In less than two weeks, the Serengeti Springs Water Park at Hattiesburg Zoo will be ready to offer guests a splishing, splashing wet summer at what is one of the most anticipated openings in recent Hattiesburg history.
In advance of that opening – scheduled for Memorial Day Weekend, which this year begins May 25 – officials from the Hattiesburg Convention Commission held a media preview day on May 14 at the site, off Hardy Street just north of the zoo. During that event, convention representatives were able to preview the park’s several attractions, including the main water features, the lazy river, food court and more.
“The great thing about it is, good things come to those who wait, and the public has been waiting patiently for this,” said Demetric Kelly, director of guest services and retail for the convention commission, which manages the zoo and water park. “We’ve been working tirelessly and diligently to get the park open, and this is going to be something amazing for guests to experience.
“Once the doors open to the park, we’re expecting droves of people to come in. There’s some pent-up demand, and what we have to offer is something amazing for everybody to enjoy.”
Construction on the $10.5 million water park is taking place in two phases. Work on Phase I, which began last summer and is now complete, includes a Fusion Fortress Water Play Structure, an entry building with a gift shop and showers, a 150,000-gallon lazy river, a swim-up pool and bar, group pavilions, cabanas, food trucks, a staff office building, and loungers and Adrirondack chairs.
The Fusion Fortress consists of nine slides of varying heights, along with multiple water play areas and two bucket dump stations.
Underneath the Fusion Fortress is a Life Floor, which provides a cushioned floor that is anti-microbial and holds no standing water. The Life Floor features an additional 19 spray toys.
“It’s really, I think, a creative marvel of plumbing and pipes and electrical that make it operate,” said Rick Taylor, executive director of the Hattiesburg Convention Commission. “Our facilities are known for our customer service and the care and cleanliness that we take, and you see that same commitment here at Serengeti Springs.
“It’s going to be safe, it’s going to be clean, we’re going to be attentive to the guests’ desires and needs, and be able to serve a large number of people simultaneously in a relaxing environment.”
Upon entering the water park, guests will be asked to check their bags to ensure that no prohibited items are allowed into the park. A list of those items can be found on the site’s website at www.hattiesburgzoo.com/serengeti.
“Our main focus on that is really for safety, so one example of that is we will not allow weapons of any kind to come into the park, because it’s a family-friendly environment with a lot of kids in close proximity, said Chad Thomas, director of safety and security for the convention commission. “We’ll also be looking for some items that could pose some type of hazards to others – glass is probably the best example, because it could break and get caught up in the water where you can’t see it, and it’s very, very dangerous.”
Work on Phase II of the water park will begin anywhere from two to four years from now. That phase will consist of a tower of four water slides.
“Honestly, the attention to detail with the park is probably my favorite (aspect),” Kelly said. “You look out into the structure, and you see the zoo in the park – you see the (representations) of animals, you see all the colors that go along with the zoo, like the orange, blue and green.
“It connects the two properties together … so it creates that experience for all to enjoy. So even the little small things, like the Adirondack chairs, the plants, the color of the slides, the (pictures) of giraffes and tigers – you can see everything that connects you to the zoo.”
The $10.5 million price tag for Serengeti Springs will be funded by the Hattiesburg Convention Commission’s earned revenues, along with the existing 2-percent restaurant tax at Hattiesburg restaurants. The water park will be designed to be self-sufficient and profitable.
As far as parking, the zoo will continue its shared agreement for parking space with Hardy Street Baptist Church, in addition to the zoo’s current parking. In total, the facility features approximately 200 spaces for that measure.
For more information on the water park and ticket sales, visit the aforementioned website at www.hattiesburgzoo.com/serengeti.
