Source: Nia Noelle / @Nia_Noelle
In 2006 Fort Rapids Indoor Waterpark opened after a multi-million dollar investment was made to transform a Holiday Inn into what became a unique attraction for many.
The fact that visitors could still enjoy water attractions in the Midwest year-round had families flocking to the location on the East side of Columbus just off I-70. But as quickly as it became popular, problems started after several issues were reported of bed bugs, roaches, unpermitted repairs, air quality issues, improperly handling food, and several fire code violations. In addition to all of this, there were reports of patrons falling ill due to fumes inside of the water park. Because of all of this the Better Business Bureau issued the park an “F” rating.
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The once-famed waterpark was ordered to close in February 2016 by the Columbus Fire Department. In January of 2018 water pipes busted and flooded the 11th and 12th floor of the empty building freezing into icicles as it poured out of windows and vents down the outside of the building. firefighters were not able to stop the millions of gallons of water from pouring into the elevator shafts and more and eventually had to shut off the water source to the building.
Since then the waterpark has remained closed with its future in limbo even becoming declared a public nuisance in 2021 by City Attorney Zach Klein. In 2023 You Tubers Urbax Vibes gave us a glimpse into what they call the largest abandoned indoor waterpark in America!
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Check out their video below as they explore the once-Fort Rapids Indoor Waterpark. Fast forward to three minutes into the video to get right to the inside tour:
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