Surf Cincinnati is a now defunct water park off of Interstate-275 in Cincinnati Ohio. The park opened in the early 90's and closed its doors in 2002. In 1999 it was bought by new owners for nearly 2 million dollars. In 2001 the park filed for bankruptcy and closed its doors at the end of the 2002 season. In 2000, the first new year with the new owners a new nightclub was built there called Caddies. Caddies was a popular nightclub in downtown Cincinnati that was forced to close when the Cincinnati Bengals built their new Paul Brown Stadium. Caddies also closed. Along with Caddies Surf Cincinnati included two banquet halls, a mini golf course and go kart tracks. According to this article: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinna.../28/story7.html The banquet halls were supposed to be renovated and have a new wedding chapel built. The past few times that the photographer has been around the site the one banquet hall that still looks usable has had the same "Congratulations Tommy and Jeanie" on there. The water park part of Surf Cincinnati included a wave pool, two racing speed slides, 3 racing enclosed slides, kiddy pools, adults only pools, an in ground slide, and one big blue slide that sat high on top of a hill connecting to the in ground slide. Nothing was really torn down, all the stairs to the slides were gone to keep any visitors from going down them since the park was no longer in use and a few slides were auctioned off to other local water parks like "The Beach". Contrary to popular belief Paramount's Kings Island NEVER bought anything from Surf Cincinnati. And now on to the pictures (all 115 of them!):
-The tallest slide and one of the few still standing, this slide sits at the highest point in the park and eventually connects to the in ground tube slide.
-The big blue slide again, those white tubes on its end is where water used to be pumped into the slide to keep riders moving.
-Looking down from the big blue slide's hill at what once was a picnic area.
-Looking through the brush down the hill at the rest of the park.
-A piece of one of the three enclosed racing slides.
-Supports that once held one of the 3 enclosed racing slides.
-What is left of one of the picnic patios.
-This is where the 3 enclosed racing slides used to splash down at. Two life guards waited in this pool to slow down riders back when the park was in operation.
-Supports that used to hold up the 3 enclosed racing slides.
-The pool once again for the enclosed racing slides.
-Yet again, the pool for the enclosed racing slides. Interesting fact though, it seems that in all the park's pool the drains have been clogged with debris and stagnant rain water has filled them up. In this pool particularly there is life, strange looking tadpoles with large round heads were numerous in here but unfortunately my camera couldn't get a good pic of them.
-This is the splash down pool for the in ground tube slide that at its peak is connected to the big blue slide, that wooden patio behind it is where you used to be able to get a tube for the slide.
-The final slope of and splash down of the in ground tube slide, the same tadpoles exist in this pool.
-Random derelicts that sit on the tube rental patio.
-The 2nd splash down of the in ground tube slide.
-A boot left in the brush, probably from one of the workers when parts of the park were taken down.
-Looking down the slope into the final in ground splash down.
-A piece of the big blue slide, the slide actually did not go here, this piece was moved by someone. That shack thing in the back was made by some skateboarders who use one of the pools (out of site in that picture) as a skateboarding bowl, you will see this in a few more pictures.
-2nd splash down of the in ground pool.
-Piece of what once was the yellow enclosed slide. The enclosed racing slides were yellow, green, and red.
-This is where the tubes from the big blue tall slide would crash down into the starting point on the in ground slide, water used to fall like a water fall onto riders. Those who were less daring could put there tubes in here and just ride the rest of the mild slide down. Now, concrete has been poured and wax has been placed on the lip of the pool by skateboarders who have obviously used this place recently. Gatorade bottles, Doritos bags, and Off mosquito repellent were all found.
-Looking down the hill towards the in ground slide's splash downs.
-A "no diving" sign left sitting in one of the shallow pools.
-Parts of the big blue tall slide.
-This is where the big blue slide would converge with the in ground slide.
-Spray paint on the rock teaming probably left by one of the skateboarders.
-That blue tarp is one of the things you would lay on in the enclosed slides to give you greater speed.
-Looking down from the hill at the Caddies building.
-This concrete building held a chlorine tank behind the splash down for the 3 enclosed racing slides, it smelled heavily of chlorine and the floor was covered in water.
-A better look at the chlorine tank house.
-A view from behind the splash down of the 3 enclosed racing slides.
-This picture was taken on the side of the wave pool house.
-A side entrance to the wave generator house for the wave pool, this entrance was locked, but the other 3 didn't even have doors as you will soon see.
-Massive chlorine tank on the side of the wave generator house.
-The front of the wave pool house still looks like its in good shape but here at the back it looks like a fire raged. Although its probably just from the diesel fuel and propane that was once used to power the wave generators. At Surf Cincinnati, Kings Island, and The Beach you were able to see black smoke emit from all their wave pool houses right before the waves began.
-The back of the wave generator house.
-A picture inside the wave generator house. The day was pretty warm but for some reason inside this building it was terribly cold, the photographer and team only stuck the camera inside not really venturing in since there was no light.
-Rooms inside the wave pool house.
-Inside the wave pool house.
-This sign, advertising the land for sale, can be seen from the highway.
-A maintenance access road that runs behind the trees along side the adult pool and bar and I-275.
-The back of what once was the Harbour Club banquet hall, according to the exploring team that electric generator in the foreground was making lots of noise probably since all the other ones were too, the park is still receiving electricity, someone should tell CINergy.
-This small building was probably what once controlled all the water pumps. In here there were cases and cases of old Budweiser beer and that clipboard hanging there told employees which pumps to turn on and for which attraction they went to.
Here's some better pictures of the clipboard:
-Random derelicts, that glass was once a light bulb and the wood was probably once stairs.
-What is left of the lazy river attraction.
-What is left of the lazy river attraction. That wooden apparatus used to spray mists of water on passers by.
-Another view of the lazy river.
-The lazy river circled around this island which one featured a sand volleyball court and picnic are that could be rented out by corporate parties and such.
-This where the bottoms of the two racing speed slides came down, according to the exploring team, the slides were purchased by The Beach water park.
-The slides apparatus and the back of what once was the Harbor Club.
-You had to take these stairs over the lazy river to get to the private party islands, looks like Delta Airlines was the last group to have an event here.
-This is the back of what once was Caddies nightclub.
-Derelicts and the back door to Caddies night club.
-This is one of the two places where you used to be able to purchase alcohol at the park.
-Looking into the windows of caddies, only a computer and couch seem to remain.
-Again looking into caddies. The computer is seen on the desk.
-This is where you entered the lazy river.
-A pathway leading to the adult only cabana that once featured live music and the 2nd place in the park to purchase alcohol.
-Looking at the wave pool and sand and a lounge chair, maybe the photographer will return to sun bath here in the summer.
-Looking over the sands of the wave pool towards the kiddy area.
-The adult cabana.
-Going up the stairs to the adult cabana.
-Looking towards the adult only pool of the cabana's patio.
-Spray painted onto one of the cabanas walls.
-The adult only pool.
-What was once part of the cabana.
-Looking off the cabana's deck towards the wave pool.
-Looking off the cabanas deck towards the wave pool entrance and the rest of the park.
-A "kitchen" on the cabana.
-Some cupboards in the cabana.
-Derelicts left in the cabana.
-Hot sauce!
-It was noticed by someone that Christmas lights are laying all over the place throughout the park.
-Looking down into the wave pool.
-Had the photographer been standing here when the park was open, water would've reached his chin.
-Looking up out of the wave pool towards the main gate and Caddies.
-Looking at what once was a kiddy pool.
-What remains of the kiddy pool and structure.
-Going into the main concession area.
-They used to sell Slush Puppies here.
-What was probably a door to what used to be a closet in the concession stand had "Do not disturb written on it". This was the first evidence the team noticed of what was probably homeless individuals living there and more is to come soon!
-Again the don't disturb thing. The photographer decided to kick open the door and look for a resident.
-No one was home.
-Looking out from the concession stand at the rest of the park, like a young kid probably would've done for $5.25 an hour during the summer of 94.
-This lead around to the back area of the concession stand, the team was hoping to find an employee break area but this wasn't where it was at. Later on they would come close to finding it but their attempts would be foiled (read on to find out how)
-Looking out of the 2nd concession stand ordering area.
-The back of the concession stand.
-Pipes under the kiddy pool apparatus.
-Looking across the park towards the adult cabana and the city of Fairfield's water tower.
-This was once the main park office and ticket booth to the left and out of view was the first aid station and other offices as well as locker rooms.
-The sun begins to set on Surf Cincinnati.
-The building for Caddies.
-In the teams quest to find the employee room they stumbled upon the first aid station which this door lead to.
-Inside the first aid station there were two mattresses, shoes, mayonnaise packets, and other food supplies thrown everywhere. This was the greatest evidence of homeless habitation but did it prove someone was there recently?
-"God Damnit!" here's where things got interesting. As the team stepped into this room, with only a still camera rolling because another team member though shooting with the camcorder would be stupid, that red door began to creak back and forth slightly opening then closing. This was dismissed as wind. As the team and photographer stepped out that door slowly and gently closed shut. Still thinking it was wind the team ventured to the back one he building and stumbled upon the locker rooms. As the photographer prepared to take a shot a loud slam was heard and a few things fell over in the room. Not curious to see what it was or if it was a person the team left not wanting to disturb or pick a fight if someone was living there. They headed back to where they came in.
But wait, there's more. Surf Cincinnati was not just a water park but it also featured Mini golf, bumper boats, arcade games, and go karts! The rest of the pictures are from that amusement area of the park (far from the hobo or ghost or demon hobo ghost)
-On the way towards the mini golf the remnants of the 3 racking enclosed slides were found.
-On the way to the mini golf a rotting picnic grove can be seen.
-More of the rotting picnic grove.
-There used to be sand volleyball here for corporate events and that little hut would sell alcohol when rented.
-Another abandoned picnic hut.
-A view of the over grown mini golf course.
-Another view of the mini golf course.
-Over grown mini golf course.
-A sign found sitting in what once was the arcade games building.
-The most intact piece of the mini golf holes.
-The arcade games building.
-Overview of the go kart track.
-View of the go kart track.
-This maintenance shed had books with maintenance manuals for the go karts and lawn mowers.
-More crap in the maintenance shed.
-What once was the que line for the go kart track.
-This was the closest the team could get to the bumper boats.
Well I hope you enjoyed your visit to Surf Cincinnati and had a fun time checking out these Urban Exploration pictures. Take care.
Goodbye from Surf Cincinnati!
