Surf Cincinnati.

Once an iconic Cincinnati amusement park, the wave pool's been shut off and the lazy river is dried up.



The other day I was touring around a waterpark, sweating my pants and tie off in the sweltering mid-west heat. Why I was dressed like that and what I do for a conventional living is not important, what's important is what the smell of chlorine and sun screen reminded me of. I never really did finish the story of Surf Cincinnati. A story that began on Valentines Day 2006. Surf Cincinnati had been my "breakthrough" into urban exploring, the first place I went with the intention to truly explore, photograph and document a location. It was a place I had been numerous times as a kid when it was still open, a place that reminded you of the Malibu Sands episodes from "Saved By the Bell" and a place that would end as a catalyst and outlet for my photography and creativity.

- 2007 photograph of the same wave pool seen at the beginning of this writing.

Surf Cincinnati had been constructed in 1988. Tucked back between industrial centers and I-275, the water park sat right at the border of Hamilton and Butler counties. The park was the only of its kind on the west side, while similar attractions could be found to the northeast at places like Kings Island and The Beach. According to its website in 1997:

Soak up the sun or brave the water thrills and four foot waves at Surf Cincinnati's Super Surf, Cincinnati's largest wave pool! Broad, landscaped walkways lead to modern well-maintained attractions.. .spacious sun decks, splashed with colorful umbrellas.. .a backdrop of sighing pines and bright banners snapping in the breeze. This is truly a family park, run by people who like things pleasant and convenient.

Indeed, Surf Cincinnati was a great place and local summer hang out. One time my aunt and uncle took my cousin and I. My uncle ended up losing his sunglasses on one of the slides, I remember this being a big deal. I once received a black belt in Tae-Kwon-Do and got to participate in a demonstration at the park. Other times I can remember going there with my sisters and my mom, waiting for the black smoke to appear and bells to ring, signifying that the waves in the wave pool were starting.

- 2006 photograph of the arcade sign from the "Fun City" area of the park.

The park not only was a waterpark, but featured "Fun City," an additon of go-karts, bumper boats, arcade games and mini golf. The Harbour Club, a collection of banquet halls, also adjoined the property and still operates in some capacity to this day. The slides at Surf Cincinnati stood tall above the highway and the park became known for company picnics and party's hosted by local radio station Q102.

According to a 2003 article by the Cincinnati Business Courier; The Schneider Family operated the park throughout its existence. With the construction of Paul Brown Stadium in the late 1990's, "Caddy's" nightclub moved their facility to Surf Cincinnati's property in 1998. Despite the addition of Caddy's though, the 20 acre facility would eventually go bankrupt and close in 2002.

- Remnants on the "Caddy's" building.

The family operator's had owed thousands of dollars to various businesses and the Hamilton County Treasurer. The season passes sold to guests in anticipation for the 2003 season were non-refundable, but were accepted by The Beach Waterpark in Mason in an effort to pick up new business. The land was sold off in parcels, the pools left empty and the slides partially demolished. In 2006 my friend Jon and I hopped a fence into the abandoned waterpark and thus the first beginnings of Queen City Discovery were born. From then until the park's destruction, Surf Cincinnati would be one of my favorite abandoned places to photograph.

Above: A July 1999 photograph by Bill Ware shows what the children's water play area once looked like. 

Below: a 2007 photograph by Gordon Bombay of QC/D shows what the structure became:

I could go on for hours about the memories I, and probably so many other people, have of this place, but I'll let the pictures do most of the talking. The day we hopped that fence and discovered the still water, the pools that had been turned into skateboard obstacles and the remnants of a place that was once so full of life and color, was the day I began doing what I do.

- Jeffy rocking a boom box found amongst the rubble in 2007.

You could spend hours getting lost in the post-apocalyptic appearance of Surf Cincinnati. Slides, void of stairs, still stood on the park grounds. Tadpoles and plant life replaced people in the water of the pools.

- Remains of one of the park's slides.

From the memories I had of being a kid there, to my memories of exploring it, there was something special about Surf Cincinnati. While it had been abandoned by its owners and forgotten by its patrons, it still continued to entertain me.

- Former bumper boats lagoon.

- First Aid station.

- An advertisement for the Swatch Watch company that once stood atop the wave pool building.

- One of 18 mini golf holes.

One very distinct memory I have of the place was the go-karts. During one summer of my grade school years, I knew my mom was planning to take my friend Brett and I to the park. My mom would never give me money for arcade games, go karts, mini golf or bumper boats after she had initially paid for us to get in (adult reasoning I now understand), so I scrounged up the few dollars I had to my name and spent my "savings" on a single ride around the figure-8 track.

- Panoramic view of the go-kart track.

- Like a suburban amazon river of sorts, the parks lazy river over grown with vegetation.

As a kid who grew up in 1990's Suburban Cincinnati, places like this defined my summers and childhood. Those memories would fuel my interest in going back here time and time again once it was abandoned.

- One of the park's former alcoholic beverage areas.

- Wave pool exit.

- Employee lockers.

In the spring of 2008, just before the park was demolished, Jeffy and I hopped the fence with my "new" camera in tow. We came across something I had previously not seen, an employee area. While I had experienced the park as a young kid, like thousands of other guests, the place was once an employment opportunity for others. As someone who has spent many long, hot days working at an amusement park, it was interesting to think about the teenagers and people who had once called this place "work." A message scribbled in marker on a dry erase board near the lockers read:

"Bye everyone, have a great year! Miss you all! Love, Laura."

The time I spent working in rides at Kings Island yielded some great memories and some of the best friends I may ever know. Reading that message, I wondered if Surf Cincinnati had ever been as special of a workplace for some.

EDIT: October 18, 2017: A short time after this article posted, I received an email from someone who knew the "Laura" that had left the white board message. I sent a reply, but never heard back. If anyone knows more about "Laura," please send me an email. 

When I was in a creative rut and needed something to photograph, Surf Cincinnati was there. It was the first place I took my 35mm film camera for the high school photography club, the place I took my first digital cameras and the place where I first delved into urban exploration photography. Despite the frustration that studying photography as a career in college sometimes brought, I knew I could always go back to "Surf" when I needed something to shoot. After driving 2.5 hours back from Ohio University in Athens my freshman year, the park was the first place I stopped. Straight out of the car, back over the fence, like I had done countless times before.

- Remains of the group picnic areas.

- Standing water in one of the pools.

- The sun setting on Surf Cincinnati, Fall 2007.

- The Surf Cincinnati sign still remained behind the real estate "for sale" banner until everything was torn down in 2008.

"All good things must come to an end." Whether I believed that or not, "Surf" did eventually meet its end. Last summer, I knew the land had been sold and work was going on there. The owners of the nearby banquet hall were often doing work on the adjoining property, but never seemed to care (or maybe they never noticed) my friends and I with our cameras inside the park. I pulled up in the lot to find that while I had been gone at school, the whole park had been demolished. In it's place, a church and large parking lot. Very little indication of the park's existence remains.

Special thanks to my "budday" Bill for the photos from 1999 and to Jeffy and Jon for exploring this place with me so many times.

View all of the Surf Cincinnati stories over the years.


Over the years, several of QC/D's urban exploration stories have focused on abandoned amusement parks: View all of the stories


Updates | Oct. 18, 2017:

• Surf Cincinnati was eventually torn down for the most part. A few things remain here and there. 
• In 2016, someone dug up some old commercials from the park and posted them. 
• The aforementioned Beach Waterpark which honored Surf Cincinnati passes also eventually closed and was abandoned for a time. It was featured in a 2012 QC/D article. Shortly after its closure, the active Kings Island offered a similar deal when it honored Beach passes for a sharp discount towards the purchase of a season pass. However, as of this update, The Beach has reopened. 
• A short time after this article posted, I received an email from someone who knew the "Laura" that had left the white board message. I sent a reply, but never heard back. If anyone knows more about "Laura," please send me an email.