Suburban Stadiums: Rand Park / Mystic Waters

This is the second installment of Des Plaines Patch’s newest series: Suburban Stadiums. Each week will feature a different local athletic facility, from fitness centers to neighborhood parks. We’ll dive into its history, current offerings and provide a calendar of major events that it will host.

RAND PARK / MYSTIC WATERS

In the last 15 years, Mystic Waters has become one of Des Plaines’ most popular summer destinations for those residents looking to beat the heat. Featuring a couple of water slides, a lazy river, leisure pool and a play area for toddlers, Mystic Waters doesn’t lack in versatility.

Facility: Mystic Waters was built in 1996, but it was far from the first water park in Des Plaines. As part of the Works Progress Administration in 1936, went under construction. Four years and $375,000 later, Rand Park Pool opened. On opening day adults were charged 25 cents for admission and children were 10 cents.

Rand Park Water Slide was christened in 1983, but it only temporarily stopped attendance from dropping. The pools were demolished in 1994, giving way for Mystic Waters, which is seemingly always crowded during the summer months.

The new waterpark features two 37-foot water slides and a 550-foot lazy river for those wanting to relax. Beluga Beach, the main play area for toddlers, has a non-slip surface with no free-standing water making it safe for young kids and non-swimmers. The area also has multiple water sprays and a jungle gym.

Programs: Most of Mystic Waters’ events come from community groups traveling to the park or those residents who schedule a birthday party with the park district. According to the Park District, more than 175 groups have plans to visit Mystic Waters from June through August, along with 14 scheduled birthday parties. Groups come from a variety of Chicago suburbs, including Park Ridge, Skokie, Schaumburg, Evanston and Northbrook.

Mystic Waters has trimmed back major events at the park because of increased attendance and the natural dependency on the weather.

"Because attendance at Mystic Waters is so dependent upon the weather, we do not schedule major events like live radio station broadcasts, special themed days, or promotional give-aways,” said Assistant Superintendent of Recreation Jennifer Boys, who has overseen the Aquatics programs at the Park District for the past 15 years. 

Calendar of Events:

Mystic Waters Regular Season: June 11 – August 14

Postseason: August 15-21 and August 27-28.

Raft Nights are held on Mondays and Fridays at Chippewa and Iroquois Pools from 7:00 – 9:00 PM

Click here for the listed hours of Mystic Waters