As the temperatures heat up, families headed to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg will want a place to cool off.
Water parks offer that - a place to relax, have fun and let the water cool off hot skin. The options for visitors are increasing. In addition to Splash Country, which is open to the public, several area resorts are opening parks for their guests.
Westgate Resort in Gatlinburg opened its 60,000-square-foot facility in March. The Wilderness at Smokies resorts at the Sevierville Events Center will open later this year, each with indoor/outdoor water parks. The Resort at Governor's Crossing also is expanding with a water park, set to open in November.
The appeal of water parks is catching on around the nation. "The water park industry is going up everywhere," said Tony King, Westgate water park manager. "Whether it is separate parks or water parks attached to hotels, the industry is booming. The days where there was only one big water park located in a city are coming to an end."
With the increase in water parks, the resorts are trying to capture a massive tourism group: families.
"Our whole market is a family market," said Mike Wilds, Sevierville Events Center director. "We really aren't a convention center, per se. We will be bringing in events and competitions that are more family-oriented. So the resort will add another aspect to that draw, a place where families can relax and enjoy themselves."
The addition of resort water parks will complement what Splash Country has already provided for the area.
"This really has always been a family park," Splash Country spokesman Pete Owens said. "All of its attractions are targeted at kids and families. Even though families aren't all thrill-seekers, there are thrill activities that we have added and can add to the park to draw in teenagers."
Splash Country's origins point back at the same appeal that has more parks opening now. "We had looked at various opportunities for several years before the park opened," Owens said. "This is a family market in this area. We wanted to create a mountain water oasis. Each piece we have added since then replicates the experience we were trying to create here."
The desire to open a haven for families is what enticed Wilderness Resorts to move into the area. The company owns extensive property in the Wisconsin Dells, featuring water parks equal to the size of 12 football fields.
"This is the first property that we've developed outside of Wisconsin," spokeswoman Heidi Fendos said. "The company really saw this as an opportunity because the area is similar to the Dells area. We have had great success with the resort water park destination concept, because it turns a summer attraction into something with year-round appeal."
Everything about the water park concept turns back toward the central theme: attracting families who will bring children to enjoy the water and stay a while. "This is a hugely successful concept," Fendos said. "Water parks attract families like never before."
Information provided by The Mountain Press