Alabama Adventure & Splash Adventure
An amusement and water park complex in Bessemer, Alabama.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Alabama Adventure & Splash Adventure is a seasonal amusement and water park complex in Bessemer, Alabama. The property began as VisionLand, a publicly supported regional development project intended to create a major family attraction near Birmingham. Eleven municipalities participated in the West Jefferson Amusement and Public Park Authority, which borrowed funds with assistance from the Alabama Legislature. Construction began in March 1997, and the park opened on May 23, 1998. The original development combined several distinct visitor zones. Celebration City served as the theme-park area, Steel Waters provided water attractions, Marvel City targeted younger children, and Main Street supplied shopping and dining. The park added attractions during its first years, including the Wild River Gorge rapids ride and a dinosaur-themed walk-through exhibit. Despite the scale of the original project, attendance and financial performance were insufficient to support the public debt structure. VisionLand entered Chapter 9 bankruptcy in 2002, and the property was subsequently acquired by Southland Entertainment Group for $5.25 million. Under Southland, the park reopened in 2003 with revised names and a more explicitly divided amusement-and-water-park offer. Magic Adventure Theme Park, Splash Beach Water Park, Marvel City, and Celebration Street formed the core of the relaunch. New attractions included Wild Scrambler, the Kahuna Waves wave pool, Acapulco Drop, and later Splashdown!. Guests could buy admission to either section or a combined ticket. The park continued rebuilding its attraction portfolio, adding the relocated Zoomerang roller coaster and restoring a log-flume attraction in 2005. Southland announced a further rebrand to Alabama Adventure in 2006, accompanied by plans for lodging, an indoor water park, an RV facility, concerts, and other adjacent development. Some of those plans were not fully realized, but the rebranding and concert programming helped reposition the property as a broad regional entertainment destination. In 2008, Southland sold the park to Adrenaline Family Entertainment, a group associated with former Six Flags executives. The new operator invested in water attractions, theatrical entertainment, and combined admission, while the park used names including Alabama Adventure Water and Theme Park. Ownership changed again in 2012 when General Attractions LLC acquired the property. That year the amusement-park section was closed, and the operating brand became Splash Adventure. The site concentrated on water attractions, adding Mist-ical Maze, Wipeout Adventure Course, a zip line, and seasonal dive-in movies. In March 2014, Koch Family Parks, founded by former Holiday World & Splashin' Safari executives Dan Koch and Natalie Koch, purchased the park. The new ownership restored a dry-ride component, particularly for children, and gradually rebuilt the combined amusement-and-water-park proposition. The park’s later development included the 2015 reopening of Rampage after a complete restoration, additional family rides in 2018, and new attractions such as Freefall, Galleon, and Twister in 2019. In 2020, the park announced Rocket Racer, a six-lane mat-racing water slide for the 2021 season. The 2022 season brought Cheddar Chase, a relocated wild mouse coaster, children’s self-powered bicycles, and the renaming of Castaway Island to Cocoa Island. The brand today represents a regional family-entertainment venue combining water slides, pools, children’s areas, rides, seasonal events, and food and retail services.
History
The attraction originated as VisionLand, a large public-private regional tourism project in the Birmingham metropolitan area. Fairfield mayor Larry Langford was a prominent advocate, and eleven municipalities joined the West Jefferson Amusement and Public Park Authority. With assistance from the Alabama Legislature, the authority borrowed $60 million for development. Construction began in March 1997, and VisionLand opened on May 23, 1998. The original park was organized around Celebration City Theme Park, Steel Waters Water Park, the children’s Marvel City area, and Main Street, a shopping and dining district. Its early expansion included the Wild River Gorge rapids attraction in 1999. A dinosaur walk-through exhibit called Dino Domain was also constructed, although it closed after one season. Wild River Gorge returned with adjustments in 2001, the same year that the Stratosfear Screamer twin-tower attraction was introduced. The project’s public financing proved difficult to sustain. VisionLand filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy in 2002. Themeparks LLC, an operator connected with Kentucky Kingdom, considered purchasing the property but withdrew when the required price became too high. Southland Entertainment Group ultimately acquired the park for $5.25 million. The acquisition followed a substantial loss relative to the public funds used to create the development. Southland reopened the property in 2003 with the Visionland name rendered with a lowercase l and with revised operating identities: Magic Adventure Theme Park, Splash Beach Water Park, Marvel City, and Celebration Street. The company added Wild Scrambler, Kahuna Waves, Acapulco Drop, and later Splashdown!. Guests could purchase access to one park or a combination ticket. In 2005, Zoomerang, a Vekoma Boomerang coaster relocated from Sydney, Australia, became the first new roller coaster since the original opening. A former log flume also returned under the name Cahaba Falls and was later known as Woodchuck Run. Southland announced the Alabama Adventure rebrand in 2006. Its proposed development program included a hotel with an indoor water park, an RV park, and other adjacent amenities. The company also launched a summer concert series and changed Magic Adventure to Magic City USA as part of a new thematic direction. The park added Vertigo and Salamander Bay in 2007. Southland sold the property in 2008 to Adrenaline Family Entertainment, while retaining a focus on developing adjacent land. Adrenaline added UpSurge! in 2009, a large WhiteWater West flume-slide attraction ending in a splash pool. The operator also combined the amusement and water parks under one ticket price. In 2010, the park introduced Beat Street theatrical entertainment in the new Star Theater and promoted itself as Alabama Adventure Water and Theme Park. Buzzsaw Falls was added in 2011 but operated for only one season before being transferred to another park. On January 5, 2012, General Attractions LLC acquired the park. On April 5, the operator announced that the amusement section would close, leaving a water-park-focused operation under the Splash Adventure name. The 2012 additions included Mist-ical Maze, Wipeout Adventure Course, and a zip line, while Kahuna Waves hosted scheduled dive-in movies. Koch Family Parks purchased the property in March 2014. Under the new ownership, children’s dry rides were added and the combined amusement-and-water-park model gradually returned. Rampage, the signature wooden coaster, reopened after restoration in 2015. The 2018 season added several family rides and a children’s water-slide complex, along with an autumn festival. The 2019 season brought Freefall, Galleon, and Twister. Rocket Racer was announced in December 2020 for the 2021 season. In 2022, Cheddar Chase and children’s self-powered bicycles were introduced, and Castaway Island was renamed Cocoa Island.
- 2022
Cheddar Chase and Cocoa Island
[1]Cheddar Chase and children’s bicycles were added, while Castaway Island was renamed Cocoa Island.
- 2020
Rocket Racer announced
[1]The park announced a six-lane mat-racing water slide for the following season.
- 2019
Freefall, Galleon, and Twister debut
[1]Three new attractions expanded the water-slide and family-ride portfolio.
- 2018
Family attractions and autumn festival added
[1]The park expanded its family-ride and children’s water offerings and introduced a weekend autumn festival.
- 2015
Rampage reopens
[1]The signature wooden roller coaster returned after a complete restoration.
- 2014
Koch Family Parks purchases the park
[1]Koch Family Parks acquired the property and began rebuilding its family-ride offering.
- 2012
Amusement section closes
[1]The park shifted to a water-focused operation and adopted the Splash Adventure name.
- 2008
Adrenaline Family Entertainment takes ownership
[1]Southland sold the park to Adrenaline Family Entertainment.
- 2006
Alabama Adventure rebrand announced
[1]Southland announced a new brand identity and broader development plans.
- 2005
Zoomerang opens
[1]The relocated Vekoma Boomerang roller coaster joined the ride lineup.
Products and positioning
A regional, family-oriented amusement and water park offering a mix of thrill rides, children’s attractions, water slides, pools, seasonal entertainment, and special events in the Birmingham-area market.
Wooden roller coaster · 1998
Rampage
The park’s signature wooden roller coaster. Rampage was restored and reopened in 2015, serving as the principal traditional thrill ride in the amusement-park portion.
Water slide · 2021
Rocket Racer
A six-lane mat-racing water slide announced for the 2021 season. The attraction was promoted as a major expansion of the water park and as a competitive racing experience for groups.
Wave pool · 2003
Kahuna Waves
A large wave-pool attraction introduced during the 2003 reopening. It became one of the water park’s central aquatic attractions and was also used for scheduled dive-in movie events.
Water slide · 2019
Freefall
A 75-foot water slide added for the 2019 season as part of a broader expansion of the water-ride portfolio.
Wild mouse roller coaster · 2022
Cheddar Chase
A wild mouse roller coaster relocated from Lake Winnepesaukah in Georgia and introduced at Alabama Adventure for the 2022 season.
Children’s water-play area
Cocoa Island
The renamed children’s water attraction formerly known as Castaway Island. The area is part of the park’s family-focused aquatic offering.
Marketing campaigns
- 2020Rocket Racer teaser campaign
United States
The park ran a month-long teaser campaign before revealing Rocket Racer on Christmas Day as a planned 2021 attraction.
Outcome. The campaign positioned the slide as the park’s largest water-park expansion to date.
- 2018Autumn festival
United States
The park introduced a weekend autumn festival in October, extending seasonal programming beyond the primary summer operating period.
Outcome. The festival became part of the park’s seasonal-events strategy.
- 2012Dive-In Movie nights
United States
Splash Adventure scheduled movies at Kahuna Waves on Friday nights from Memorial Day weekend through the end of July.
Outcome. The program added an evening-events component to the water-focused operating model.
- 2010Beat Street theatrical entertainment
United States
The park promoted casting for Beat Street, an indoor theatrical production intended to broaden entertainment beyond rides and slides.
Outcome. The show premiered in the new Star Theater during the 2010 season.
- 2006Alabama Adventure rebrand and concert series
United States
Southland promoted a new Alabama Adventure identity while announcing a summer concert series and plans for lodging, an indoor water park, and an RV park.
Outcome. The rebrand continued into subsequent seasons, and the concert series became an annual event.
Brand decisions
2014
Koch Family Parks acquisitionM&ABackground
The park required a new long-term ownership and investment strategy after its water-focused period.
Action taken
Koch Family Parks purchased the property and began adding children’s and family dry rides.
Aftermath
The park gradually returned to a combined amusement-and-water-park format.
2012
Close the amusement-park sectionStrategyBackground
After another ownership change, the operator chose to concentrate resources on the water-park business.
Action taken
The amusement section closed and the property reopened as Splash Adventure with water rides as its principal offer.
Aftermath
Koch Family Parks later restored a dry-ride component after acquiring the park in 2014.
2009
Combine both parks under one ticketStrategyBackground
The operator was expanding Splash Beach while seeking to increase the value of the overall property.
Action taken
Admission to the amusement and water-park sections was combined into one ticket price.
Aftermath
The integrated model supported the park’s positioning as a combined family-entertainment destination.
2006
Adopt the Alabama Adventure identityStrategyBackground
Southland sought to reposition the property as a broader regional destination rather than only a collection of rides.
Action taken
The park announced the Alabama Adventure brand and a development program involving entertainment, lodging, and adjacent visitor amenities.
Aftermath
The identity was used in later marketing and operating names, although the full adjacent-development program was not documented as complete.
2003
Reopen with separate and combined park admissionStrategyBackground
The new operator sought to rebuild the property after bankruptcy and clarify the amusement and water-park propositions.
Action taken
The park reopened with revised identities and offered tickets for either section or both sections together.
Aftermath
The combined attraction model remained central to subsequent operating strategies.
2002
Enter Chapter 9 bankruptcyOtherBackground
The original VisionLand financing and operating model was unable to support the publicly backed development.
Action taken
The park filed for Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy protection.
Aftermath
Southland Entertainment Group acquired the property and prepared a revised reopening.
Sources2 sources
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