Hattiesburg Zoo to bring $10.5 million water park to south Mississippi in 2023

HATTIESBURG, Mississippi — By this time subsequent yr, residents in south Mississippi are anticipated to have a brand new summer season getaway vacation spot close by.

The Hattiesburg Zoo has introduced the start of development this month of Part I of what is going to finally be Serengeti Springs — a $10.5 million water park constructed on 3.5 acres of Kamper Park, which is able to lead to an expantion of the zoo’s present Africa part.

Among the many options of Part 1 of the brand new water park would be the “Fusion Fortress” water play space, a 150,000-gallon lazy river, swim-up pool and bar, pavilions and cabanas. There will even be a present store, altering rooms with showers and lockers, workers workplaces and different facilities.

The Fusion Fortress space will function 9 slides of various heights and what the zoo says is the “quickly to be well-known” Serengeti Swirl. There will even be a number of water-play areas and two bucket dump stations, all themed in step with the animal and setting of the adjoining Africa space.

The big bucket would be the tallest construction at Serengeti Springs at 62 toes excessive, dumping 800 gallons of water onto Fusion Fortress at set intervals. A smaller bucket will dump 475 gallons of water onto the world. Zoo officers be aware the water for the park shall be handled and recycled, with solely a small quantity of water misplaced resulting from evaporation every day.

Beneath Fusion Fortress would be the Life Flooring, a cushioned flooring space that’s anti-microbial and has a zero water stage (no standing water). The Life Flooring and across the Fusion Fortress shall be an extra 19 spray toys.

Most areas of the parks shall be handicap-accessible, though there shall be some points of interest which would require company to climb stairs. The lazy river will function a zero-entry seashore, accessible to all company.

The zoo will present particular animal shows contained in the water park, with some tropical animals residing inside Serengeti Springs.

Meals vehicles and kiosks shall be within the park, together with grownup drinks for company 21 and older. Serengeti Springs is predicted to function day by day from Memorial Day by way of Labor Day annually, with extra weekends doable primarily based on climate circumstances.

Free parking for Serengeti Springs shall be on the south facet of the water park, accessible from Park Avenue off Hardy Avenue.

A four-slide tower shall be a part of Part 2, development of which is ready to start inside 2-4 years after the Part 1 opening.

Building of the water park is being funded by the Hattiesburg Conference Fee and derived from earned revenues and the Metropolis of Hattiesburg’s 2% restaurant tax. Officers say Serengeti Springs, as soon as opened, shall be self-sustaining and worthwhile.

The water park is predicted to create 6-8 everlasting jobs, with as much as 75 seasonal positions, together with StarGuard Elite-certified lifeguards tasked with making certain the park meets or exceeds water park security necessities.

Ticket costs haven’t been set, however zoo officers say affordability is a precedence. There shall be a number of ticket choices and can embody tickets with admission to each the zoo and the water park.

As soon as opened, Serengeti Springs will be a part of Gulf Islands Waterpark in Gulfport, Buccaneer Bay in Waveland and the Aquatics Heart indoor water park on the Kroc Heart in Biloxi because the accessible water parks in south Mississippi.