Remember Wet ‘n’ Wild on the Las Vegas Strip? — PHOTOS

Remembering Wet 'n' Wild on the Las Vegas Strip

Haley Slack experiences the fast spinning effect of the Royal Flush ride at Wet n Wild on Las Vegas Boulevard. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Visitors ride the Raging Rapids attraction at Wet 'n' Wild on Las Vegas Boulevard in 1988. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Visitors enjoy some summer fun in this undated photo at Wet 'n' Wild on Las Vegas Boulevard near the Sahara. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Crowds enjoy the water and sun at Wet 'n' Wild on Las Vegas Boulevard in 1988. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Visitors experience the Royal Flush at Wet 'n' Wild on Las Vegas Boulevard. The attraction sent riders down a chute and then spun them around a bowl at speeds of up to 45 mph. (Wet 'n' Wild)

A rider hits the water after sliding down a ride at Wet 'n' Wild on Las Vegas Boulevard in 1988. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Family members spend time together at Wet 'n' Wild on Las Vegas Boulevard in this undated photo. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

An aerial view of Wet 'n' Wild on the Las Vegas Strip. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Guests wait to ride the Hydra Maniac attraction at Wet 'n' Wild on Las Vegas Boulevard in this undated photo. (Las Vegas News Bureau)

An aerial view of the children's playground at Wet 'n' Wild on the Las Vegas Strip. (Las Vegas News Bureau)

The Wet n Wild Water Playground. (Las Vegas Review-Journal/File)

The snack bar at Wet 'n' Wild on the Las Vegas Strip near the Sahara. (Las Vegas News Bureau)

Guests float down the lazy river at Wet 'n' Wild on Las Vegas Boulevard in 1988. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Guests cool off in the wave pool at Wet 'n' Wild on Las Vegas Boulevard in 1989. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Wet 'n' Wild visitors line up at the snack bar in 1986. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Guests enjoy a ride at Wet 'n' Wild on Las Vegas Boulevard in 1989. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Lifeguard Natalie Murphy watches guests swim in the lazy river at Wet 'n' Wild on Las Vegas Boulevard (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Guests do their best to keep cool at Wet 'n' Wild on Las Vegas Boulevard in 1985. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Visitors ride inner tubes on the lazy river at Wet 'n' Wild on Las Vegas Boulevard in 1985. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Two riders race to the bottom of a slide at Wet 'n' Wild on Las Vegas Boulevard in 1988. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Guests carry inner tubes to the top of a ride at Wet 'n' Wild on the Las Vegas Strip. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Friends talk to each other through a waterfall at Wet 'n' Wild on Las Vegas Boulevard during a special Jerry Lewis Labor Day telethon party. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

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By Paul Pearson / Las Vegas Review-Journal

June 20, 2022 - 1:31 pm

Updated June 23, 2022 - 8:45 am

Officially, summer began on Tuesday, but no one would blame Nevadans for thinking it arrived much sooner than that.

Lots of people turn to water parks to beat the triple-digit heat, and those who grew up in the Las Vegas Valley during a certain era will recall one park in particular: the city’s original Wet ‘n’ Wild on the Las Vegas Strip next to the Sahara.

That park was built in 1984 and closed its doors in 2004. Wet ‘n’ Wild found a new home in 2013 in southwest Las Vegas, where it was rechristened as Cowabunga Canyon this past March following an ownership change.

But if you would like to recall the Strip’s version of a water park, check out our photo gallery above.

Contact Paul Pearson at ppearson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @EditorPaulP on Twitter.

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