Sandcastle Waterpark
Encyclopedia
Sandcastle is a water park
located in the Pittsburgh
suburb of West Homestead
. The park is located on a 67 acres (271,139.6 m²) piece of land along the banks of the Monongahela River
. Sandcastle is owned by Parques Reunidos
, who purchased Kennywood Entertainment. The company runs its original sister parks, Kennywood
, Idlewild Park, and Lake Compounce
. The park contains fourteen water slides, several swimming pools, and a handful of other attractions.
. In 1988, Kennywood Entertainment bought the land and began construction on the park. Sandcastle officially opened for business in July 1989. The park was originally supposed to be called Splashdown, however park executives decided on Sandcastle.
, a hot tub and an area of water slides and water attractions designed specifically for children called Wet Willies. The park also features an entertainment complex called The Sandbar and a marina
. In January 2007, the Chevrolet Amphitheatre
, formerly known as the IC Light Amphitheatre, under plans by concert promoter Live Nation, was disassembled. According to new design plans, the new amphitheater will rest between Sandcastle's west perimeter and the Waterfront section of Homestead Borough along the Monongahela River
. Sandcastle already had an existing amphitheatre on the property, but was outdated and was seldom used.
, a large shopping complex with stores, restaurants, and movie theaters. The park can be easily accessed via Interstate 376
, and one PAT Transit
bus line, the 59 Mon Valley (which also runs past Sandcastle's sister park Kennywood) runs near the park, but does not run up to it.
Water park
A waterpark is an amusement park that features waterplay areas, such as water slides, splash pads, spraygrounds , lazy rivers, or other recreational bathing, swimming, and barefooting environments...
located in the Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
suburb of West Homestead
West Homestead, Pennsylvania
West Homestead is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh, on the Monongahela River. Heavy industries associated with nearby steel mills existed here. Established were axle works, brickworks, and manufactories of machinery, car wheels, etc. In 1910, 3,009 people lived...
. The park is located on a 67 acres (271,139.6 m²) piece of land along the banks of the Monongahela River
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
. Sandcastle is owned by Parques Reunidos
Parques Reunidos
Parques Reunidos is an international entertainment operator based in Madrid, Spain. The group operates over 50 parks in almost a dozen countries. Parques Reunidos operates theme and amusement parks, zoos, water parks, family entertainment centers, and cable cars...
, who purchased Kennywood Entertainment. The company runs its original sister parks, Kennywood
Kennywood
Kennywood is an amusement park located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The park first opened in 1898 as a "trolley park" at the end of the Monongahela Street Railway. The park was purchased in 1906 by F. W. Henninger and Andrew McSwigan and thus began the Kennywood...
, Idlewild Park, and Lake Compounce
Lake Compounce
Lake Compounce is an amusement park located in Bristol, Connecticut, United States and a part of the neighboring town of Southington, Connecticut; the lake itself lies completely in Southington. It is the oldest continuously operating amusement park in North America, having operated every year...
. The park contains fourteen water slides, several swimming pools, and a handful of other attractions.
History
The site where Sandcastle currently sits was formerly a railroad yard for U.S. SteelU.S. Steel
The United States Steel Corporation , more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States, Canada, and Central Europe. The company is the world's tenth largest steel producer ranked by sales...
. In 1988, Kennywood Entertainment bought the land and began construction on the park. Sandcastle officially opened for business in July 1989. The park was originally supposed to be called Splashdown, however park executives decided on Sandcastle.
Current Attractions
The park has a total of 14 water slides including 3 speed slides. Other slides include the Blue Tooba Looba (which replaced Bermuda Triangle, the only closed slide in the park), Thunder Run, Tubers Tower and Cliffhangers. Other attractions at Sandcastle include a "lazy river," a large swimming pool, Mon-Tsunami, a wave poolWave pool
A wave pool is a swimming pool in which there are artificially generated, reasonably large waves, similar to the ocean's. Wave pools are often a major feature of water parks...
, a hot tub and an area of water slides and water attractions designed specifically for children called Wet Willies. The park also features an entertainment complex called The Sandbar and a marina
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
. In January 2007, the Chevrolet Amphitheatre
Chevrolet Amphitheatre
The Trib Total Media Amphitheatre at Station Square is an outdoor music pavilion at Station Square in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The venue has a seating capacity of 5,000 people. In January 2007 it was announced that the amphitheatre would be changing its name to The Amphitheatre at Sandcastle and...
, formerly known as the IC Light Amphitheatre, under plans by concert promoter Live Nation, was disassembled. According to new design plans, the new amphitheater will rest between Sandcastle's west perimeter and the Waterfront section of Homestead Borough along the Monongahela River
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
. Sandcastle already had an existing amphitheatre on the property, but was outdated and was seldom used.
Former Attractions
The only slide ever removed was where The Blue TubaLuba is today. It was called "The Bermuda Triangle". It was a body slide however, it had the same structure as a tube slide. It was removed in the early 2000s because of lack of popularity and Sandcastle needed new attractions.Location
The park is located in West Homestead, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The water park is located down the road from the WaterfrontThe Waterfront
The Waterfront is a super-regional open air shopping mall spanning the three boroughs of Homestead, West Homestead and Munhall near Pittsburgh. The shopping mall sits on land once occupied by U.S. Steel's Homestead Steel Works plant, which closed in 1987. It has a gross leasable area of in "The...
, a large shopping complex with stores, restaurants, and movie theaters. The park can be easily accessed via Interstate 376
Interstate 376
Interstate 376 is a major auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, located entirely within the Allegheny Plateau. It runs from I-80 near Sharon south and east to a junction with the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Monroeville, after having crossed the Turnpike...
, and one PAT Transit
Port Authority of Allegheny County
Port Authority of Allegheny County is the second-largest public transit agency in Pennsylvania and the 11th-largest in the United States. When considering that its service area is the 20th largest in the U.S...
bus line, the 59 Mon Valley (which also runs past Sandcastle's sister park Kennywood) runs near the park, but does not run up to it.