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Wild Waves joins list of Washington's disappearing water parks
Wild Waves officially shut down on Labor Day after nearly 50 seasons, joining a surprisingly long list of western Washington water parks that have disappeared in recent state history.
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. - The wave pool has gone still. The waterslides have carried their final riders.
Wild Waves Theme & Water Park closed after Labor Day, ending a nearly 50-season run in Federal Way and joining a surprisingly long list of western Washington water parks that have disappeared over the decades.
For families who visited during the park's final weekend, the closure marked the end of a place tied to generations of summer memories.
Before Wild Waves, there was Enchanted Village
Wild Waves traces its roots to 1977, when the Federal Way attraction opened as Enchanted Village.
The original park looked much different from the water park generations of Washington families would come to know.
It leaned heavily into a nursery-rhyme fantasy theme, complete with gingerbread houses and giant lollipops.
There was even a petting zoo called Robin Hood’s Barn, run by his "Merry Men," with farm animals and an exotic Australian spotted deer.
The water park portion didn't arrive until the 1980s.
But Wild Waves isn't the only water park to have come and gone in western Washington.
A water park where Costco's headquarters now stand
Waterworks Park map (Credit: Seattle Vintage)
In the 1980s, Issaquah had a water park of its own: Waterworks Park.
For a short time, the attraction was said to rival Wild Waves. The Facebook page Seattle Vintage has shared an old map of the park, offering a glimpse at the attraction during its brief run.
Waterworks didn't last long.
Just a couple of years after opening, the park closed and was eventually demolished.
Today, the site is better known for something entirely different: Costco's corporate headquarters.
Waterslides at a Kirkland mall
That same decade, shoppers at Totem Lake Mall in Kirkland could find another unusual attraction: Turbo Tube.
Old advertisements promoted the attraction as "indoor water season."
A historic photo shared by the local historical society shows waterslides actually jutting out of the mall building.
Riders started and finished their trips inside the mall.
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The Source: Information in this story came from the Facebook pages of Wild Waves and Seattle Vintage, the Kirkland Heritage Society, and original FOX 13 Seattle reporting.