, and get some sun for a long time now," he said. "I have met so many great people and just enjoy watching the families have fun. This is, of course, a really sad day."

In July Landlord Archon Corp. notified the water park that it planned to redevelop the site and remove the park, according to Wet 'n Wild Marketing Manager Hannah Johnston. That was the first official notification from Archon in spite of multiple public announcements by the company in the past year that it someday planned to build a casino resort on the site, she said.

Wet 'n Wild had held out hope of operating for the 2005 season until early August, when it received a second communication from Archon confirming the redevelopment plans, Johnston said.

There have been talks by water park owner Palace Entertainment about possibly building another park in Las Vegas, but nothing has been announced, she said.

"There is probably going to be a relocation announcement in the next few weeks," Johnston said. "People are talking about maybe opening something in Henderson or Summerlin -- but we don't know anything yet. We just know this park is closing -- it's closing today."

The closure of the 20-year-old water park, located next to the Sahara, brought the largest turnout Sunday Johnston has seen for a season's closing day, she said.

"A lot of people knew it was the last day and wanted to come out," Johnston said. "Other people didn't know it was the last day and they just found out and are sad about it."

Jaime Cantu, who moved to Henderson three weeks ago, brought her 4-year-old son Nicolas to the waterpark for the first and last time Sunday afternoon.

"I had no idea it was closing until just now," Cantu said. "I just called my husband and told him he (Nicolas) was having a good time and he (Cantu's husband) asked when we could go again. I asked the Guest Services people and they said today was the last day. I asked when it'd open again, and they said it wasn't going to.

"It's so disappointing. It's like, we found this fun place we can all have fun at and it's gone."

Season pass holder Jan Stahl, 58, said she has spent the past 14 summers at Wet 'n Wild and "hates to see it come to an end."

"I maybe miss four days a summer -- that's how much I'm here," Stahl said. "Things aren't going to be the same. I just keep hoping they're going to build a new park in Henderson, like I've heard. Then all us regulars and locals could just go right on over there."

About 80 percent of visitors are locals and the remainder are tourists, Johnston said. "So relocating it away from the Strip wouldn't decrease visitor numbers," she said.

Northwest Las Vegas resident Andy Manthe, 19, said he liked the idea of relocating the water park.

"If they moved it to Summerlin or Henderson, I think that'd be a good thing," Manthe said. "It'd keep locals away from the Strip because a lot of us try to avoid it and, plus, they'll be all new rides and stuff.

"It's sad and all that it's closing, just like taking a piece of history off the Strip, but if people were certain there'll be a new park coming, I think they'd be excited -- not sad."