Splash!: Water park gears up for summer crowds
Cape Coral’s Sun Splash Family Waterpark opened for summer business on Wednesday.
Although it started opening its door every weekend after March 13, the park’s summer hours starting Wednesday are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week. The park’s summer hours coincide with the school district’s summer break, said Manager Sandy Greiner.
“It’s open until Aug. 22 when the kids go back to school,” she said.
Greiner was just hired as the new park manager in February, and even though she’s pretty much keeping things the same, there are some fresh concepts to Sun Splash.
“Our park has a whole new feel to it, we have changed all the signage and advertising,” said Greiner. “It’s just a much more fun place to be at and we want people to check it out.”
The park’s Calypso Cafe Dining area has more shaded areas than ever before. Greiner said a number of guests pointed out that the area wasn’t shaded enough on hot days, so more was added this year. Healthier food options are also being offered at the cafe, besides the regular menu of hotdogs and hamburgers.
Sun Splash also is more handicap accessible after the installation of a new ramp throughout the park, said Greiner.
As always, the park features the Zoom Flume, Cape Fear, Rain Tree and Main Stream River Tube Ride, and three recently opened high speed slides, the Thunder Bump, Terror Tube and X-celerator.
Park attendance has been right on target. Greiner said the park is hosting more than 1,000 people every day since its summer hours started on Wednesday. She said in the spring there were many days when the park was filled to capacity; the maximum number of people permitted in the park is 1,600.
“It has been hot, obviously, attendance has been really good,” she said.
More people are also purchasing season passes. A season pass for a Cape Coral resident is $79 per adult, $74 per child and $119 for a family of two in the same household. Greiner said there have been a few sell-out dates this summer due to ticket pre-sales and season passes. Approximately 3,600 season passes were sold when the park had its early bird special.
General admission tickets for adults are $12.95 and for children $10.95. The park also hosts a Family Fun Night in July, August and September, from 5:30-8:30 p.m., where tickets are discounted and there are a number of raffles. Cape Coral residents pay $6 and non-residents pay $8 to get in a Family Fun Night.
Fathers and grandfathers also get in the park for free for Father’s Day on Sunday, June 20.
“It is a very popular attraction to be at,” said Greiner. “We are always crowded, it’s a good thing, let me put it that way.”
Throughout the summer, Sun Splash offers swimming classes, junior lifeguard camps and other water safety programs. Free water safety awareness clinics are available on June 26, July 10 and August 7.
The park is at 400 Santa Barbara Blvd. in Cape Coral.
For more details on ticket prices or attractions at the Sun Splash Family Waterpark, visit sunsplashwaterpark.com .