OHIO — Ann Womer Benjamin is in her 10th year as mayor of Aurora, and she’s excited about bringing something new to the old Geauga Lake site. 

What You Need To Know

  • After years of sitting vacant and largely abandoned, new life is being poured into the old Geauga Lake Amusement Park

  • The city of Aurora plans to purchase part of the land and create a public beach, pool and park

  • Industrial Commercial Properties (ICP) bought the land from Cedar Fair in 2020 and now the city plans to buy 40 acres and the lake from ICP for $4.5 million

The former amusement park closed in 2016.

“I was sad," she said. "And I think a lot of people were sad when the parks closed."

The northeast Ohio native has happy memories of what used to be. 

Womer Benjamin remembers coming to the park when she was dating her now husband.

“Had a great time and had a pastel picture done of the two of us, which I still have," she said. "Now with respect to Sea World, that was here while my kids were growing up and we went there all the time."

Soon, Womer Benjamin plans to clean up the debris and turn the concrete into a public beach, pool and park.

“The city has been saving signage and memorabilia from the parks for a number of years and, where possible, we hope to be able to incorporate them into our new park,” she said.

The area has a storied past. According to the Aurora Historical Society, in the 1890s it was a resort with a dance hall, roller-skating rink, campgrounds and boating.

In the 1920s, it expanded to feature rides, rollercoasters, and an Olympic sized pool.

Over the years, the park grew into a large attraction and changed ownership and names more than once.

In recent memory, Geauga Lake was known as Six Flags, Sea World, and Wild Water Kingdom.

After it closed seven years ago, the property has been largely abandoned, until now.

“We’ve literally gotten calls and emails from all over the state of Ohio about this,” Womer Benjamin said. “Very excited calls and emails,”

Industrial Commercial Properties (ICP) bought the land from Cedar Fair in 2020, and now the city plans to buy 40 acres and the lake from ICP for $4.5 million.

“I’ve really wanted to do this for a while, probably ever since the parks closed,” Womer Benjamin said.

She hopes to preserve and restore some of the remaining buildings, like the former Sea World Aquarium, and repurpose it as a restaurant.

“Everybody really has memories of these parks and fondness for them,” she said. “So, hopefully we can, you know, capture some of their memories and bring out some of the nostalgia as we build our new park.”

Of the purchase, $1.3 million is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, and the rest is covered by the city’s general fund.

“It’s a legacy purchase,” she said.

The mayor said the deal is still being finalized, but she’s confident it will happen soon.

She said it will probably be a few years before the public can once again enjoy Geauga Lake.

Womer Benjamin said ICP plans to sell land on the other side of the lake to develop retail space and high-end apartments.