Fins Up Waterpark, a new waterpark, is set to open at Margaritaville – Lanier Islands at Lake Lanier in Buford, Georgia. While a waterpark opening would typically be met with excitement, the emotions on social media are varied at best. Some people, due to a decades-long belief that Lake Lanier is haunted, don’t think the water park should open. Others, who disregard the superstition, think the water park is a good idea.
Details Behind Lake Lanier’s Newest Attraction
Margaritaville – Lanier Island has been open to guests since 2018. While parts of the waterpark are not new, the concept of a full-scale waterpark is part of the resort’s expansion.
Those who are against it cite Lake Lanier’s haunting reputation, frequent drownings, and odd happenings. In 2020, CNN reported that there had been more than 200 deaths from swimming and boat-related accidents since 1994.
Lake Lanier was built over a community where more than 700 families once lived, most of whom were people of color. Desiring a lake for nearby Atlanta and surrounding counties, the future lake was filled, essentially washing away the community in 1956.
According to legend, beneath the lake are the memories of people who once lived there, cemeteries, and various gravesites that add to the haunted rumors.
Social Media Reacts
On social media, many users weighed in on the new waterpark. Some shared sarcasm or comedy, while others shared more serious reasons why the waterpark should, or should not, be open.
“It’s completely haunted…this lake has been in the news more than any other lake…and guess what, a lot of people say, there are hands that are pulling people down,” Instagram user @patrickcloud said in a video about the plans.
Comedian and actress Amanda Seales, compared it to a scary movie, writing, “Tyler Perry horror movie plot,” in a comment.
One user, @1mechcanicmike, shared a personal experience at Lake Lanier. The social user noted that he was swimming there when he felt two “strong hands” grab him by the ankles and yank him down. He said it “felt like 500-pound weights” were causing him to sink. Someone pulled him out of the water and he realized no one was there pulling him down. He said he never returned to the lake.
Others have shared that the waterpark is a good option for the area and will draw more people to the resort, blaming the drownings on people’s inability to swim or unsafe behaviors in the water, like drinking. The waterpark is set to open this summer.