Alleged flasher sues water park after arrest

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Jane Lovett’s wet t-shirt aroused water park officials to take action last April. She was asked to leave the park because her padded bra was visible through the t-shirt (the horror!), and once she did leave, the cops were waiting. Apparently, she has been charged with indecent exposure, which would put every sunbather on Central Park‘s Great Lawn at risk of facing a firing squad (padded bras are not the norm there, I assure you … husbands, don’t bring your wives).

Here’s the way the arrest went down:

Lovett said she accompanied her husband and seven-year-old son to the water park. Outside the gates, she said a police officer asked for her identification. Tavares police claim Lovett didn’t give her name fast enough, WFTV reported. She was picked up on charges of obstruction of justice and resisting arrest without violence.

The charges have since been dropped, though the alleged indecency cost her five hours in jail and $1,500 in fines.

Lovett isn’t taking the experience lying down. She’s picked up a lawyer and plans to sue for “violation of civil rights, false arrest and malicious prosecution,” according to MSNBC.

[photo by bonez1255 via Flickr]

Water park shut down because of burgers, fries, mozzarella

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Is it a pool or an aquatic buffet?

Vandals made a mess of the Waterworks Waterpark in Prince William County, Virginia, and law enforcement is ready to slap the cuffs on someone. Hamburger patties, fries and pretzels were tossed into the pool, but the nastiest bit was smearing mozzarella cheese on the water slide. Of course, you wouldn’t want to put any of this near your lips.

The culinary disaster required that the park be shut down until the pool can be drained, sanitized and refilled – sans grub. The deed was done sometime between 10 PM Friday and 8 AM Saturday. Hoping to catch the culprits soon, a reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest.

[photo by Tine72 via Flickr]

Need summer year-round? Check-in to one of these indoor water parks in Ohio

by Gadling Staff on

What do you do in Ohio when you’re hot and bored? Good news summer lovers: Ohio has some of the best indoor water parks in the country! Grab your suit, gas up the car and head to one of these hot spots to cool off any time of year:

Kalahari Resort boasts Ohio’s largest indoor water park as well as a new, thrilling safari outdoor adventure park. This African themed resort offers private indoor cabanas, private outdoor bungalows, spa services, indoor surfing, and a variety of water rides for all ages. There are several dining and/or food shopping areas in the resort, giving guests no reason to leave the resort once they have unpacked their bags. For details, check out the Kalahari website.

Coco Key water resort has two Ohio locations, one in Columbus and one in Cincinnati. For young children there is a zero-depth entry pool; for older kids there are four exciting water rides, a Coral Reef Cavern play area and the Parrot’s Perch. Adults can relax at the indoor/outdoor spa. Click here for more details.

Castaway Bay is Cedar Point’s indoor water park resort. Aside from having an amazing amusement park like Cedar Point and its adjoining outdoor water park Soak City, Castaway Bay offers indoor fun for all ages. The resort offers indoor shopping, dining, arcade games, spa services, and of course a great water park. Fort Rapids, “where the wild west meets wet and wild.” This resort offers 60,000 feet of water play and activities, a 5,000 foot arcade, indoor dining and more. A 30 person hot tub, reserved for guests 18 and older, allows parents the opportunity to relax while the kids are off playing. The website has all of the details.

Great Wolf Lodge is another great mini-vacation destination. The water park consists of Fort Mackenzie, a four-story interactive tree house water fort; Caribou Creek Lazy River; Big Foot Pass, an agility challenge full of slippery, splashing fun; Chinook Cove Activity Pool; Whooping Hollow Kiddie Slides; Totem Towers; Alberta Falls and much more. There are nine slides and five pools at Great Wolf Lodge, which means enough fun for everyone.

Splash Harbor, located inside the Comfort Inn in Bellville, has a 6,000 square foot retractable roof. This mini water play land offers a more budget friendly escape. Buckets, sprayers, pools and a 49 foot slide offer the whole family a weekend of fun. Check out the website for more information.

Splash Bay at Holiday Inn Resort is another affordable indoor water park. The play area offers Walleye River Run, a lazy river; two activity pools (Little Maumee and Shark Attack); Fort Meigs, a kiddie area; a basketball hoop area; Lily Pad Crossing; three water slides and a spa.

Natasha Wright is a Seed.com writer.

LEGOLAND Water Park to follow 6th year of growth

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The first looks at the world’s first LEGO® water park were revealed recently at LEGOLAND California Resort. So far, it’s only an artist’s rendering of the new water park, but that’s the first step toward getting drenched.

This new initiative follows the park’s successes with the new Bob the Builder™ 4-D movie and the presidential inauguration scene in Miniland U.S.A. These new developments come on the heels of a sixth consecutive year of growth for the California resort, with 2009 turning in a 6 percent increase … and guest satisfaction ratings in the high 90s.

“2009 was a record year here at LEGOLAND California Resort,” said the resort’s general manager, Peter Ronchetti, during the press conference. This comes, he continues, as “Many theme parks across the country have reported difficult trading and necessary cost control actions as a result of the challenging economic climate over recent months. So we feel very fortunate with all of the expansion here at LEGOLAND California Resort, to be able to report that our attendance continues to grow.”

The trajectory is expected to run through 2010, with more than $15 million invested in the park. The LEGOLAND Water Park is set to open in June (behind Fun Town) and will be ideal for families with children aged 2 to 12. “LEGOLAND Water Park will be lots of fun, constructive play including slides, LEGO friends and, the feature I am personally the most excited about – the Build-a-Raft concept where kids customize their own raft made of soft LEGO bricks before floating down a lazy river,” said Ronchetti.%Gallery-73517%

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Budget summer vacation from Chicago – road trip to Santa Claus, Indiana

by Scott Carmichael on

Chicago is in the unfortunate position of being surrounded by a whole lot of nothing. It doesn’t matter which direction you are heading, you’ll need to drive several hours till you finally reach something that isn’t in the Chicagoland metro area, or anything remotely fun (Sorry Milwaukee, but I don’t consider you to be that cool a destination, unless it is during Summerfest).

If you are looking for a fun weekend away (way, way away) from it all, but still within driving range, head down south to Santa Claus Indiana. This quaint little village is home to Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari.
Holiday World is where you’ll find 4 roller coasters, including the #1 rated wooden coaster in the world, but you’ll also find loads of family friendly rides, plus some just for toddlers.

In addition to the rides, Holiday World also offers one of the largest water parks in the Midwest with 16 different rides and attractions.

Admission to Holiday World is $40 for adults and $30 for guests under 54 inches. The admission price includes free soft drinks all day long.

When you are in Santa Claus, the most appropriate place to stay is of course at Santa’s Lodge.

This Christmas themed hotel is decorated for the Holiday season year-round. Rooms start at just $79.95 a night.

The hotel offers several indoor and outdoor pools, 2 restaurants and a mini-golf course.

Planning this trip wouldn’t be fun if you didn’t take advantage of some of the great other attractions on the way to Santa Claus. Your halfway point is Indianapolis, home to the largest children’s museum in the world.

Admission to the museum is $14.50 for adults and $9.50 for kids. Be sure to leave enough time in your schedule to see this place, as your kids will need several hours to visit all the exhibits.

With a little bit of luck, younger kids will be so tired from their visit, that they’ll sleep for the rest of your drive.

If you don’t have any kids (or you left them back home), then you can schedule your halfway stop at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in (where else) Speedway, IN. Just be sure to stay far, far away from this area on race days. The Speedway is home to a museum and “behind the scenes tour”, but only on select dates, so be sure to check their schedule.

Finally, adults will be happy to know that the last part of the drive to Santa Claus passes through Louisville, home to the recently renovated Louisville Slugger museum. For $10 ($5 for kids), you get to see where this world famous baseball bat it made, plus you’ll be able to visit their factory outlet for some discounted Slugger gear.

Baseball not your thing? The Louisville Museum Row has 8 other attractions all within walking distance.

It would be considered a crime to drive to Louisville without stopping for some authentic Kentucky barbecue! A lineup of some of the best meat in the city can be found here.

So, there you have it – an affordable roadtrip from Chicago to Santa Claus, with 2 awesome stops on the way. Total distance from Chicago to Santa Claus is 360 miles.

Be sure to check out more budget summer vacations here!