After nearly 40 years of water park fun, Universal have announced that Wet ‘n Wild Orlando will be closing permanently on December 31. Opening  on March 13 1977, Wet ‘n Wild has brought countless memories to thousands upon thousands of people and is considered the first water park of America.

Wet-N-Wild-Logo

Although it is incredibly sad to see the first water park of America close for good, the closure does make a lot of sense for Universal. Work has already begun on the recently announced Volcano Bay water park that Universal are working on which is set to open in 2017.

The location of Wet ‘n Wild on International Drive perhaps is a reason for Universal deciding to close the park instead of keeping two water parks open. Although Universal own the land (they purchased in 2013 for $30.9 million), International Drive is not on Universal Orlando property whereas the new Volcano Bay water park will be. Perhaps this is more about keeping guests on property (especially with the recent growth in the number Universal Orlando hotels). Of course it could simply be because Universal don’t wish to keep up the expenses of two water parks and a 40 year old park that likely needs a lot of work on an annual basis. On top of this the two Disney water parks, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach have long since been the water parks of choice for Orlando water park goers.

So are you upset that America’s first water park is set to close? Let us know in the comments!