Texas/USA: SplashTown Water Park Reopens as Wet’n’Wild SplashTown

When SplashTown in Houston/TX reopens on May 2, 2014, it will have undergone a multimillion dollar renovation and be featuring a new name: Wet’n’Wild SplashTown. In November 2013, the real estate investment trust CNL Lifestyle Properties acquired the North American rights to the Wet’n’Wild brand (cf. EAP, issue 2/2014, catchword: Wet’n’Wild Sydney). Besides the rebranding of the park, the facility will also add three new rides to its portfolio: a FlowRider surfing experience, a new family raft thrill ride as well as a new interactive children’s area. Further enhancements include the addition of a second parking lot and an expansion of the park’s picnic area. Wet’n’Wild SplashTown is operated by Premier Parks, LLC on a long-term lease from CNL. The first rebranding of one of its sixteen water park facilities in the US was carried out in December of 2013. California’s former Knott’s Soak City water park, which was taken over by CNL in August of last year, is now being operated under the name of Wet’n’Wild Palm Springs. (eap)