Soundside Section of Former Waterfall Park Cleared By JOY CRIST

A section of the former Waterfall Park is in the process of being cleared of debris and concrete, however no plans are currently in place to make any other changes to the property at this time, according to the Dare County Planning Department and the on-site construction crew.

The section being cleared is a roughly 42,000 square foot area on the soundside of N.C. Highway 12, which is adjacent to the more than 3,200 square foot white home that is across the street from Trade Winds Drive. The clearing has removed a portion of the parking area and race track that was originally in front of the soundfront home.

The former Waterfall Park extends to both sides of N.C. Highway 12, and once featured two waterslides, multiple race tracks, bumper boats, a bungee jump platform, and a miniature golf course, among other features. In its heyday in the 1980s and 1990s, Waterfall Park in Rodanthe was one of the busiest places in northern Hatteras Island, with billboards that stretched all along U.S. Route 158 and other roads that lead to the beach.

Waterfall Park began its downfall when the U.S. economy took a turn for the worse in 2007, and business fell while local land values plummeted. The park had not been in operation for several years by the time Hurricane Irene hit Hatteras Island in August of 2011. The epic storm surge off the Pamlico Sound that accompanied Irene did an incredible amount to damage to homes and businesses in the tri-villages, including Waterfall Park.

While the owners and the country worked together in the mid-2010s to conduct safety repairs on the property, this recent clearing is one of the more large-scale projects to revise the property in recent years.