Ashkelon’s Zionist water park
Ashkeluna is wet, small, fun and even bearable for adults
Small, fun, and even bearable - that’s how I would classify the Ashkeluna, the water park built in the Southern city of Ashkelon in 1987.
“But look,” says the park manager as she points to her daily agenda, “look how many groups have canceled today because they heard on the news that the roads were being closed.”
Beyond its proximity to the disengagement is Ashkeluna's proximity to those cities living in the shadow of it. It is just a stone’s throw from Netivon, Sderot and Ofakim, all of which are facing unemployment and poverty.
“But that won’t deter us,” says the stalwart park manager. “This park was built by private investors, without any help from the municipality but rather for Zionist reasons.”
Mini-slides and rappelling bubbles
A 14-year-old, 12-year-old and I set out filled with optimism to try this southern experience. The park was small, but not crowded.
“A park for people who don’t like to have to walk miles between rides”, was how the young 'uns put it. The park is situated on 40 dunams (about 10 acres) and has an ampitheater for 3,000-4,000 people. Five main attractions serve a multitude of ages.
Two high and fast kamikaze rides await those 10 and older. The park manager says they are “the tallest slides in Israel, period.” This was met with some skepticism by my teenaged escorts, but they agreed that the slides were indeed tall.
Nearby were the winding slalom slides, “the longest in Israel”, again, according to our park manager. “They are long”, agreed the kids. But the icing on the park’s cake was surely the rappelling bubble, unseen anywhere else in Israel.
It’s a plastic bubble, in the shape of a round, giant clown’s hat, with a constant stream of water rolling down. One climbs up the top with rappelling ropes, and then gleefully slides down again. “Cool,” determined the experts.
The park also features the “kid’s world” for toddlers (when will a park come up with a more exciting name?). It also features a bubble with five mini-slides into a small pool for those under eight.
There are also two pleasant swimming pools to play in, one with games and fun activities.
It’s true there aren’t many installations, but that’s more than made up for by the fact that the waiting lines are short and beach umbrellas are easy to come by. A 40-minute wait for a ride in some parks becomes a 40 second wait at Ashkeluna.
A warm, homey feel
As I contemplated the goings-on at this intimate little park, I thought it’s no wonder that large companies prefer to rent this place out for its activities, rather than the larger ones. The place has a warm, homey feel.
“Jerusalemites love to come here”, says the manager. “It’s because we are situated just two minutes from the beach.”
So the price of a ticket includes the possibility of sweet or saltwater pleasures.
The last, but not least, of the park’s attractions is the fact that visitors are allowed to barbeque on its (fading) grass area, and that they don’t have an annoying entertainment troupe with blaring noise and shrill activities hammering at you. Only a DJ with a penchant for good Sephardi music.
In sum, a great place for water park lovers who want to help the Zionist enterprise.
Important details
- Chlorine level: reasonable
- Cleanliness: high
- Showers and lockers: astoundingly old but clean
- Maintenance: reasonable
- Layout: excellent because of the park size
- Lines: short
- Food: food bars with hot food. The restaurant on premises is only for special events.
- Location: Delilah Beach, Ashkelon. +972.8.673.9970
- Opening hours: Sun-Fri 9-4 p.m. Closed Shabbat.
- Price: NIS 60 per person ages 3 and up, special rates not included.
- Important: Call first. The park closes sometimes for haredi groups or for company events.
