Water Parks
From 1979 through 2013, there were one or two water parks in Weirs Beach. They are now HISTORY. There are now no operating water parks in Weirs Beach.
HISTORY OF THE WEIRS BEACH WATER SLIDE
At the very entrance to Weirs Beach was the first water park, the Weirs Beach Water Slide, which opened in June, 1979. It was in operation for 35 years. There were four slides, which actually passed around, and through, a giant volcano! The slides and volcano were torn down in the spring of 2014. In 2017, the lot became the Boardwalk Bar & Grill.
Weirs Beach Water Slide brochure, 1985
History of the Surf Coaster
The second water park in Weirs Beach also no longer exists. It was in operation for 24 years. Built on the site of the Golf-O-Rama mini-golf course, this water park, Surf Coaster U.S.A., which opened on July 1, 1983, was consistently rated by travel guides as one of the best in New England. The park featured a variety of slides, including “Thunder & Lightning,” twin, 125-foot tall high-speed body slides; “Hurricane & Tornado,” two super-fast slides with a 4 second ride; “Monster & Beast,” twin, 400-foot long, enclosed-body, winding slides; and “Crazy River,” an inner-tube ride. The park also featured a huge, 500,000 gallon wave pool, and a kiddie “spray ground”, which included kid-sized slides, geysers, and fountains.
The park was sold by the orginal owner, Peter Saalfrank, in 2001. After five money-losing seasons in a row, the new owner, Rick Hassler, closed the park after the 2006 season. After a suspicious fire in October, 2016 burned down the main building, the slides were finally torn down during the following winter of 2016-2017.
The former park has been for sale for many years. The 13.2-acre property, located at 1085 White Oaks Road, is in fact three lots. The three lots have 580-feet of frontage on Rte 11-B (Endicott Street East), and about 1,500-feet on White Oaks Road. One possible use is as a resort hotel, but there have been no takers.
To view the property, leave Weirs Beach, turn left at the Weirs Beach sign, cross the bridge over the Weirs Channel, and head straight onto Route 11-B. In about 100 feet, turn right onto White Oaks Road, climb the hill, and you will see the former grounds of the Surf Coaster on your left. It’s a little bit of a walk from Weirs Beach, but still manageable.