Zoombezi Bay

Zoombezi Bay is a 22.7 acre theme park had by the Columbus Zoo and also Aquarium near Powell, Ohio just north of Columbus. The park sits on the website of the former Wyandot Lake Theme park, which was purchased by the Columbus Zoo and also Fish Tank in 2006. Zoombezi Bay open up to the public on Might 26, 2008, and also presently rates as one of the Midwest’s most popular theme park, drawing in more than 400,000 visitors each year.

Wyandot Lake initially started as a picnic and entertainment park in 1896. In the 1940s, the location was bought by a circus driver to be made use of as winter storage for the carnival’s trips. The location soon turned into an amusement park and also included its first roller rollercoaster, Jet Flyer, in 1956. Adhering to the proprietor’s death in the 1970s, ownership was transferred to the city of Columbus, who started leasing the park to Ohio-based Funtime Inc., in 1983. Funtime was later on obtained by Premier Parks in 1995. Premier Parks, originally an Oklahoma-based property company named TierCo, ventured into the show business when it bought Frontier City in 1983. It later acquired 6 Flags in 1999 altering its name to 6 Flags Inc., of its flagship home.

Under new possession, the theme park continued to operate under the name Wyandot Lake. In June 2006, the Columbus Zoo and also Fish tank introduced that it had actually entered an agreement with Six Flags to purchase Wyandot Lake for $2 million, which would certainly be finalized later in the year. Six Flags– having problem with yearly losses since 1999– aspired to negotiate with the neighboring zoo amid city strategies to realign Powell Roadway, which would cut through a section of Wyandot Lake. Soon thereafter, the Zoo introduced strategies to invest almost $45 million to substantially re-develop the previous Wyandot Lake property.

Considerable portions of the previous theme park were included right into the Zoo, coming to be Jungle Jack’s Touchdown, Animal Encounters Town, as well as Colo’s Cove Outing Grove areas. An increased car park as well as brand-new entry plaza were also constructed, as well as a 22.7-acre parcel on the edge of Powell Road and also Riverside Drive was set aside for a brand-new theme park.