Wild Rivers Water Park is coming to Orange County! The new water park will be bigger than before with a set opening date as of July 1, 2021. Developers secured financing for the project and ground breaking has already begun.
Between 1986 to 2011, Wild Rivers was located in in Irvine. The story behind the location is even more fascinating than you might have thought! Originally home of Lion Country Safari and Camp James before Wild Rivers became a tenant on the property. When Lion County went bankrupt, they subleased their land with Verizon Wireless Amphitheater nearby. After 20 incredible seasons at this wonderful family friendly destination boasting lifeguards trained by Red Cross alongside numerous other safety measures not always seen elsewhere like zero depth entry areas or wave pools where guests can play without fear of being knocked over- it came time that owner wanted out but had already lost its lease when former resident Irvine Co., declined to renew after having been such as welcoming host all those many.
The Wild Rivers Water Park has been a local favorite for years. It became an iconic landmark of Irvine, CA until 2007 when Great Park officials voted against setting aside land for its development. After negotiations with city officials to create a better waterpark, they reached agreement which set up plans to rebuild what may be Southern California's best-loved summertime destination this year!
The Wild Rivers theme park will soon return to Irvine and be built just a few minutes north of the Orange County Great Park. Construction is set for 2021 with an estimated opening date in Spring 2022, but these dates are subject to change if construction moves too slowly or fast. The city isn't paying much for this project since they're only building the parking lot while Wild Rivers foots all other expenses.
The $60 million Wild Rivers Water Park will be much larger than the original 14-acre site and includes a water coaster that goes uphill instead of down like traditional one. There's also an expanded lazy river with longer tubes so you can float on your back for twice as long - not to mention some really cool wave pools, play structures filled with even more fun ways to splash around (including one shaped like a giant whale!), and all of our favorite attractions from before: Congo River Rapids, Bombay Blasters, etc. We're pretty sure this'll be California’s most awesome waterpark yet!
