Photo by Karim Shamsi-Basha.
Flip Side Water Park at Oak Mountain State Park is attracting attention.
Flip Side Watersports at Oak Mountain State Park has added a new amenity just in time for summer.
In May, an inflatable aqua park featuring slides, tunnels and a tower took residence on Beaver Lake, about 30 to 40 yards offshore.
“We were always looking for more activities to add,” said Kristen Talbot, who owns and operates Flip Side with her husband, Jeremy. “We really enjoy the outdoors and were looking for ways to get kids off the couches and get them enjoying the outdoors.”
The aqua park is configured like a grid and can hold up to 30 people at a time, Kristen Talbot said. A 45-minute session on the aqua park costs $15, which includes a life vest. Additional same-day sessions cost $10.
“We’ll send 15 people out at the top of the hour and 15 people out halfway through the hour,” Kristen Talbot said, “so they’re only out there together really for about 15 minutes.”
The aqua park can be rented out for corporate events and private parties, though reservations must be scheduled 24 hours in advance. It is $350 per hour to rent the entire aqua park.
Kristen Talbot said she expects the new attraction to be popular among kids and young adults. All aqua park patrons must be at least 7 years old, 45 inches tall and know how to swim.
“It’s slightly challenging because once it gets wet, you slide around a little, but it’s a lot of fun,” Kristen Talbot said. “You’ll spend a lot of time laughing at yourself.”
Although the aqua park opened only recently, Flip Side’s signature wakeboard cable park has been operating on weekends since late March. Now, both attractions will be accessible daily until mid-August, as will stand-up paddleboard, kayak and canoe rentals.
“A lot of people are very excited about it,” Kristen Talbot said of the new aqua park. “Again, it’s something they don’t have a lot of around here, so a lot of people are very interested in trying it out and adding it to their summer activities.”
Flip Side has expanded its offerings continually since 2014, when it opened the wakeboard park. Two cables hanging over Beaver Lake pull riders across the water, where they can choose to either navigate obstacles and ramps during their ride or simply glide alongthe lake’s surface.
Use of the wakeboard park does not require prerequisite experience or equipment ownership. Instruction is included with the purchase of an access pass, and gear can be rented for $22. Wakeboard park passes cost $20 for the first hour, with each additional hour costing $10.
Kristen Talbot, a Chelsea High school graduate, said businesses like Flip Side didn’t exist when she was growing up. She wishes they had on hot summer days.
“It’s very fun,” she said.
Flip Side Watersports, at 8195 John Findlay III Drive, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For more information, call 423-5457, visit flipsideal.com or find it on Facebook by searching “Flip Side Watersports.”
