Photo credits: Robin Jerstad/Jerstad Photographics
SAN ANTONIO – New, ultra-accessible Morgan’s Inspiration Island splash park has been nominated in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice travel award competition as a contender for Best New Attraction.
Winners will be determined in online voting at http://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-new-attraction/. A person can vote once a day for the run of the contest. Deadline to vote is 11:59 a.m. EST Monday, Jan. 1, 2018, and winners will be announced Friday, Jan. 5, at noon EST.
“The world’s first, fully-accessible splash park – Morgan’s Inspiration Island – continues to attract attention from around the globe,” said Gordon Hartman, head of The Gordon Hartman Family Foundation, who also spearheaded the creation of unique Morgan’s Wonderland theme park. “We consider it a great honor to be included in the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice contest.”
Recognition by USA Today comes on the heels of Morgan’s Inspiration Island being honored with the Leading Edge Award from the World Waterpark Association (WWA) at the organization’s 37th annual symposium in West Palm Beach, Fla.
WWA lauded non-profit Morgan’s Inspiration Island not only for the park’s design that fully accommodates those with special needs but also for its revolutionary waterproof wheelchairs developed in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh.
“Our goal for both Morgan’s Inspiration Island and Morgan’s Wonderland is to bring together those with and without special needs in the spirit of inclusion for fun and a greater understanding of one another. We strive to provide a great guest experience in a safe, clean, not-overly-crowded environment free of physical and economic barriers. This includes admitting anyone with a special need free of charge.”
Earlier this fall, Morgan’s Wonderland was proclaimed “Park of the Year” in the prestigious 2017 Golden Ticket Awards sponsored by Amusement Today, an internationally-known publication that has covered the amusement industry for the past two decades.
Located next to Morgan’s Wonderland in what once was a rock quarry, Morgan’s Inspiration Island features five major tropically-themed splash pads, the River Boat Adventure ride and support facilities such as the Wheelchair Valet, where guests can transfer out of their battery-powered wheelchairs into waterproof wheelchairs for maximum aquatic fun. The park officially opened June 17, 2017, and immediately attracted international media attention. Currently closed for the fall and winter months, Morgan’s Inspiration Island will reopen May 5, 2018, when warm weather returns.
Morgan’s Wonderland, now in its eighth season, has attracted more than a million guests from all 50 states and 69 other countries. The unique and colorful theme park features more than 25 attractions including wheelchair-accessible rides, playscapes, gardens, an 8-acre catch-and-release fishing lake, 575-seat amphitheater, picnic area and rest areas.
Morgan’s Wonderland and Morgan’s Inspiration Island are located in Northeast San Antonio at 5223 David Edwards Drive, a half-mile west of IH 35 at the intersection of Wurzbach Parkway and Thousand Oaks Drive. More information including operating schedules, admissions, and special events can be found at www.MorgansWonderland.com.