Transcript:
Melea Hames: [00:00:01] You're listening to the Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama Podcast, part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network.
Welcome back to another awesome episode of the podcast. Today, we are splashing into the summer by talking all about the water parks here in North Alabama. The heat is here. There's no doubt about that, and everyone is looking for a way to cool off. This episode is filled with many refreshing activities in North Alabama so stick with us to learn how you can enjoy the sun while staying nice and cool. Today, I'm joined by an excellent guest, Haley Rutland. Haley, thank you for being with us today.
Haley Rutland: [00:00:46] Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here.
Melea Hames: [00:00:49] Yeah. Now, this isn't your first time on the podcast. You also joined us and talked about the state parks. But for those who are new or haven't listened to that episode, can you share a little bit about yourself and what your position is?
Haley Rutland: [00:01:02] Yeah. I am the Communications Director for Marshall County Tourism and Sports AKA Explore Lake Guntersville. I promote all things like Guntersville in the surrounding area in Marshall County.
Melea Hames: [00:01:14] Perfect. Haley is a great part of tourism here in North Alabama. I'm so excited for her to share her knowledge with us today. Let's just jump right in. How about it?
Haley Rutland: [00:01:27] Sounds good.
Melea Hames: [00:01:28] Yeah. The Sand Mountain Waterpark is in your area. This park is fairly new. When did it open?
Haley Rutland: [00:01:35] It actually opened up last year? Yes. The whole summit and park and amphitheater opened up last year. It has been a big, big hit to our area.
Melea Hames: [00:01:44] Awesome. It's relatively new then. What can we expect at the waterpark?
Haley Rutland: [00:01:50] The waterpark is really, really great actually. It has 225-foot water sides that twist and turn all the way down into a pool. One of them is open and one of them is closed. There's over a 600-foot lazy river that you can float throughout the whole park. It has a vortex pool, a pool with a volleyball net and basketball goal for if you want a little friendly competition with your friends and family. It has lots of shaded areas. A splash pad with lots of fun spray things that the kids will just eat up. Lots of lounge chairs if you just want to lay out and get some vitamin D. It has a three-lane lap pool, vortex pool. It has poolside concessions if you need to stop and get some water, snacks or any kind of drinks.
If you also purchase your day pass, which day passes or $15, if you purchase a day pass, you get to explore the rest of Sand Mountain Park including the indoor Aquatic Center which has an eight-lane pool and dive boards – the whole nine yards. They also have wet locker rooms and showers for your convenience if you want to wash off all of the day’s good fun.
Melea Hames: [00:03:07] Wow. That sounds amazing. Now you mentioned that it is part of the Sand Mountain Park and amphitheater. What else is there to do with this park besides the waterpark and the Aquatic Centre?
Haley Rutland: [00:03:20] They have a walking trail throughout the whole park. They have an amphitheater that has tons of concerts every year. Last week they had Skid Row and Nelly. On Friday and Saturday nights in a couple of weeks, they'll have Martina McBride, Dam and Rio, Lee Briars, Travis Tritt to name a few.
Melea Hames: [00:03:41] Wow.
Haley Rutland: [00:03:42] Yes.
Melea Hames: [00:03:42] That sounds really cool. You can do all kinds of things at Sand Mountain Park.
Haley Rutland: [00:03:46] Yes, it's been a great asset to our community, and people just love it.
Melea Hames: [00:03:42] That is so cool. It is absolutely beautiful. I mean, it looks like something that you would find on an island or at the beach or something. I mean, it really is a great place to escape.
Haley Rutland: [00:04:03] Yes, I love going up there.
Melea Hames: [00:04:06] Now there's another relatively new waterpark over in Leesburg near the Georgia line. That's the Pirates Bay at Chestnut Bay and Great Escapes RV Resort at Chestnut Bay. It is right on Weiss Lake. It opened in 2018. Again, it's fairly new. They've got five water slides, they've got body slides that kind of twist over each other kind of looks like a little twisted breadstick to look at the water slides the way they intertwine there. They're like speed slides. They've got two pools. They've got a waterfall at one of the pools. They've got a kid's water zone for littles. It has a splash area and a playground. They even have some offshore fun as they call it. There's a mini-golf and table tennis. Of course, they have snacks and full meals at the dining pavilion. a gift shop. I love that you could either stay in a rental home at the campground or in a cabin. You could make a whole weekend of this which would be really cool.
Another fun waterpark. On the opposite side of our region is the Red Bay Waterpark. This waterpark has three pools, two big water slides, and an interactive splash pad area for little kids under 4 feet tall. There's also a playground and a walking trail outside of the waterpark for a lot of fun too. Those are some other water parks to explore.
Now, this next waterpark is definitely my favorite because it's minutes from my house. Point Mallard Waterpark in Decatur has been open for over 50 years and it even has America's first wave pool, the first wave pool in the country. Now I know you've been to this waterpark, right, Haley?
Haley Rutland: [00:05:57] Yes, I haven't been since COVID probably. I can't even remember what year I went. But honestly, it was so much fun to put myself out there. I am not originally from North Alabama, but I'm around the Auburn area. When I was growing up, there was a waterpark in Auburn. When I went to Point Mallard, it reminded me of all the times that I spend at the one in Auburn in the slides and the wave pool, the lazy river, all that stuff. It was such a nostalgic moment for me. I had so much fun there. Even though I didn't jump off the giant diving boards, if you will, 10-year-old Haley would have definitely done that.
Melea Hames: [00:06:36] Yeah. I have never jumped off of the really big platform diving boards either. Yeah, that's just a little bit too dare devilish for me. I've done the other diving boards, but not those platforms. Those are pretty serious. You see people doing flips off of them too.
Haley Rutland: [00:07:01] I remember watching out the kids do it. I'm like, yeah, not anymore.
Melea Hames: [00:06:36] Yeah. No, I'll be a spectator for that. Yeah, Point Mallard, I've had season passes there for, gosh, over 15 years now. I love to go every summer. I mean, it's literally 10 minutes from my house. I go on the weekends and relax at the wave pool and read a book and take a nap and cool off when I get too hot and it’s a lot of fun
Haley Rutland: [00:07:30] Sure. Chill.
Melea Hames: [00:07:35] Yes, it is. They have an Olympic-sized pool. There's a kid's area, with a squirt factory in the duck pond. I love the little twisty water slides. They've got speed slides. One of my favorite things too is what they call the toilet bowl. Have you written that?
Haley Rutland: [00:07:54] I didn't do that. I don’t remember that.
Melea Hames: [00:07:57] You go down the slide and then it shoots you into this bowl-like area and you'll go around a few times and then you'll drop into a pool. Yeah, it's a lot of fun.
Haley Rutland: [00:08:11] I had to go back so I can do that.
Melea Hames: [00:08:13] Yes. It's pretty cool. The first time, it's a little bit scary because you don't really know what to expect. Because the slide is enclosed on the way down. It's like what is coming? Then yeah, it's a lot of fun.
Haley Rutland: [00:08:29] Toilet bowl, that's so fun.
Melea Hames: [00:08:13] It has another name. But everybody just affectionately refers to it as the toilet bowl. You just spin around and then you just drop into the pool.
Haley Rutland: [00:08:42] I get it. That visual image there.
Melea Hames: [00:08:49] There's a sky pond, I love the lazy river. Like you said that Sand Mountain Park has you can just kind of get in there and just float around. Yeah.
Haley Rutland: [00:08:59] Yes. Just relaxing. Just getting tube and float.
Melea Hames: [00:09:04] That area is really cool too because they've got a little splash pad area for little kids. I've noticed they've put up colorful canopies over some of their chairs. If you've got little kids, you want to get them in the shade for a little bit to cool off, that's a good place to go. They have a beach area, they have sandy beach area that's really cool. That's a lot of fun. Now the next waterpark on our list is Spring Valley Beach Waterpark in Burnsville. This is probably my second favorite waterpark. This park is amazing. It is on 25 acres and they have a two-acre pool.
Haley Rutland: [00:09:48] Oh wow.
Melea Hames: [00:09:49] Yeah. One pool is two acres big.
Haley Rutland: [00:09:52] That’s pretty massive.
Melea Hames: [00:09:53] It is incredible. Yeah, it's quite a sight to see. Their slides go into the pool. There's a kiddie play station that dumps water on you. There's a bell that'll ring. All the kids will run over. Then this big bucket of water that's been filling up will then dump on them. Yeah, the kids love that.
Haley Rutland: [00:10:13] That was fun.
Melea Hames: [00:10:15] Yeah. There's another ride called the 360 Rush. I did not ride this. My niece rode this one. You're standing there, and it just drops you into this tube. You just stand in there and then the bottom comes out from under you and you go down this tube. Then you end up spinning around, like the toilet bowl at Point Mallard. But yeah, it's definitely for the thrill-seekers. I did not do that one. To me, it was a little too much falling.
Haley Rutland: [00:10:54] I get that.
Melea Hames: [00:10:55] Yeah.
Haley Rutland: [00:10:56] I think I can picture that too. I've seen some videos of some similar water slides like that.
Melea Hames: [00:11:02] Yeah, they'll give you a little I think there's a little bell or a little beeping sound. Then you know that you're about to drop.
Haley Rutland: [00:11:12] Well, that's fun.
Melea Hames: [00:11:14] I mean, for this summer, they've got a new four-person tube slide. I saw a picture of it online, and it looks pretty amazing. You all have to try that.
Haley Rutland: [00:11:24] That sounds like fun. I've always heard about that waterpark, but I have not been to it. Let's put that on my North Alabama bucket list.
Melea Hames: [00:11:34] Yes, you definitely need to. Yeah, it is a lot of fun. It's out in the middle of nowhere. You're driving and you're thinking, are we lost? Then all of a sudden, there it is. It is so amazing. One really cool thing about Spring Valley Beach is that you can bring your own food. Most of these other waterparks will not allow outside food or drinks. But you can bring food. They've got pavilions that are close to the pool. You can even grill. They've got grills there. Yeah, grill out.
Haley Rutland: [00:12:06] It's a whole day experience.
Melea Hames: [00:12:07] Yeah, it's a lot of fun. Of course, they have concessions as well. But yeah, that is one neat feature at Spring Valley Beach. Then they've got a lot of other little twisty slides that are a lot of fun. Then there's this other slide. I can't think of what the name of it is. But you start off and it's this really steep hill that you go down in a float. Then you go back up. Then anyway, you seesaw there for a little bit. Again, I did not do that. My niece did that one. No, not that much of a thrill from afar.
Haley Rutland: [00:12:42] Hey just watch a seeker.
Melea Hames: [00:12:43] Yeah. She is definitely more of a daredevil than I am.
Haley Rutland: [00:12:48] That's fun.
Melea Hames: [00:12:51] Now, the last waterpark on our list is the brand new Wildwater in Cullman. It is opening in just a few days for the very first time. It is brand-spankin' new. It has a wave pool. We'll have another wave pool here in North Alabama. It's called The Rip Tide. There's the splash station for kids that has eight slides. They also have a lazy river called the drifting river. Again, you can just coast around the park. They've got several slides that sound really fun. There's one called the Torque, which is it they've named it the fastest slide. There's the Sideswipe. There's the Blitz, and they say that's for people who love fast. The Turbo Twister, the Rally Racer that you can compete with your friends. You can get in and see who can get down the fastest. The Blue Hurricane has quick turns and the cannon bowl which is the toilet bowl at Point Mallard. Yeah. That sounds like a lot of fun. I've seen pictures of it and it just looks just so amazing.
Haley Rutland: [00:14:07] That does sound fun. That's another one to put on my bucket list.
Melea Hames: [00:14:11] Yes, I know. We should do a waterpark tour. Parks on the job. Somebody's got to do it.
Haley Rutland: [00:14:17] You got to add that to all your trails, a waterpark trail.
Melea Hames: [00:14:21] Yeah. There we go. I like the way you're thinking there. They've also got lots of food and drinks at the Oasis Bistro, the Gully, or the Iceberg. Lots of splashing and splashing and rushing down water slides and eating and drinking. Yeah, tons of fun. Haley, now that we've talked about all these waterparks and the different features, what is your favorite thing to do at the waterpark?
Haley Rutland: [00:14:52] 10-year-old Haley would be at the top of those giant slides and the ones that go straight down that your whole body lifts off the slide. But 27-year-old Haley is definitely going to be in the lazy river just fledging and relaxing.
Melea Hames: [00:15:11] Yeah. I agree with you. Yeah. It's funny how when we get older, we're yeah, let's just chill.
Haley Rutland: [00:15:20] That is me. I am very laid back and I just want to chill.
Melea Hames: [00:15:27] Okay. Well, we always ask our Facebook followers what questions they want to ask on our podcast. This is the winning question today. Which waterparks have a lazy river? As we've mentioned, Point Mallard has a lazy river, the Sand Mountain waterpark has a lazy river, and then Wildwater in Cullman. There are three parks that have the lazy river. If y'all like chilling as we do, then those three, that's where you want to go for the lazy rivers. Most of the water parks open on Memorial Day weekend. They go through Labor Day weekend. But as always, you want to check for hours and times before you travel to a water park. This episode was so fun, and it makes me want to leave the office and head straight to the pool and relax.
Haley Rutland: [00:16:20] Oh yes.
Melea Hames: [00:16:23] We should just grab our beach towels and go, right?
Haley Rutland: [00:16:25] Definitely. I’m on my way.
Melea Hames: [00:16:28] Thank you so much for joining us today, Haley. You had great insight about the water parks in North Alabama. Now for our listeners out there, where can they find you on social media?
Haley Rutland: [00:16:39] You can find us @ExploreLakeGuntersville on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and TikTok.
Melea Hames: [00:16:47] Perfect. North Alabama social platforms are linked in the description. Thanks for joining us and we'll be back next time with more about Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama.
This has been another episode of the Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama Podcast, part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network hosted by Melea Hames and produced by Relic.
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