Lewis Adventure Farm & Zoo

Lewis Adventure Farm & Zoo is a popular family-owned attraction near the shores of Lake Michigan, featuring close to 30 different family activities. Open three seasons, it traditionally experienced the highest traffic during the fall, with activities such as a pumpkin patch and corn maze. And while they would be busy on a cloudy summer day, the local Lake Michigan beach was a bigger draw for hot and sunny weather.

Because Lewis Adventure is located in a rural community, owner Scott Lewis knew that growing the business would require bringing in more tourists, rather than attracting locals. And he saw an opportunity to expand their seasonal traffic by creating a new attraction that would appeal to summer families looking to beat the heat.

So, Scott collaborated with Vortex to develop a playful Splashpad® that is known in the park as “Splash Acres”. His needs were very specific: Lewis Adventure sought eye-catching water features and a big bucket to distinguish itself from small community Splashpads, and also to justify the admission charge. The farm-inspired water play area features SuperSplash No2, a logo’d Water Tower, Horse Cannon, and Tractor. And to make it even more interesting and playful, the Aqua Dome No1 and Activator No3 are custom-painted to look like corn husks!

The Splashpad was intentionally installed in an open space towards the back of the large complex. Scott notes that this has encouraged more families to venture further into the farm. In turn, the families are taking advantage of other attractions adjacent to the Splashpad, and this new traffic has generated more revenue from those venues.

Scott and his family could not be more pleased with the results. Splash Acres is by far the busiest spot on the farm on hot days, attracting more and new guests. Their first summer with the Splashpad saw sales increase 35% over the previous year. And while other changes were introduced for the 2023 season, Scott attributes most of the growth specifically to the new Splashpad.