Making a Splash: Revamped Ave Maria Water Park Opens

Erica Fish, Ave Maria Development

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The Ave Maria Water Park celebrated its grand reopening after an eight-week renovation period that beautified, resurfaced and added features to the community’s resort-style recreational facility earlier this spring. “This was a huge project. Our park is 16 years old; it was time to give it a facelift, and it is absolutely beautiful,” said Operations Director Kellie Powell, who oversaw the entire process alongside Aquatic Facilities Operator Lionel Chester.

“I hope people will come out and experience what this place is all about,” Powell said. “It’s an absolutely beautiful facility and a great place to socialize. You don’t have to come here and swim. You can read a book; you can grab one of the tables and a group of your friends and play cards or eat food from CJ’s Pastelillos and have an enjoyable day outside.”

Kellie Powell teaching aerobic lessons at Ave Maria Water Park.

The park offers water exercise classes Tuesdays through Saturdays from 9 to 10 a.m. and a progressive swim team for kids looking for a swim-team experience. During spring break in April, Powell will teach an American Red Cross water safety instructor course for individuals to learn how to teach swim lessons. “If there are any college students that want a part-time job during the summer, or even retired adults who want to teach swim lessons part-time, we have an abundance of children that are in need of swim lessons, and this course is available to anybody that lives in Ave Maria,” she explained.

The Ave Maria Water Park is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 per resident and $7 per guest, Monday through Friday; $7 per resident and $9 per guest on weekends. Kids aged 2 and under are free, and if they are under 48 inches tall, they are only $5.

Resident Ashley Barkes, 19 shared she and her friends are ready to hit up the pools as soon as summer break starts. “This semester has been so long, and many of us are ready to get back home and relax in the shade. We appreciate that the renovation happened because there’s plenty of us who take advantage of the amenities every day!”