| Blizzard Beach | |
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Opened |
April 1, 1995 |
Blizzard Beach is a water park located at the Walt Disney World Resort.
The park opened on April 1, 1995 and was the third Walt Disney World water park. The theme of the park is the "Disney legend" of a freak snowstorm in the area, leading to the construction of Florida's first ski resort. Naturally, the snow didn't last long, leaving behind a collection of waterlogged but snow-less ski jumps and chair lifts. The failed resort was in the process of closing for good when an alligator was seen sliding down a flume and splashing into a pool of water, screaming "Yahoo!" Thus the "ski resort" was reborn as a water park, with the alligator (named "Ice Gator") as mascot.
In 2009, the park hosted approximately 1.89 million guests, ranking it the second-most visited water park in the world, behind its sister park, Typhoon Lagoon.
The majority of the major attractions at the park are hosted atop of Mount Gushmore, an artificial hill with an elevation of 90 feet (27.4 m), making it the fifth highest point in Florida. Mount Gushmore is split into three colored slopes to aid guests navigating around the park: Green, Red and Purple.
All water areas are heated (at approximately 80 °F or 27 °C) with the exception of the melting snow in the ice cave of Cross Country Creek.
Green Slope[]
The Green Slope attractions (all are single track water slides, and as such are not meant for racing) are found at the uppermost point of Mount Gushmore. They can be accessed by foot, or by chairlift. The chairlift is a one-way ride, except for guests with disabilities.
Purple Slope[]
Access to the Purple Slope attractions (all of which have at least two nearly identical tracks, and as such are designed for racing) is from a pathway next to the catch pool of Downhill Double Dipper.
Red Slope[]
The Red Slope is found at the very rear of the park, containing only one attraction (a multi-slide attraction, but not designed for racing, due to the slides being so different).
Ground Level[]
Restaurants[]
- Avalunch
- Frostbite Freddie's
- Lottawatta Lodge
- Polar Pub
- I.C. Expeditions
- The Cooling Hut
- The Warming Hut
Shopping[]
- North Pearl
- Snowless Joe's
- The Beach Haus