Zoombezi Bay Debuts New Baboon Lagoon Water Park Expansion

Ohio's Zoombezi Bay water park, a part of the Columbus Zoo, has built an exciting new themed water play structure for its 2014 summer season named Baboon Lagoon.  The attraction has taken up home in the water park, which occupies the former home of Wyandot Lake amusement park, in a new development that also features interactive pools and plenty of new lounge space.

Baboon Lagoon is a massive WhiteWater AquaPlay RainFortress, complete with animal theming that makes it a perfect match for the Columbus Zoo.

© WhiteWater

The $4.5 million attraction opened to guests on May 17th, 2014.  Baboon Lagoon is surrounded by a heated wading pool and features more than 90 interactive play elements, 9 water slides and a tipping bucket capable of dumping 1,000 gallons of water on visitors below.

When Zoombezi Bay asked for some unique theming for their play structure, WhiteWater was happy to provide.  Said John P. Gannon, General Manager of Zoombezi Bay, "we are thrilled to introduce Central Ohio to the most exciting multi-level play structure that the area has ever seen. WhiteWater was able to theme the structure to our unique requests. Zoombezi Bay is owned by The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium; and as such; we wanted a structure that was full of animal surprises. WhiteWater’s design studio can make whatever a park’s unique needs call for”.

Baboon Lagoon features sixteen life-sized baboons and the giant octopus that can be seen in the above photo.  All custom created for the park, the process of creating the sculptures began with giant blocks of Styrofoam that were carefully carved by hand.  After being treated, painted, and assembled, the giant creature took up residence carefully holding onto the side of the structure. 

Zoombezi Bay opened in 2008 along with the small amusement park Jungle Jack's Landing, both of which exist where Wyandot Lake was.  The parks, along with the Columbus Zoo, make a giant entertainment and educational complex.