Remember Geauga Lake?
The other, long-time, popular amusement park in the Cleveland area closed years ago. But now its hometown is moving to convert the space into a new public park.
The Aurora City Council voted last night to spend $5.3 million to buy 48 acres and the adjacent lake at the former Geauga Lake site. The city will use $1.3 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act money to help pay for the purchase.
For decades, people in northern Ohio enjoyed summers on the Great Lakes at Cedar Point, an hour west of Cleveland, or on Geauga Lake, southwest of the city. Established as a recreation area in 1887, Geauga Lake added its first amusement rides just a couple of year later, with its first roller coaster coming in 1925. In 1970, SeaWorld opened its second theme park - after its San Diego original - across the lake from the amusement park. Premier Parks bought Geauga Lake in 1995, three years before acquiring Six Flags. In 2000, that iteration of Six Flags bought SeaWorld Ohio and combined the parks into Six Flags Worlds of Adventure.
That lasted until 2004, when Cedar Fair bought the property and closed the former marine park attractions. A new water park, Wildwater Kingdom, eventually went in on the former SeaWorld site, while the amusement park reverted to the old Geauga Lake name. But it closed permanently after the 2007 season, with the water park enduring until 2016.
Various mixed-use residential and commercial projects have been in development for the land around Geauga Lake, and now the city is stepping forward to claim part of that land for public use.
The new park will not include any amusement rides or attractions, but could include a trail, public pool, and beach, with support for non-motorized boating and other activities. The city will solicit public input about the park, which is expected to open by 2027. The concept essentially returns Geauga Lake to its roots as a recreational space, providing a place for people to swim, play and relax on the lakefront.
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Kind of reminds me of Rocky Point.