GULFPORT -- As uncomfortable as this summer’s hot and dry conditions may be in South Mississippi, it’s ideal water-park weather, said Mark Moore, manager of Gulf Islands Waterpark in Gulfport.
On a good, hot day as many as 1,500 people splash in the pools and ride the slides at the park just off Interstate 10 in Gulfport.
Moore is anticipating a busy Independence Day weekend. “You’re never going to compete with free fireworks,” he said, or family barbecues. But he can offer families a fun way to beat the heat.
“The kids love it,” said Terri Ardeneaux of Pearl River. Her group of four women and several girls was first in line at the park Tuesday to claim the best covered tables. “We come every year,” she said.
Last year the Gulf oil spill boosted local attendance at the water park. This year the hot weather has kept admission about the same, but the difference is the tourists are back, Moore said.
Tam Smith and her family drove over from New Orleans on Tuesday for her son Kyle’s seventh birthday. Other water parks in the region are too big for younger children, she said. “We’re probably going to buy season passes on the way out.”
A six-lane racing slide, the first new water slide for Gulf Islands since the park opened in 2005, should be ready in a few weeks. “There’s a lot of excitement surrounding it,” Moore said. The construction area, separate from the other operations, still provides a view of what is ahead.
Six years after Hurricane Katrina demolished Buccaneer State Park’s water park and wave pool in Hancock County and water slides on beach in Harrison County, Barnacle Bill’s water park and mini-golf course opened this summer at Coast Inn on U.S. 90 in Waveland. Along with two 25-foot water slides, Barnacle Bill’s has a lazy river, a pirate ship, water cannons and kiddie pool.
“The busiest time is 4 to 8 p.m.,” said general manager Deb Ruhr, when a twilight pass is only $10. It’s been a challenge to let people know the water park isn’t only for hotel guests but also is open to the public, she said. “We’re hoping to be packed this weekend.”
Susan Temples of Bogalusa, La., brought her family to Coast Inn for a mini-vacation. The four kids could safely play in the water park, she said, and the beach is only a mile away.
A proposal for another new water park, this one at Breakers Inn on Beach Boulevard in Biloxi, will be outlined today to the city’s Development Review Committee.
