LOOK! Rockford’s Abandoned Indoor Waterpark Before it Was Demolished

Before is was completely demolished to make room for the Hard Rock Casino and Hotel, we got a look inside at what happened after the park was abandoned.I still remember the ribbon cutting ceremony for Rockford's brand new indoor waterpark. You won't believe what has happened to it since it closed for good in 2015.

It was the week of my birthday in January of 2007 and the city of Rockford was incredibly excited for the new, state-of-the-art, 60,000-square-foot indoor water park, Coco Key, to open.

This was going to be the place the locals went during the cold months for big fun. There were three major slides: the Shark Slam, a slide with curves; the Gator Gush, a full speed slide with banked turns and the Barracuda Blast, a one-to-two-person raft ride with dropping curves. The Coconut Grove Adventure River was a tube ride through the island. There's was also a very special place for kids, right in the middle of it all, called Parrot's Perch.

Another great attraction, especially for families with little ones who just wanted to float, was the Dip in Theatre Children's Pool. There was only enough water to float on with a big projection screen on which movies would be shown.

After a couple shutdowns because of many health code violations and a big drop in revenue, Coco Key Waterpark closed for good in August of 2015.

The water park was part of Rockford's Clocktower Resort, which was completely torn down in 2019. The building that housed the water park is still standing. Five years after closing their doors, take a look at the inside the abandoned water park now.