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Case Study: WhoaZone At Whihala Beach

Whiting, Indiana

A new summertime destination arrived on the shores of Lake Michigan. The WhoaZone at Whihala Beach—an elaborate and exciting water-based family entertainment center—opened in June 2017 as the first attraction of its kind in the area. By all reports, it was a huge hit.

“The most satisfying part was the overwhelming success of the inaugural year,” says Whiting Mayor Joe Stahura. “Being able to provide a high-quality, unique attraction like the WhoaZone certainly took our tourism strategy to the next level.”

More than 20,000 visitors from 34 states—including many from Illinois and the Chicagoland area, as well as Michigan and Wisconsin—traveled to Whiting over the summer to experience the new generation of aquatic recreation parks that include giant slides, climbing towers, trampolines, ramps, balance beams, monkey bars, hurdles, wiggle bridges and other play features that comprise a large floating obstacle course. (Scroll to continue…)

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The WhoaZone, which spans 200 feet of beachfront space, incorporates a built-in lifeguard tower to provide better park surveillance and reduce response times.

Custom-designed by Commercial Recreation Specialists (CRS), the WhoaZone at Whihala Beach is a public-private venture nestled in the northwest corner of Indiana—about 15 miles south of downtown Chicago. The city owns the beach, and a third-party concessionaire operates the facility. In 2017, the WhoaZone employed almost 30 staff members.

The WhoaZone also offers rentals of stand-up paddleboards, kayaks, beach cabanas and more. Whihala Beach was already recognized as an iconic nature-based summer activity area, but the WhoaZone significantly increased the destination’s “wow” factor.

“We’re always searching for something that is going to make us stand out,” says Mark Harbin, Director of Special Events for the City of Whiting. “We were looking to create a summertime destination, and that is definitely what the WhoaZone has done. In fact, it has exceeded our expectations.”

The WhoaZone at Whihala Beach opened June 24, 2017, and operated for 57 days, through August 30. Each day of operation includes eight one-hour sessions with up to 100 people per session. A lifejacket and safety briefing are included with all admissions.

The fact that nothing quite like the WhoaZone at Whihala Beach exists on the Great Lakes made the facility a magnet for press coverage. Several television and radio stations conducted interviews with city officials when the WhoaZone opened, and the Chicago Tribune, The Times of Northwest Indiana and Chicago Parent magazine published articles, along with several other print publications.

Additionally, Whihala Beach officials surveyed more than 100 WhoaZone patrons during the summer and found that two-thirds of them would recommend the WhoaZone to a friend, and more than 96 percent rated it four stars or higher on a five-star scale.

“Jump. Bounce. Run. Play. Splash. WhoaZone is the coolest thing to hit Lake Michigan ever,” one new patron proclaimed.

Tourists aren’t the only ones excited about the WhoaZone. A local resident who was surveyed said, “For an amazing unique water experience, you can’t beat the WhoaZone. I love having this in my community!”

“I grew up in Whiting, and this is helping people rediscover the beach,” Harbin says. “We shouldn’t overlook the fact that the WhoaZone is bringing people back to nature.”

Many patrons expressed the desire for even more play space and equipment options. To that end, Whiting officials are working with CRS to expand the WhoaZone this year along Whihala Beach’s shoreline. The park will be about 25 percent larger in 2018, with more pieces of equipment and a greater number of shallow-water activities. The additional space is expected to help the WhoaZone accommodate up to 50 more people per one-hour session.

CRS designed the WhoaZone at Whihala Beach featuring products manufactured by Wibit Sports, a respected global leader in inflatable water-play equipment, and CRS is the exclusive U.S. distributor of Wibit products on open water. CRS also assisted Whiting officials throughout the entire planning process. “Their experience guided this project, and they played an integral role in finding the prime location, designing the layout and installing the equipment,” Harbin says.

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