It takes about five seconds of exposure to the current weather conditions before your body breaks out into a muggy sweat. We live in an urban jungle, and this pack of fashionably wild animals needs a watering hole.
Welcome summer with Jungle Island this Saturday, when the attraction happily announces the opening of its new aqua park. Gather the kids and hit the new beach (a whole beach!) when the heat is at its worst; then stay for the colorful summer experience African Nights, featuring dazzling performances by Cirque Zuma Zuma.
It's all part of Jungle Island's commitment to park redevelopment, and because the attraction really love its locals, it's sweetening the deal with some of the lowest prices ever.
"Most people would say they come to see animals, like a zoo," said John Dunlap, CEO of Iconic Attractions Group, which manages the park. "But Jungle Island is really more about coming and experiencing a real jungle environment in the heart of a thriving urban city."
Dunlap and his group were brought on about a year ago to help transform Jungle Island into the kind of family-fun destination Miamians can return to again and again, always offering something new at affordable pricing.
The latest offering is possibly the most exciting. Who doesn't love a water park? The beach is a new wing of the park with a fun jungle gym on the water. It's a float city with obstacles and trampolines, diving cliffs, and all kinds of cool-off goodies.
To make sure everyone has a chance at the fun, the aqua park welcomes 60 guests at a time for an hour a go. Tickets will be sold separately, but to get you in the mood, the park is offering special $39.95 "Summer Saving Tickets," which include entry to Jungle Island for the day, a free hour at the aqua park, and admission to Jungle Island for the rest of the year. Yep, that means you pay nothing to return to Jungle Island in 2014 for just a few dollars more than the regularly priced $32.95 admission.
"The goal here is to get people to come here and play at the park all summer long," Dunlap said. "We're creating an environment which is meant to be repeatable."
This weekend also marks the kickoff of the African Nights experience, which fills the park with African acrobatic performers and Cirque du Soleil-style shows, as well as extends the hours to 9 p.m. Beginning at 3 p.m., performers will run through the park, performing every 15 minutes, leading up to the big Cirque Zuma Zuma spectacular at 8:15 p.m. Plus, there will be tons of fun cultural and art stuff such as face painting and interactive African music attractions, with each week offering something new.
The African Nights attraction runs through August 10, but the new aqua park will continue to expand. Don't get caught in the heat with nowhere to cool off. Nothing says "summer" like a water park, so take advantage of the summer savings while you can.
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