Bartow County is getting a new water park in 2026 called Splashville. This apparent name was announced through it being featured on the Bartow County Parks & Recreation float during the Cartersville, Georgia Christmas parade. The water park construction has been underway for some time adjacent to the new indoor gym facility, but the name and May 2026 opening date were new. The name is a play on Cartersville where it is located in the Hamilton Crossing area of town.

The Splashville water park isn’t large by any means, but will have a few slides and a lazy river as can be seen in the renderings (Pictures and renderings in this article are taken from public releases by Bartow County Parks & Recreation). Water park style features have become more common for community pools the last couple decades. Gone are the days of a simple rectangle and a couple of diving boards as the local pool is now more of a water playground.

It’s hard to say if these are a positive or negative for local larger theme park water parks like Six Flags White Water just down the road. On one hand they offer a cheaper and more convenient alternative to draw business away from the larger parks. On the other hand they may wet the appetite of patrons and create new water park fans who will seek out bigger, faster and more thrilling attractions. My guess is more of the later. They are sort of the water equivalent of family entertainment centers to theme parks which have helped create space for many more suppliers and people in the industry. Splashville will be great for Cartersville, GA and Bartow county and no doubt give many kids their first water park experience.