Sandy Beach Water Park debuts new attraction

Sandy Beach Water Park opened its second season this weekend with hopes of making a bigger splash.

The much-anticipated new addition to the Lake Tobesofkee Recreation Area was supposed to be open by Memorial Day last year, but didn’t open until July 3 due to construction delays.

But it opened Saturday a week ahead of Memorial Day with a popular new attraction and other additions.

About 200 people came out Saturday despite overcast skies and some rain, said Rachel Taylor, the park manager. A steady stream continued on Sunday, and many were enjoying the new wave pool.

Jeff Franklin, the park builder, said the pool cost $650,000 and is the park’s most expensive feature. It operates in five minute cycles because the air system that powers it has to recharge, Franklin said.

With a year under the park’s belt, Franklin said he is looking turn a corner in the second season.

“Last year was a trying year,” Franklin said as he stood by the wave pool full of children and adults in inner tubes. “But we did learn a lot and took what we learned last year into this year to improve the park.”

With 16 acres available for expansion, the park can potentially double its space. Franklin said another water slide would be one possibility for a new attraction to be added in the coming off season, but that’s not a certainty.

“It really just depends on the demand out here,” he said. “If a lot people come and are enjoying the park then we will certainly be adding on.”

The people there Sunday seemed to be enjoying it.

Eric Decker of Forsyth was there for the first time with his wife and two children.

“It's a pretty nice little set up,” he said. “It's got a wide variety of different little things for everybody to do.”

Tickets to the water park are $12.50 for adults and $10 for children. But visitors have to pay an additional $3 per person 7 and up to get in the Lake Tobsofkee gate. That seemed a little much for Cam MacDonald, of Warner Robins, who was making her first visit with her two children.

“I think it’s a little overpriced,” she said. “It’s like $15 per person. I don’t know how often we will be able to afford to come, but it’s plenty of fun.”

Sherri Wood, of Jeffersonville, was making her first visit. She said she hadn’t tried the wave pool but she enjoyed watching it. She did try the lazy river.

“That has been one of my lifelong goals to go down a lazy river,” she said. “It was cold.”

This story was originally published May 22, 2016 at 6:32 PM with the headline "Sandy Beach Water Park debuts new attraction."