Tag: indoor waterpark

Wilderness at the Smokies resort provides free water safety training during National Water Safety Month

Posted by Rick Laney – May 27, 2010

Sevierville, Tenn. –  Wilderness at the Smokies resort in Sevierville, Tenn. conducted free water safety training programs during National Water Safety Month in May.  The programs, which were available to school groups, community groups and church groups, taught the basics of water safety and rescue techniques.

Because of its commitment to water safety, and the highly trained staff at Wilderness at the Smokies resort, Wilderness at the Smokies management allocated facilities and the water safety staff to the training programs.

“Nothing we do here at Wilderness at the Smokies resort is as important as water safety,” said Dave McGregor, General Manager at Wilderness at the Smokies resort.  “We want our guests to have a great, relaxing experience at our waterparks – but safety will always be our top priority.  Our safety experts are simply the best in the business at what they do, and National Water Safety Month gave us an opportunity to share that with our community.”

Water safety traing at Wilderness at the Smokies Resort.

Each and every lifeguard at Wilderness at the Smokies is Ellis Trained and Certified – and they meet the industry’s absolute highest training standards.  Ellis Training involves some of the most rigorous physical and academic testing in the world – and it doesn’t stop at certification.  Ellis Certification requires that every lifeguard working at Wilderness at the Smokies goes through a safety audit and additional training every year. Over and above the stringent Ellis requirements, Wilderness at the Smokies randomly tests and challenges its lifeguards on a weekly basis to ensure the highest level of safety for our guests.

When you look at the 1,000 waterparks in the United States – and the approximately 80 million people who visit waterparks each and every year – the safety record is extraordinary.  Waterparks continue to provide the absolute safest place for families to play in the water together. Statistically, you are far more likely to be injured riding a bicycle or ironing your clothes than you are at a waterpark.  Compared to other recreational aquatic activities, both guarded and unguarded – including community pools, beaches, lakes, etc. – waterparks have the lowest risk of drowning.  As members of the World Waterpark Association (WWA), Wilderness at the Smokies supports any and all industry efforts to enhance the already amazingly safe environment we provide for our guests.

For more information about Wilderness at the Smokies resort, visit www.WildernessAtTheSmokies.com.  For more information about National Water Safety Month, visit www.WaterSafetyMonth.org.

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Media Contact
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

Southeast’s Largest Indoor and Outdoor Waterpark Opens New Attraction – Runaway Canyon

Posted by Rick Laney – December 8, 2009

Sevierville, Tenn. – Wilderness at the Smokies in East Tennessee, the southeast’s largest indoor and outdoor waterpark resort, opened its newest attraction, Runaway Canyon, last week.  Runaway Canyon is located in the Wild WaterDome indoor waterpark at Wilderness at the Smokies resort.

RunawayCanyonSmallRunaway Canyon is a five-story high enclosed waterslide measuring more than 450-feet and featuring a total drop of almost 60-feet.  Using more than 8,000 gallons of water per minute, Runaway Canyon propels up to four people in rafts through a series of exciting, totally enclosed twists, turns and drops.

Runaway Canyon sends entire families rocketing through winding channels and gargantuan tunnels.  This dark journey has you blasting through water curtains, climbing high onto steeply-banked walls, and leaning into explosive turns, 360-degree loops and pulse-pounding dips.

General Manager David McGregor said Runaway Canyon represents an additional local investment by Wilderness at the Smokies of more than $1 million.

“Our guests are going to love Runaway Canyon,” McGregor said.  “It is an exciting slide for the entire family.  Guests are going to recognize that Wilderness at the Smokies plans to give them something new every time they come to stay with us.”

The name “Runaway Canyon” was selected by fifth grade students at Catlettsburg Elementary School in Sevierville.  With the help of Principal Jerry L. Wear, Wilderness at the Smokies asked students to help them pick the name of the new attraction.  As a reward for selecting the name, fifth graders from Catlettsburg Elementary were among the first people to experience Runaway Canyon when it opened.

Wilderness at the Smokies resort opened in June 2008 with the Stone Hill Lodge and Salamander Springs outdoor waterpark.  Six months later, River Lodge and the 60,000-square-foot Wild WaterDome indoor waterpark were added.  In May 2009, Wilderness at the Smokies expanded again with the addition of Lake Wilderness, the resort’s second outdoor waterpark.  Lake Wilderness features Cataloochee Creek Adventure River, the Wilderness Rapids Wave Pool and a set of poolside cabanas.

Wilderness at the Smokies, located minutes from Interstate 40 and situated in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, is establishing a new standard for family vacations to East Tennessee.  With two outdoor waterparks, an indoor waterpark with a wave pool and surf rider, hot tubs, and countless waterslides and attractions, Wilderness at the Smokies has something for all age groups.  For more information about Wilderness at the Smokies, visit www.WildernessAtTheSmokies.com.

Media Contact
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

Guests invited to jump in the lake at Wilderness

Posted by Rick Laney – August 11, 2009

Sevierville, Tenn. – With summer in full swing and temperatures heating up, guests at Wilderness at the Smokies resort in Sevierville, Tenn. can now navigate the rapids, ride the waves or simply relax in a private poolside cabana – all features of Wilderness at the Smokies’ newest waterpark attraction.  Lake Wilderness, the newest phase of the full-service waterpark resort, is now open to those staying at the resort.

Guests look out from their balcony at one of two outdoor waterparks at Wilderness at the Smokies resort near the Great Smoky Mountains.

Guests look out from their balcony at one of two outdoor waterparks at Wilderness at the Smokies resort near the Great Smoky Mountains.

Wilderness guests can grab a tube and jump in the Lake Wilderness 12,000-square-foot Wave Pool – where waves within the pool can crest as high as five feet.  Also winding around the outdoor waterpark is Cataloochee Creek, a nearly 1,000 foot rapid-moving river with water spray features located along its path.

“We have been extremely pleased with the acceptance and success we have received with the recent opening of the Wild Waterdome Indoor Waterpark, and are excited to further enhance our guests’ experience with the opening of Lake Wilderness,” says David McGregor, general manager of Wilderness at the Smokies “With another exciting attraction now in place, we feel as though we have one of the premier indoor/outdoor waterpark resorts in the country.”

The ten private poolside cabanas situated around Lake Wilderness are available for guests to rent, with each cabana featuring shelter from the sun, cabana-style lounge chairs, a flat panel television and a personal cabana host.  An outdoor bar and grill is also located within the outdoor waterpark to help satisfy those afternoon cravings.

With the opening of the Lake Wilderness Outdoor Waterpark, the Wilderness at the Smokies Resort boasts two outdoor waterparks and the Wild WaterDome Indoor Waterpark, making it the largest resort of its kind in the southeast.

Appropriately named the Wild WaterDome, the indoor waterpark spans more than 60,000 square feet with a see-thru, energy-efficient Texlon™ roof that allows UV rays to permeate the structure so guests can tan indoors year-round. The waterpark is home to the Smokies SurfRider, the state’s only surfing simulator that uses 50,000 gallons of water a minute to create a continuously moving sheet of water on which people can surf or boogie board. “It’s like riding an ocean wave, but indoors,” McGregor said.  “Parents and kids alike will love the thrill of riding a wave in a safe and controlled environment.”

The waterpark also boasts the Storm Chaser, a four-person tube slide that begins with a 58-foot drop into a giant orange-and-white funnel where riders swoosh back and forth up the sides of the funnel, causing shrieks of delight and flip-flopping stomachs. Other activities at the Wild WaterDome, which is reserved exclusively for resort guests, include the Great Wave, a 10,000-square-foot wave pool capable of generating waves up to five feet high. In addition, two tube slides, an indoor/outdoor hot spa, a multi-level play structure with a gigantic dumping bucket and 50-plus play-and-spray features, along with a special toddler area with mini-slides and a swing tree are sure to keep the whole family occupied for hours.

Wilderness at the Smokies, located minutes from Interstate 40 and situated in the scenic foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, is establishing a new standard for family vacations to East Tennessee.  Phase I of the resort opened in June 2008 with a 234-room hotel and outdoor waterpark.  The Wild WaterDome Indoor Waterpark opened in December 2008 and the resort has just opened its Lake Wilderness Outdoor Waterpark which features an Adventure River and a 12,000 square foot Wave Pool. 

The developers of Wilderness at the Smokies Resort are the owners of Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort – America’s Largest Waterpark Resort in Wisconsin Dells.  For more information on the resort or for reservations, visit www.wildernessatthesmokies.com or call 1-800-867-WILD (9453). 

Media contact:
Rick Laney, Ackermann PR
865-584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com