SHERIDAN, Ind. (WRTV) — What was a cornfield 10 months ago is now a sandy beach with palm trees, inflatables, and skydivers.
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Skylake Adventures cut the ribbon Thursday morning in Sheridan, opening what the founders called a first-of-its-kind adventure park for Indiana.
Co-founder Sean Howard said the project took nearly five years of planning. “My partner Phil Sack and I had this vision to bring this to Hamilton Count, and now look at this. Watching these kids today smile just makes your heart ooze with enthusiasm.”
‘People don’t want to leave’
Live tropical music greeted guests at the grand opening as a DJ played, and skydivers parachuted in.
Co-founder Phil Sack said good turnout may push them to change hours. “People don’t want to leave. The sun doesn’t set until 9:30 now, so we’ll adjust the hours. Right now, we’re 10 to 6, and if we continue to see there’s a need to stay open later, why not?”
Organizers said thousands signed up ahead of opening day. More than 400 people arrived within the first two hours.
Visitors come from out of town
Dakota Wright, 14, traveled to Sheridan for opening day. “This is my first time being in the city. I would say it’s a pretty good time to be out here. When the people thought about making this, they made the right choice.”
Todd Bolster, vice president of marketing and sales for Hamilton County Tourism, said Skylake adds to the county’s draw. “For us, we’ll be really busy in the summer. Grand Park (Sports Campus in Westfield) already brings in 5.5 million visitors a year, so while they’re here, we have an additional offering for them to enjoy. I’m excited for the locals as well, so the people who live here can enjoy the park, but it’ll be interesting to see who all comes to town just for Skylake.”
The park opened with what Sack called the "water phase," a lake with inflatables and slides. Future plans will keep visitors coming all year. “There’s been a lot of investors involved. It’s a pretty ambitious project, so this first phase is the water phase with the lake … inflatables and slides. After that, they’ll have a sledding hill, and there are plans for indoor spaces as well, cabanas, and food offerings.”
