Lake Winnepesaukah, often shortened to Lake Winnie, is an amusement park and water park located in Rossville, Georgia, United States. The park opened in 1925, and has been owned by the Dixon family since its inception. It is currently operated by IB Parks & Entertainment.

In the park's early years, its primary focus was on its water attractions. In the late 1960s, the park began expanding with the addition of dry amusement rides, such as a carousel and a roller coaster. Today, the park has 38 rides and eight water park attractions

History In 1924, Carl and Minette Dixon purchased approximately surrounding a lake in Rossville, Georgia. The park which they constructed on the land opened to the public on June 1, 1925, entertaining over 5,000 visitors with amenities for boating, fishing, and picnicking. The Dixons chose the name "Winnepesaukah", which supposedly came from a Cherokee word meaning "beautiful lake of the highlands".

The following year, they opened a swimming pool, the largest in the southeastern United States at the time. Carl Dixon later designed a Mill Chute attraction, which opened under the name Boat Chute in 1927. The National Amusement Park Historical Association (NAPHA) considers it the oldest operating mill chute in the United States.

In the 1940s and 1950s, several flat rides were added to the park, and in the 1960s, the first roller coasters were installed, beginning with Mad Mouse in 1960 and Cannon Ball in 1967. In the 21st century, the park has seen the addition of modern thrill rides such as the drop tower ride OH-Zone! and an inverting ride called Fire Ball. In 2013, the park expanded to include the SOAKYa water park.

In 2026, the Dixon family entered a partnership with IB Parks & Entertainment. The latter received the rights to operate Lake Winnepesaukah, though the Dixon family retained ownership of the park.

Attractions

Roller coasters Name Year opened Type Manufacturer NotesCannon Ball 1967 Wooden roller coaster Philadelphia Toboggan Company Designed by John C. AllenWacky Worm 1991 Steel children's roller coaster FajumeLookout Safari 2026 Steel children's roller coaster Zierer Relocated from the Indianapolis Zoo, where it operated as Kōmbo from 2001 to 2026

Thrill rides NameYear openedTypeManufacturer Notes Boat Chute 1927 Old Mill Carol Dixon The first ride at Lake Winnepesaukah and the oldest Mill Chute in operation in the United States Bumper Cars Unknown Bumper cars Unknown Conestoga 2004 Rainbow HUSS Park Attractions Originally operated at Hersheypark from 1984 to 2002 Fire Ball 2012 Fire Ball Larson International Genie Unknown Super Round Up Frank Hrubetz & Company During the 2016-2017 off-season, a tree fell onto the ride during a storm, causing major damage. The ride did not operate in 2017 while it underwent repairs, and returned in the 2018 season in a new location. OH-Zone! 2005 Drop tower ARM Rides 140 feet (43 m) tall Orbiter Early 2000s Orbiter Tivoli Enterprises Pirate Early 2000s Swinging ship Mulligan Twister 2016 Asymmetrical Maverick Moser's RidesCatch 'N Air2024Catch 'N AirMajestic

Family rides NameYear openedTypeManufacturer Notes Alpine Way 1960 Sky Ride Hopkins Rides Antique Cars Unknown Antique cars Unknown Antique Carrousel 1968 Carousel Philadelphia Toboggan CoastersPTC carousel number 39, originally manufactured in 1916. Among the oldest in the country, the ride includes 68 hand-painted horses. Balloon Ride 1997 Balloon Race Zamperla Ferris Wheel Unknown Ferris wheel Eli Bridge Company MatterhornUnknown Matterhorn Chance Rides Paddle Boats Unknown Paddle boatsUnknown Paratrooper 1966 Paratrooper Frank Hrubetz & Company Scrambler 1980 Scrambler Eli Bridge Company Tilt-a-Whirl 1960 Tilt-A-Whirl Sellner Manufacturing Tour Train Unknown Rideable miniature railway Chance Rides Wacky Factory1969 Dark ride Unknown Wave Swinger 1999 Swing ride Zierer

Kiddie rides NameYear openedTypeManufacturer Bumble Bees Unknown Spinning bee ride Unknown Free Whale 2010 Miniature swinging ship Moser's Rides Frog Hopper 2000 Miniature drop tower S&S Worldwide Jumbo Elephants 1980 Spinning elephant ride Zamperla Kiddie Boats 1940s Spinning boat ride Allan Herschell Company Kiddie SwingsUnknown Miniature swing rideUnknown Lady BugsUnknown Spinning ladybug ride Kasper Klaus MotorcyclesUnknown Spinning vehicle ride Hampton Amusement Company ParachutesUnknown Miniature drop tower Unknown Silly SaucersUnknown Spinning ride Hampton Amusement Company Sports CarsUnknown Spinning vehicle ride Unknown Stay and Play HideawayUnknown Interactive play structure Unknown

SOAKYa water park attractions +NameTypeNotesCoke Float CoveWater obstacle courseCrazy RiverLazy riverSoak-N-SlideChildren's play area with four slidesSplish-N-SplashTwo body slidesTwist-N-ShoutTwo raft slidesWater WorksWater play areaWinnie 500Multi-lane mat racer slideZoom FlumeRaft slideOriginally known as Pipeline Plunge and was part of the dry park. From the 2016 season onward, they have been included in the water park instead.

Former attractions

Roller coasters +NameYear openedYear closedTypeManufacturerNotesLittle Dipper1959UnknownSteel children's roller coasterAllan Herschell CompanyMad Mouse1960UnknownSteel wild mouse roller coasterAllan Herschell CompanyWild Lightnin'20012021Steel wild mouse roller coasterL&T SystemsKnown as Wild Thing for a single season in 2001. Moved to Alabama Adventure & Splash Adventure where it reopened in 2022 as Cheddar Chase.

Incidents

On April 19, 2003, a crowd disturbance described as a "near-riot" involving 500 to 700 youths took place outside the park after management decided to close the park 90 minutes early. Catoosa County sheriff Phil Summers claimed the incident was caused by parents leaving their children unattended at the park with little or no money, thus unable to participate in the park's activities. When sporadic fighting began in the crowded park, the decision was made to close the park early, which only escalated the fighting. Law enforcement agencies from Georgia and Tennessee were dispatched to the scene when the crowd began to disrupt traffic on roads surrounding the park. After the incident, the park instituted a new policy of requiring visitors under 16 years of age to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Visitors were also required to buy some sort of admission. On July 16th, 2016, two children were ejected from the Fly-O-Plane ride and injured. The ride was removed following the incident.

References

External links Official Lake Winnepesaukah website