The long-awaited Island Waterpark has opened adjacent to the Showboat Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Called the largest beachfront facility of its kind in the world, the Island Waterpark spans some 120,000 square feet under a retractable roof. It features 11 water slides including the Electric Eel and the Barracuda Blaster; a lazy-river attraction, Island Drift; a 1,000-square-foot surf simulator, the Wild Wave Flowrider; the Blue Cascade Waterfall; a 10,300-square foot Kids Cove; and the 10,000-square-foot Paradise Adult Island, with a swim-up bar, Bliss Pool, cabanas and spa services such as foot massages and mani-pedi stations.

For thrill-seekers, the waterpark presents a 300-foot zip line and 1,000-foot zero-gravity rollercoaster, the Cloud Coaster, offering panoramic views of the Boardwalk and the Atlantic Ocean. A 30-foot-tall tree house can be reserved for private events.

The Showboat Resort, once a New Orleans-themed casino, closed its gaming hall in 2014 and was acquired in 2020 by Philadelphia-based Tower Investments. The hotel is now undergoing a $50 million renovation. The $100 million waterpark is also a Tower Investments project.

The resort also hosts the largest arcade on the East Coast, the Lucky Snake, with a 40,000-square-foot raceway go-kart track; an arcade with more than 300 games; mini-golf; a sports bar; live entertainment venues; and multiple dining outlets.

In an interview about the Island Waterpark, Tower Investments founder Bart Blatstein told Travel + Leisure, “In terms of the design, the scale, the location, the one-of-a-kind offerings and the dynamic mix of entertainment for adults and kids, no other family fun resort in the region or even the world compares to it.”

OWNER: Tower Investments

ARCHITECT: SOSH Architects