Visitors packed the park for one final day of floating the lazy river, riding the water slides, and making a splash in the wave pool.
After 50 summer seasons, the water park at Wild Waves in Federal Way is closing for good on Monday, marking the end of an era for generations of Western Washington families.
Visitors packed the park for one final day of floating the lazy river, riding the water slides, and making a splash in the wave pool.
For many families, Wild Waves has been a summer tradition passed down through generations.
“I’ve been coming here as a kid. My parents have been going here since they were kids,” Kaleb Britt said.
Jess Mason, who lives in Bremerton, said it was difficult to say goodbye to a place she grew up visiting and later brought her own children.
“Very sad to see something that I kind of grew up with and then now I can take my children to, but it won't be here anymore,” Mason said.
Wild Waves Director of Sales and Marketing Wes Petree said families have been returning to the park to celebrate its history and make final memories.
“So many people have shown up to kind of relive the memories, make new ones, and really celebrate an iconic park,” Petree said. “But it's bittersweet, right? Because it's the end of an era here in the Puget Sound.”
Park owners said years of financial losses since the pandemic and rising operating costs forced the decision to close the water park after this summer.
The attraction traces its history to 1977, when the theme park opened as Enchanted Village. The adjacent water park was built in the 1980s, and by the 2000s, the complex had transitioned into Wild Waves Theme Park.
Britt said the park has given him years of memories.
“It’s been a whole lot of fun. And I’ve had a whole lot of memories. I’m really sad they’re closing down,” he said.
Andrea Johnson, who lives in Kingston, said Wild Waves offered her family an affordable way to spend time together close to home.
“I'll probably cry on the way home,” Johnson said. “It's pretty sad because it's an affordable option for us to bring our family close by. You know, we can't go to Disneyland all the time or other places, so we've loved making good memories here, screaming on the rides together.”
Only the water park is closing Sunday. The theme park is scheduled to reopen for BooVille from Sept. 26 through Nov. 1. Fright Fest is scheduled to run from Oct. 2 through Nov. 1.
A proposal has been submitted for a more than 1 million-square-foot warehouse facility on the 66-acre site. Details about a potential tenant are limited, but plans call for 98% of the facility to be warehouse space and 2% to be office space.
