Type Public Park Created 1947 Phone +1 256-341-4900 | Nearest city Decatur, Alabama Area 202 ha | |
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Status Open all year (most open all year, aquatic center is open in summer) Website www.pointmallardpark.com Address 2901 Point Mallard Dr SE, Decatur, AL 35602, USA Similar State Bank Building - Decatur B, Wilson‑Morgan Park, Princess Theatre - Decatur, Alabama Splash Adventure, Carnegie Visual Art Center Profiles | ||
Water slides at point mallard park
Point Mallard Park is a park in Decatur, Alabama, United States that sits on 500 acres (2.0 km2) of the Flint Creek shoreline. The park, which is open all year, borders the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge and is operated by the City of Decatur Parks and Recreation Board.
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Point mallard park overview
Point Mallard Aquatic Center
Point Mallard Park's J. Gilmer Blackburn Aquatic Center was developed in the late 1940s after Mayor Gilmer Blackburn saw enclosed "wave-making" swimming pools in Germany and thought one could be a tourist attraction in the United States. J. Austin Smith, an Ohio wave pool manufacturer, worked with the city of Decatur to design and install a wave pool in 1956. They, along with Big Surf in Tempe, Arizona, claim to have built the nation's first wave pool.
Between 130,000 and 180,000 people visit between Memorial Day and Labor Day, making it one of the state's most popular seasonal attractions. In 1987, the park was named after Mayor Blackburn.