Geauga Lake
Park entrance, 2005
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| Slogan | "2 great parks for the price of 1" |
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| Location | Bainbridge Township and Aurora, Ohio, United States |
| Coordinates | 41°20′54″N 81°22′09″W / 41.34839°N 81.36919°WCoordinates: 41°20′54″N 81°22′09″W / 41.34839°N 81.36919°W |
| Owner | Cedar Fair Entertainment Company |
| Opened | 1887 |
| Closed | September 16, 2007 |
| Previous names | Geauga Lake (1887–2000, 2004) Six Flags Ohio (2000) Six Flags Worlds of Adventure (2001–2003) Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom (2005–2007) |
| Operating season | May through September |
| Area | 550 acres (220 ha) |
| Rides | |
| Total | 54 |
| Roller coasters | 8 |
| Water rides | 2 |
| Website | www.geaugalake.com (archived) |
Geauga Lake was an amusement park in Bainbridge Township and Aurora, Ohio, United States. Established in 1887 in what had been a local recreation area adjacent to a lake of the same name, the first amusement ride was added in 1889, and the park's first roller coaster – later known as the Big Dipper – was built in 1925. In 1969, the park was sold to Funtime, Inc., and was expanded over the years with additional rides and amenities. Further expansion occurred in the mid and late 1990s after Funtime's acquisition by Premier Parks in 1995. Prior to the 2000 season, soon after Premier Parks acquired Six Flags, the park was re-branded as Six Flags Ohio and four new roller coasters were added. A year later, Six Flags bought the adjacent SeaWorld Ohio and combined the two parks under the name Six Flags Worlds of Adventure.
The park changed ownership again in 2004 after a purchase by Cedar Fair. The park's SeaWorld portion was transformed into a water park in 2005, and together they became known as Geauga Lake and Wildwater Kingdom. On September 21, 2007, Cedar Fair announced the closing of the amusement park in 2008, and that the property would operate solely as a water park under the title Wildwater Kingdom. The water park would later close permanently following the 2016 season.
Geauga Lake was originally known as "Picnic Lake" or "Giles Pond." The Geauga Lake area was home to early settlers such as the Staffords, Mark Patterson, Capt. Simon Henry with his wife Rhoda Parsons and their children, Charles Swires, the Brewsters, and Bohan Blair. There is a city park and ballfields on East Boulevard in Aurora, named after this lake. Sullivan Giles chose this area for his log cabin in 1817. He later built a large frame home on the spot behind Geauga Lake depot on the north side of the lake. When the railroad came to town in 1856, it made a stop at "pond station". Giles took advantage of his scenic lake location and, in the last half of the 19th century, established picnic grounds, a dance hall, and other entertainment near his home for the all-day pleasure of residents and those taking the train to the country.
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