Today in Disney history is a milestone for Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park, which opened its doors on April 1, 1995.

In honor of the anniversary, here are 10 fun facts about this place.

1. Summit Plummet, the park’s signature attraction, measures 120 feet tall.
2. The park’s storyline described the park as being Florida’s first ski resort – which quickly melted into a fun water park due to the temperature.
3. One of the “ski resort” elements that still remains is a chair lift, which takes guests from the beach to the top of Mt. Gushmore.

4. The park debuted an original character, Ice Gator, as part of it’s storyline.
5. When it comes to speed, guests can slide up to 55 mph on Summit Plummet and 25 mph on the Downhill Double Dipper.
6. Teamboat Springs is the world’s longest family raft ride. Up to six can ride per raft.

7. Tike’s Peak, an area for young children, features a scaled-down version of Mt. Gushmore.
8. Teamboat Springs features a 1,200-foot series of rushing waterfalls.

9. One of the park’s more unusual snacks are mini donuts, which are prepared fresh and offered up with chocolate, white chocolate or raspberry dipping sauce.
10. In 2012, the park joined 500 host locations to help set the Guinness World Record for the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson.

Do you have a special memory of Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park? If so, leave it in the “Comments” section below.

Tagged: WDW

Filed: Disney's Blizzard Beach, Walt Disney World Resort

With summer in full swing, who doesn’t love a visit to a Disney Water Park? My idea of a perfect July day is to spend the morning riding thrilling attractions at one of the parks and then heading off to Blizzard Beach for a splash of excitement!

You love the Disney Water Parks, too? Imagine if you had one in your backyard!

Tonight, on HGTV’s “My Yard Goes Disney,” you’re going to meet the Thompson Family. Maria and Rodney, along with their sons Issac (7) and Alex (4), fell in love with Walt Disney World Resort when the boys were younger. Alex visited Magic Kingdom Park when he was six months old. His parents bought him a plush Mickey Mouse doll that has followed him everywhere they’ve lived, from Puerto Rico to New York City.

Their absolute favorite place is Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park. They love the snow theme throughout the park. As a family, they love the wave pool and Teamboat Springs. Rodney’s favorite is the Ski Patrol Training Camp and, no surprise here, Maria loves Melt-Away Bay.

Dad grew up in Brooklyn and doesn’t get to see snow now – except when he’s at Blizzard Beach. When the HGTV Designers discovered that, they knew that this would be the perfect makeover for their backyard. Just look at this snowy landscape they created!

The level of detail is truly extraordinary – right down to my favorite Water Park snack, the Blizzard Beach mini-donuts!

Chill with us on tonight’s episode of “My Yard Goes Disney” at 5:30 p.m. Eastern on HGTV.

Read on for more posts about “My Yard Goes Disney”:

• ‘My Yard Goes Disney’: Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Hawai’i, Inspires a Backyard Retreat
• ‘My Yard Goes Disney’: An Area Inspired by The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure at Disney California Adventure Park
• ‘My Yard Goes Disney’: A Haven Inspired by Epcot

Tagged: DLR, Gallery, Video, WDW

Filed: Disney's Blizzard Beach, Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort

I love the beach! It’s great living in Florida because I’m about an hour away from the ocean. There is one “beach,” however, that is about 20 minutes from my apartment – Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park at Walt Disney World Resort. I like visiting the park as it reminds me of winter in Ohio (except without the cold wind and snow to shovel – if only Ohio winters had the warm Florida sun!). I recently visited the water park to learn more about a special offering from the merchandise team that makes enjoying Blizzard Beach even better. They are called Polar Patios and retail guest services manager Summer Figueroa explained the concept.

“We introduced the Polar Patios to Disney’s Blizzard Beach as a way for guests to have an extra special visit to the water park,” said Summer. “These premium spaces offer guests a variety of amenities including a spacious area with cushioned furniture, all-day drink mugs, a personal locker and more.”

There are 15 different Polar Patio spaces throughout the water park that are booked on a first-come, first-serve basis. In addition to the amenities that Summer mentioned above, the spaces also include an attendant who can take food orders (separate charges for food apply), towels, a cooler with ice and bottled water. Six guests can enjoy the patio space (there is an additional fee for guests 7-10). The Polar Patios can be rented for either a full day or half-day depending upon availability.

Summer and I strolled through Blizzard Beach to survey the different spots. I liked the fact that some of them were covered by the shade of tall, beautiful trees. Summer said there are spaces nearby the kids’ area for parents with young ones.

There is another option for guests seeking an alternative option to the deluxe Polar Patios. They are called Lodge Picnic Umbrellas, and they have two reclining lounge chairs, a table, an umbrella and towels. A maximum of four guests can use this reserved space.

Summer told me that similar reserved spaces are also found at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park.

For reservations and pricing information, please call (407) WDW-PLAY or (407) 939-7529.

After seeing these reserved spaces, I need to find a way to reserve the beach on the west coast of Florida (or maybe Key West!).

Tagged: WDW

Filed: Disney's Blizzard Beach, Walt Disney World Resort