May 11, 2023
A sprawling indoor waterpark on the Atlantic City beachfront, outside of the renovated Showboat Resort, is moving closer to an opening date in late June.
The 100,000-square-foot Island Waterpark, billed as the largest of its kind on a beachfront, will have more than a dozen slides, a surf simulator and a lazy river that flows through a tropical paradise.
Other attractions include a 1,000-foot-high roller coaster, a 30-foot-tall tree house that can be booked for indoor parties and a zip line. There will be a nighttime venue for adults, and the park's retractable roof ensures it can be open year-round, rain or shine.
The project is led by Tower Investments CEO Bart Blatstein, the Philadelphia developer who has reinvented the former Showboat Casino since purchasing it in 2016 for a reported $23 million.
Blatstein initially explored reopening the Showboat as a casino before pivoting to a family-friendly destination. At 801 Boardwalk, it currently has the Lucky Snake arcade and sports bar along with 477 guest rooms. The arcade is undergoing an expansion that will add roller blading, mini golf and a climbing wall this summer.
Island Waterpark's Instagram account recently shared a video that shows different stages of the facility's construction. Its web site shows a sneak peek of waterfalls in a palm-tree-filled landscape.