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Zoombezi Bay

Location Icon Ohio
Category Icon Family Fun

Located next to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, this waterpark in Powell, Ohio, is a summer destination for kids of all ages who love waterslides. 

People going down waterslide at Zoombezi Bay in Powell, Ohio (photo courtesy of Columbus Zoo and Aquarium)

Located 20 miles north of Columbus, Ohio, Zoombezi Bay has been making a splash with families since its opening in 2008. The 23-acre waterpark on the property of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium boasts a variety of attractions including the 1,500-foot-long Roaring Rapids Action River, a 540,000-gallon wave pool and the 60-foot-in-diameter Cyclone funnel waterslide.  

Zoombezi Bay sits on the site of the former Wyandot Lake Adventure Park, an amusement park that the Columbus Zoo had owned and operated since 1984. Along with amusement park attractions, Wyandot Lake also had a waterpark with a wave pool and waterslide towers, and when it closed in 2006, some of those elements were retained for use at Zoombezi Bay. 

The park has completed several renovations and expansions since its opening, with some of the most popular being updates made to Baboon Lagoon. The expansive area created for kids has plenty of fun for pint-size visitors, such as a climbable, multilevel treehouse, a variety of slides and a 1,000-gallon tipping water bucket where kids wait anxiously below for a splashdown of cool water. 

Since the zoo owns the waterpark, a portion of all Zoombezi Bay ticket sales support the zoo’s mission of sustainability and conservation, and tickets can be purchased to visit both attractions in the same day. The waterpark is open seasonally from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and to start the 2024 season, the park will host its first Kickoff to Summer event, featuring live entertainment, games and activities for all ages. 

Events continue through the warm season with festivities like Summer Games every Friday night. On these evenings, visitors can enjoy extended park hours under the stars as well as dive-in movie nights, where families can grab an inner tube and enjoy a film together while floating in the wave pool. 4850 W. Powell Rd., Powell, Ohio 43065, 614/645-3400, zoombezibay.com

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