Vernon Hills park district commissioners and others will be at the grand opening of the new 7,500-square-foot “sprayground” feature at Turtle Creek Waterpark in Vernon Hills. Construction began in February.
Courtesy of Vernon Hills Park District
A $2.4 million feature at Vernon Hills Park District’s Turtle Creek Waterpark will debut Saturday.
Park commissioners, local officials and others will be at Turtle Creek, 635 N. Aspen Drive in Vernon Hills at 11 a.m. for the grand opening of the 7,500-square-foot sprayground.
“As soon as we cut the ribbon, the kids will have their way with it,” said David Doerhoefer, park board president.
The sprayground has several climbing features, tube and open slides, bridges, interactive play features, dump bucket and water sprays. There is a designated tot area and water play features for kids up to age 13.
Park officials consider the sprayground at Turtle Bay different from others because of the amenities and size. Construction began in February and was complete about a week ago. Last minute landscaping was being installed Friday in advance of the event.
Turtle Creek opened in 1992 as the Family Aquatic Center and rebranded after the 2023 season. The 10,000-square-foot Lazy River, where patrons on inner tubes are propelled around a circular track opened in 2000.
District officials considered replacing the Lazy River with the sprayground because of staffing and utility costs and equipment issues but reversed course.
“The community let us know in no uncertain terms they really enjoyed the Lazy River and wanted us to do whatever we could to keep it,” Doerhoefer said.
The sprayground location was shifted to a grassy area east of the Lazy River. However, sprayground bids exceeded the original budget and the district had to consider options. Rather than eliminate any design features, the village, which has contributed to other park projects over the years, agreed to provide $400,000 to cover the gap.
“It’s a very large sprayground,” Doerhoefer said. “We were very, very fortunate the village saw the value of having this amenity in town.”
Turtle Creek opened for the season June 1. An advantage of the sprayground is that it doesn’t require a lifeguard and can be overseen by a single employee. That means it can be opened on warm days after Aug. 11 when the season ends as well as September and October as needed, park officials say.