The pressure to compete is tough and several well-established waterparks are struggling. The owner of Splash Down Dunes, which opened in Porter, Ind., nearly two decades ago reportedly is facing bankruptcy. He may sell the park or liquidate assets piecemeal.

Summer 2008 was the last for 28-year-old Shawnee Place Play and Water Park in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. Texas Water Rampage had been in Lubbock for more than 20 years until it was closed in 2008 due to a lack of funds for renovations. Marking what may be a best-case-scenario for other struggling waterparks, new owners reopened it in 2009 as Lubbock Water Rampage.