Lake Winnepesaukah
| Slogan | "Come On, Get Happy!" |
|---|---|
| Location | Rossville, Georgia, United States |
| Coordinates | 34°58′35″N 85°14′50″W / 34.97639°N 85.24722°WCoordinates: 34°58′35″N 85°14′50″W / 34.97639°N 85.24722°W |
| Owner | Dixon family |
| Opened | June 1, 1925 |
| Operating season | May – December |
| Area | 280 acres (110 ha) |
| Rides | |
| Total | 38 |
| Roller coasters | 4 |
| Water rides | 4 |
| Website | http://www.lakewinnie.com/ |
Lake Winnepesaukah, commonly known as Lake Winnie, is an amusement park located in Rossville, Georgia, just south of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Carl and Minette Dixon opened the park to over 5,000 guests on June 1, 1925. They named it after the Native American word Winnepesaukah, meaning “bountiful waters” or “beautiful lake of the highlands”. The park originally featured the largest swimming pool in the southeastern United States, which debuted in 1926 and was later removed. Its Boat Chute attraction, designed by Carl Dixon, opened in 1927 and is the oldest mill chute water ride of its kind still in operation in the United States.
In its early years, the park's primary focus was on its water attractions. Later, the park began expanding its dry amusement ride offerings with the introduction of its historic carousel and well-known Cannon Ball roller coaster in the late 1960s. Lake Winnie has grown to over 80 acres (32 ha), featuring 38 rides and a 5-acre (2.0 ha) water park with seven attractions.
In 1924, Carl and Minette Dixon purchased approximately 100 acres (40 ha) surrounding a 9-acre (3.6 ha) lake in Rossville, Georgia. They opened the park on May 30, 1925, entertaining over 5,000 visitors with amenities for boating, fishing, and picnicking. It was named Lake Winnepesaukah in reference to a Native American word that means “bountiful waters” or “beautiful lake of the highlands”. The following year, they opened a 22,000-square-foot (2,000 m2) swimming pool, the largest in the southeastern United States at the time. Carl Dixon later designed a mill chute attraction which began construction in the winter of 1926 and opened as Boat Chute in 1927. The National Amusement Park Historical Association (NAPHA) considers it the oldest operating mill chute in the United States.
In the 1940s and 1950s, several flat rides were added to the park, and in the 1960s, the first roller coasters appeared beginning with Mad Mouse in 1960 and a John C. Allen wooden roller coaster called Cannon Ball in 1967. In the 21st century, the park saw the addition of modern thrill rides such as the drop tower ride OH-Zone! and a compact, looping roller coaster called Fire Ball. The latest addition is the park's SoakYa water park, a 5-acre (2.0 ha) expansion that debuted in 2013.
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