Tour “Wet” Miami

By Colorado T. Sky and Matt Black

Aaaah, summertime and the livin’ is easy.

Well, maybe not that easy, but it could be worse. The Hot and Muggies, high gas prices, seasonal allergies and monster mosquitoes seem to conspire to chase us into the air-conditioned comfort of our DVD collections.

All the more reason to get out and about and, despite prevailing conditions, relief is just a short spin away, close by no matter where home may be, just waiting for families from all over southwestern Ohio to take advantage of these sure ways to beat the heat.

The Greater Miami Valley area offers some of the best waterfun in the country with sufficient variety of choices in setting, cost and accessibility to accommodate anyone with a yen for the wet this summer. Everything from movie-themed flumes to fossil hunting between cool dips, from raw and luscious natural settings to community pools which are only a bicycle-ride away, all are available throughout the region.

The TGM Investigative Team has donned their speedos and bikinis, grabbed their towels and sunscreen, and set off in search of the best wet amusement in Miami Valley. They have investigated waterparks, state and Federal preserves and community pools throughout southwest Ohio and, it seems certain, they have found somewhere to fit every interest, attitude and budget.

Of course, not all of these listed are exclusively “splash-fests.” Several are part of larger and more complex parks so we took the liberty of listing the best features of each and all; waterparks, state parks and municipal pools, so that our readers might have opportunity to discover even more ways to have a little hot fun in the summertime…

In the interest of fairness, they are listed alphabetically.     

The Beach

2590 Water Park Dr.
Mason
(513) 398-7946

www.thebeachwaterpark.com

Open: May 17 through September 1st, September 6th and 7th, “Dog Day” September 13th.

Hours: Opens 10 a.m., closes between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Check website for details.

General adult admission: $27.99; Seniors and Children (48” or shorter), $10.50; Military Personnel (with ID) $15.50. Any Day after 4 p.m., $15.50.

Opening for its 24th season, The Beach offers 51 rides and attractions splashed around its 35 acres of slippery slidery. Foremost among these is the Aztec Adventure, the Midwest’s only water-coaster (got to check that out!). Dotted with real palm trees and imported white sand volleyball courts, the park offers live reggae music, a Teen Dance Club on Tuesday nights and “Dive-In” movies every Saturday.

Unlike many water parks, The Beach features a wave machine that generates actual surf (not quite enough to “surf,” but close), completing the seaside effect. It’s got everything but the hammock and the coconut drink with the little umbrella.

Open from mid-May to mid-September, The Beach customarily celebrates the end of its season –this year on September 13th- with its annual “Dog Day,” when hounds of all stripes are invited to bring their humans for an afternoon of surfside carousing.  

For those who manage to plan well in advance, Holiday Fest at The Beach features millions of festive light and over 25 holiday attractions, including the Cool Runnings Toboggan Slide, Winterset Carriage Rides, North Pole Petting Corral and a Live Nativity.

Catered luaus are available to any group of 15 or more with advanced reservation and are served in our private Makahiki Picnic Grove

Members of the Boy Scouts of America, the Girl Scouts of America, and the Heritage Girls are welcome to inquire about special Scout discounts at The Beach.

Boomerang Bay at Paramount’s Kings Island

Kings Island Dr.

Mason

(800) 288-0808

http://www.visitkingsisland.com/

Open: May 24 through August 24.

Adult Single-Day $45.99 (Ages 3-61; 48 inches and taller)

Junior/Senior Single Day $29.99 (Ages 3 & up; under 48” tall & Ages 62 & up)

Pay Once/Visit Twice Two-Day admission tickets are available for $45.99 Visits do not need to be on consecutive days. Boomerang Bay is included free with park admission.

Boomerang Bay at King’s Island is a 15-acre Australian-styled water park which features more than 50 water activities, including 30 water slides, tropical lagoons, rushing rivers, three family activity areas, careening waterfalls and a 36,000 square foot wave pool. King’s Island boasts over 80 rides and attractions, over a dozen roller coasters including the Firehawk, Ohio’s only flying coaster, and the legendary Beast, the longest wooden coaster in the world. Admission to King’s Island also includes all day admission to Boomerang Bay waterpark.

Regrettably, while admission to Kings Island includes Boomerang Bay, tickets are not available for the Bay only.

Caesar Creek State Park

8570 E State Route 73
Waynesville

Park office: 513-897-3055

Campground Office: 937-488-4595

Camping/Getaway Rental Reservations: 866-644-6727

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/caesarck/tabid/720/Default.aspx

Open: year-round

Hours: Office staffed May-October, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

General admission: no charge.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Caesar Creek Lake Visitor Center
4020 N. Clarksville Road
Waynesville
(513) 897-1050

Caesar Creek Lake Ranger Station
(513) 897-1738

The swimming is great in the clear waters along a quarter mile of beach and changing booths are provided

For camping, the park offers 283 electric sites, showers, flush toilets and pet camping in designated areas. An equestrian camp with 30 sites is available for overnight trail rides. Campers must “self-register” after October.

Water recreation on the 2,830-acre lake is the park's largest attraction. An “unlimited horsepower” zone, designated at one end of the lake, allows for an exciting day of boating and water skiing from any of the lake’s five launch ramps. The park also offers Nature Center and Summer Nature programs.

All objectivity aside, this one is This Reporter’s personal favorite.

Cassel Hills Swimming Pool

1061 Taylorview Drive

Vandalia

937 -898-2123

http://www.ci.vandalia.oh.us/Cassel_Hills.cfm

Open: May 24 to August 24.

Hours: Special hours from May 24 to June 6, then noon-8pm from June7-August 24.

General admission: Adult (13-61) $5, Age 4-12, $4, Seniors (62 and older) $4, Age 3 and under are free with a paid adult. 

Cassel Hills Pool provides a great place for safe fun in the sun. The facility features a heated, 250,000 gallon, Z-shaped pool, shallow at one end and diving well at the other including two 1-meter diving boards. The zero-depth, seashell-shaped feature pool, complete with geyser jets and water toys, is sure to be a hit for our small visitors.  The facility also boasts a large grass area with jumbo shade umbrellas, basketball and volleyball courts, lawn furniture and a concession stand. Remember to stay out of the water for half an hour after a meal.

Learn-to-swim programs begin June9 and run through August 14.

C. J. Brown Dam and Reservoir

Buck Creek State Park

2630 Croft Rd.
Springfield
(937) 325-2411

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/buckck/tabid/716/Default.aspx

Open: year round

Hours: Visitor Center 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the summer.

General adult admission: no charge

While the lake provides flood control as well as recreation, the park includes over 2,000 acres of water and that much again of surrounding forest, beach and trails. “Buck Creek” offers boating, fishing, swimming, hiking, biking, picnicking and much more. Over a million visitors each year enjoy jet skiing, snowmobiling or wind surfing. Others appreciate the solitude of a quiet trail or a wildlife viewing expedition, all visitors will find plenty of room to roam.

Picnic areas, fishing holes, hiking trails and bike trail access are located near the Visitor Center at the Lake View, Prairie View and Meadow View recreation areas. Each area has parking, picnic tables, grills and water fountains. Most have restroom facilities and nearly all are wheelchair-accessible.

Upcoming special events include the July 9 Owl Program Release, an excellent opportunity to learn about Ohio's resident owls. Several live owls will be on hand and rehabilitated Screech Owls from the Glen Helen Raptor Center will be released back to the wild. Meet at the Visitor Center Overlook Area at 8 p.m.

September 27 is a chance to take part in National Public Lands Day, a nationwide volunteer effort to enhance and beautify public spaces. Volunteers should bring pruners and gloves to clear invasive honeysuckle from a bottomland forest and collecting native flower seeds. The fun starts at the Corps of Engineers Visitor Center at 10:00 a.m.

Other activities through Special Event Permits include (but are not limited to) water carnivals, boat regattas, music festivals, club meetings, weddings and dramatic presentations. Applications are available at the Corps Visitor Center Office located at 2630 Croft Road (near the Dam), or by calling the Corps office at (937) 325-3411. Minimum fee for special event permits is $50.

Great Miami River

From Indian Lake (see below) to the Ohio River at the juncture of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.

No specific website

Open 24-7, year round

No phone

No admission charge

Although it may be hard to tell lately, the Great Miami has mellowed out a lot since the catastrophic flood of March 1913, thanks to the Miami Conservancy District, which was established the following year to build dams and levees and to dredge and straighten flood control channels.

The Miami is joined by Loramie Creek in Lake Loramie State Park (see below)

and was once part of the Miami and Erie Canal system, which connected the Ohio River with Lake Erie, built through the Great Miami watershed. The first portion of the canal ran from Cincinnati to Middletown and was later extended to Dayton. The Johnstown Farm in Piqua has a canal towboat and Tipp City features a restored canal lock.

            Swimming, boating and fishing (licenses required) are dictated by the condition and mood of the river on any given day and public access is available any one of hundreds of places along its 170-mile course. No lifeguards are provided.

The river is widely and enthusiastically supported by the Friends of the Great Miami River, a grassroots organization dedicated to the conservation, restoration and enhancement of the Great Miami River watershed and its rich, lush environs. They are seeking formal protection for the river as a State and National Scenic River.

Find them at www.fogm.org.

Indian Lake State Park

12774 State Route 235 North
Lakeview

http://indianlake.com/park.htm
937-843-2717 - State Park Office
937-843-3553 - Campground
1-866-644-6727 – Reservations

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/indianlk/tabid/746/Default.aspx

Open:  year round

Hours: Office 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

General adult admission: no charge. Camping starts at $23 per night.

Immortalized in the 1960s Cowsills tune, “Indian Lake” retains its virtually unspoiled natural vista. The Pew Island Trail offers a Wildlife Observation Blind; Fox Island Beach, near the village of Russell's Point on Orchard Island Road, features shady trees near the picnic areas and the shelter, and Old Field Beach from which the Cherokee Trail leads three miles to Paradise Island. Old Field, with twelve hundred feet of beautiful sand beach, also has two picnic shelters and two jetties excellent for fishing. The park also has almost five hundred campsites, all with electricity.

To celebrate Independence Day, Old Field Beach is the site of an outstanding fireworks display sponsored by the Indian Lake Area Chamber of Commerce. (Check their events bulletin board for the exact fireworks date). Newly built shelter houses at Old Field Beach feature water fountains and flush toilets and a staff of certified Life guards watch the beach and lake. As a public safety precaution, no flotation devices are permitted at the public and camp beaches.

For winter time fun, the annual Maple Syrup Festival is held the third weekend in March with a pancake and sausage breakfast at the IndianLake State Park campground commissary. Wagon rides through the park to the tapping area and to the Sugar Shack are part of this special event.

Kiser Lake State Park

4889 N. St. Rt. 235
St. Paris
(937) 362-3822
1-866-644-6727 for camping and Getaway Rental reservations

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/tabid/751/default.aspx

Open: Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Hours: Office is staffed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

General adult admission: no charge

Kiser Lake State Park, roughly 900 acres (nearly half of which is the lake) is a “gift of the ice age;” two natural phenomena caused by the glaciers helped shape the region into its present form. The gently, rolling wooded hills were caused by glacial deposits in the form of “end moraines,” where the ice edge remained stationary for a period of time, creating a ridge along the ice front. These moraines often contain boulders called “erratics,” some weighing many tons, carried from as far away as Canada. Another geologic feature at Kiser Lake State Park is the kame field at the southeastern end of the lake. Kames are mounds of sand and gravel formed by meltwater flowing across glacial ice. The water deposits sediment into holes along the edge of the ice, leaving these hummocks.

Swimming at Kiser Lake is along nearly one-eighth of a mile of luscious beach, open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, with a nearby refreshment stand for when it gets too hot. Scuba diving is permitted on the “buddy system,” except within the beach area, with proper equipment and flagging.

For campers, there are ten sites with electricity and 108 non-electric sites.  Picnic tables, fire rings, a trailer waste station and latrines are provided. Group camping is available by reservation on the south side of the lake.

Sailing is particularly popular at Kiser, as motorboats are prohibited. Sailors are welcome aboard the launch ramp and public docks or boats can be rented on the lake.

Lake Loramie State Park

Lake Loramie State Park
4401 Ft. Loramie Swanders Road
Minster

(937) 295-2011
1-866-644-6727 for camping and getaway rental reservations

http://www.ohiodnr.com/parks/tabid/758/Default.aspx

Open: year round

Hours: Main Office, 8 to 5, Monday through Friday. Welcome Center May 1 through October.

General admission: $3 per car.

One of the original canal feeder lakes, Lake Loramie offers visitors a quiet retreat in rural Ohio with a 600-foot sandy beach on a 1,600 acre lake, adjacent picnic areas, playground and shelterhouse within the bounds of the 2,000 acre park. Swim, hike along the old canal towpath, stay a night in a shaded campsite or boat the “lazy waters of Lake Loramie.” Fishing for crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, bullheads, carp and largemouth bass is a popular distraction in this pristine setting, as is picnicking at the several areas around the lake, all equipped with grills, restrooms and drinking water. For hikers, there are over ten miles of trails. A magnificent spot!

Silver Lake Beach Outing Center

4720 Scarff Rd
New Carlisle
(937) 845-8311

Silver Lake remains one of the few remaining glacial kettle-hole lakes left in Ohio, formed when huge blocks of ice broke away from the glacier and were buried by sand and gravel out wash. As the climate warmed, the ice melted, leaving a deep “kettle hole” filled with water and surrounded by glacial deposits and nestled in a valley surrounded by 80 acres of wooded picnic groves and other outdoor recreation.

The picnic grounds feature a twenty-acre spring fed lake that offers swimming, water sports, paddle boats and sunbathing. One of their famous activities is their open-to-the-public Night Fright Haunted Trail, this year on Fridays and Saturdays from September 19 through October 31

Another great even is their Silver Lake Polar Bear Plunge. Plungers are asked to raise a "bear" minimum of $75 to participate. Last year this event raised over $13,000 for Special Olympics Ohio.

There is a downside: while Silver Lake’s facilities designed for organizational and family outings, there is no individual admissionent space from a single shelter to the whole park. Weekday and evening rentals are available with a group minimum of 50, so they are definitely leading candidates for company picnics and large family reunions. Ask them about their “Have Picnic Will Travel” plans. Organizations from youth groups to church groups may r

Splash! Moraine

3800 Main St

Moraine

(937) 535-1100

www.splashmoraine.com

Open May 24 through Labor Day

Hours: 11-8 Monday through Saturday, 1-8 Sundays.

General adult admission: $9/Moraine residents $6.00/Moraine business employees $7.50. Youth and Senior discounts. Season passes and family packages are available.

Splash! Moraine features a 20,000 square foot wave pool, two 25-foot slides, the 700-foot “Lazy River” tube ride and a special area set aside for the smallest of swimmers (complete with its own slides and other “play features,” all in less than two feet of water).

Free parking is provided and a picnic area is available adjacent to the park, as only water, sports drinks, baby bottles (plastic, please) and medically-required items may be brought into the park. Alcoholic beverages are prohibited on the grounds, as is smoking, although smokers may step outside for a quick puff and pop back in with a show of their hand stamp. Required “swim diapers” are provided free of charge to toddlers in training.

Among the other special features and events are climbing walls and inflatable slides, along with  promotions featuring a number of local radio stations, Teen Concert nights and visits from Scooby-Doo and Franklin the Turtle.

Splash Moraine also obliges those looking to celebrate birthdays, family reunions, employee gatherings, church group functions, sports team parties or any other special occasion. Special admission rates are available for groups of 25 or more.

Tipp Family Aquatic

225 Parkwood Dr

Tipp City

667-2781

http://www.tippcityohio.gov/index.asp

Open: through August 31, August 26-27 and September 2nd, 3rd and 4th.

Hours: Noon-8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m.- 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, except for early closing on swim team practices and meet dates.

General adult admission: $6.00, Youth and Seniors, $5.00. Season passes and 10-visit punchcards are also available.

Opened in 2005, the Tippecanoe Family Aquatic Center was featured in Public Management magazine as one of nine exceptional pools mentioned in “Hot Stuff About Swimming Pools.” The article showcased pools from across the United States and Canada, providing photos and a brief description of each facility. Owned by the City and managed by Cincinnati Pool Management, Tipp’s more unique features include a zero-depth entry pool, two-speed waterslides and a central play structure complete with a 300-gallon dumping bucket. The facility is the first of its kind in the northern Dayton metropolitan area.

For competitive swimmers, it may be too late to sign up for this year but next year promises even more improvement to and fun at this new installation. 

Troy Aquatic Park

460 Staunton Dr.

Troy

(937) 335-5171 or (937) 339-5145

www.troyohio.gov/rec/pool.html

www.troypool.com

Open: Memorial Day through Labor Day

Between Memorial Day and the closing of Troy Schools on May 29, the pool hours will be 3:30 to 8 p.m. and will only be open weekends once Troy Schools resume in August.

Hours: Monday through Thursday 12:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday 12:30-5 p.m.; Friday Family Swim Night, 5-8 p.m.; Saturday 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. and Sunday 1-5 p.m.; Adult Swim Monday – Friday 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Admission: Adults (age 19 -59) $5, Seniors $4, Age 6-18 $4.50; Age 3-5 $2
2 and under free with accompanying adult. Season Passes may be obtained at the Troy Recreation Department, Hobart Arena, 255 Adams Street, Troy, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 9 to noon on Saturdays. Call (937) 339-5145 for details. Special “Grandparents’ Passes” are also available.

Home of the Tidal Waves Swim team, Troy’s main swimming pool features a zero depth entrance (like a beach) and lap lanes along with kids’ spray pools with a waterfall, a water tree and “pint-size” water slide; tube and body slides, a sand-filled area with a playscape and toys, sand volleyball courts, deck and lounge chairs, a food concessions with its own shaded patio, a sun hill and locker rooms.

Aside from providing quality swim lessons, special events and recreational swimming opportunities, they also offer water aerobics Mondays and Wednesdays.

Vandalia Recreation Center

1111 Stonequarry Road

Dayton

937-415-2340

www.vandaliaohio.org

www.ci.vandalia.oh.us/Rec_Center.cfm.

Open: year-round (indoor)

Hours: Monday-Friday Noon-8 p.m., Saturday Noon-5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m.-5 p.m.

Daily Admission: Adult (17-61) $7, Age 5-17; $5, 4 and under, free with a paid adult and Seniors, 62 and older, $5. Season passes and 10-visit punchcards are also available.

The Vandalia Recreation Commission Aquatic Center, a multi-million dollar municipal facility, features a zero-depth entry, a leisure pool containing several interactive activities and features for all ages. For “patrons wanting to make a splash,” they offer a twisting water slide, “The Vortex” and the “Bubble Bench,” great for those with fitness or therapeutic needs. Lap lanes provide the perfect area for drop-in recreational swimming and other programs. Additional facilities include a gymnasium, a walking and jogging track, an aerobics and activities studio, childcare and an indoor playground. For those who prefer to ascend rather than descend, the facility boasts nearly thirty feet of climbing wall located in the center atrium and a gym filled with state-of-the-art fitness equipment. Learn-to-swim programs run from June 9 to August 14.

The VRC Aquatic Center’s year round schedule of water fitness programs can be found on the Vandalia Web site.

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