Schlitterbahn
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Schlitterbahn is the name used for either of three water parks located in Texas. They are considered to be some of the top water parks in the United States. Schlitterbahn is a German word for "slippery road," apparently a metaphor for a water slide. Schlitterbahn's catch phase is "The hottest, coolest time in Texas! Come Play. Schlitterbahn." The park allows customers to bring in their own food and non-alcoholic drinks. This is a rare feature among modern amusement parks.
The Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort in New Braunfels, Texas, originally opened in 1979 with four water slides, is built along the cool spring-fed waters of the Comal River. Bob and Billye Henry purchased 40 acres (162,000 m²) on the Comal River called Landa Resort in the early 1970s. They slowly added the water recreation that is now known as Schlitterbahn West. In 1991, the Henrys bought another 25 acre (101,000 m²) piece of property known as Camp Warnecke and transformed it into Schlitterbahn East.
The two parts of the park are separated by several city blocks with free parking available at both locations and a free shuttle between the two areas. Schlitterbahn East is further divided into two themed areas; Surfenburg, built in 1991, and Blastenhoff, built in 1996. In 1994, Schlitterbahn opened the first ever uphill water ride, known as the Dragon Blaster. Since then, they have added several other uphill water coasters, the Master Blaster and the Family Blaster. The Master Blaster in particular has often been voted as the best water ride in the US by travel publications and is frequently mentioned on the Travel Channel as such. In addition to these water coasters, the New Braunfels park now boasts over 3 miles of inner tube rides, 7 water playgrounds for children, 17 water slides, and the world's first surfing machine (Boogie Bahn, which is used by both professionals and casual visitors).
In 2001, the 15 acre (61,000 m²) Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark opened in South Padre Island, Texas. A third Schlitterbahn park, the Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark, was originally scheduled to open in Galveston, Texas in May 2005; but its opening has been delayed due to construction delays. Both the South Padre Island and the Galveston parks feature "Transportainment" river systems, which allow visitors to navigate most of the park (including waiting in line at rides) without having to leave the water.
Due to their great success with the Schlitterbahn parks, the Henrys founded NBGS International, a company that builds amusement rides for other parks.
External links
- Schlitterbahn Homepage (http://www.schlitterbahn.com/)
- Schlitterbahn New Braunfels (http://www.schlitterbahn.com/nb/intro-nb1.asp)
- Schlitterbahn South Padre Island (http://www.schlitterbahn.com/spi/intro1-spi.asp)
- Schlitterbahn Galveston Island (http://www.schlitterbahn.com/gal/default.asp) - currently shows construction progress
- NBGS International (http://www.nbgsintl.com/)