$5 million water park addition opens at Gaylord resort in Grapevine

Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center is making a splash on Memorial Day weekend with the grand opening of a $5 million expansion at its Paradise Springs outdoor water park.

While the attraction has been open since 2011, Gaylord executives hope the expanded resort site will help compete for the many dollars available throughout the Metroplex at dozens of outdoor water parks, including those run by cities.

Paradise Springs serves hotel guests and has a complimentary entrance with the purchase of a room.

Gaylord’s multimillion dollar addition will offer additional rental cabanas, three additional winding waterslides, new water features, more pool seating and a more kid-friendly pool area.

Much of Paradise Springs was geared toward older kids and adults who had to meet restrictive height requirements. The bigger resort park, which opens Friday, was created with younger guests in mind.

“Now we have a play area for the little bitty kiddies,” Gaylord spokeswoman Martha Niebling said.

The resort’s 10-acre outdoor park also features a 600-foot-long winding lazy river and a 6,000-square-foot family lagoon with a walk-in beach, two horseshoe-shaped hot pools, a 27-foot water slide, a designated toddler pool and water basketball.

Water wars

The Gaylord, which opened in 2004, receives big competition for water-loving tourists from the Great Wolf Lodge, also in Grapevine, which boasts being the largest indoor water park in Texas.

It was built as an indoor water park resort and features huge slides, several pools, a water fort and a lazy river that are ensconced in the 80,000-square-foot Bear Track Landing. Resort guests are protected from the weather year-round in an environment that’s kept at 84 degrees, and the water is heated as well. Summer guests may also enjoy the 84,000-square-foot Raccoon Lagoon outdoor water park.

Numerous cities in Northeast Tarrant County, including Bedford, Hurst, Euless and North Richland Hills, have their own water parks. North Richland Hills’ NRH20 Family Water Park will be transformed into more of a theme park beginning this summer, with colorful characters designed to help create a cohesive focus at one of the county’s oldest water parks. It is entering its 22nd season.

Other privately-owned water parks include Hurricane Harbor Six Flags in Arlington and Hawaiian Falls in Mansfield and Roanoke. Hurricane Harbor opened earlier this month and Hawaiian Falls opens Saturday.

Safe environment

Aleatha Ezra, spokeswoman for the Kansas-based World Waterpark Association, said water parks are popular because they cater to the entire family

“It provides a safe environment that crosses generations,” Ezra said. “It’s a place for moms and dads, grandpas and grandmas, little toddlers, teens, tweens and people of varying ages. Water parks are great for vacations or just a daily opportunity for families to do something fun together.”

The World Waterpark Association, which was started in 1982, is an international not-for-profit member-based trade association that serves water parks, aquatic venues and spray parks of all shapes and sizes. The WWA is focused on providing park and supplier members with a variety of in-person and online education and learning programs and tools that they need to operate safely and effectively.

Water parks offer not only fun, but a cool break from the sun. That’s especially true during the summer months in North Texas, where 100-plus days during the summer are often recorded.

“A visit to a water park during the hot summer months is the perfect way for families to come together, cool off and make memories in a safe aquatic environment,” Ezra said.

This article contains information from Star-Telegram archives.

This story was originally published May 26, 2016 at 11:23 AM with the headline "$5 million water park addition opens at Gaylord resort in Grapevine."