Pirate’s Cay Waterpark
Sheridan, IL

The Challenge

Silver Leaf Resorts was looking for a unique enclosure for its new aquatic park, Pirates Cay Water Park at Fox River in Sheridan, Illinois, that could offer a sunlit, tropical atmosphere for guests any time of year, even through the local area’s cold winters. The company chose OpenAire to build an enclosure for the 20,000 square foot park after the success of its OpenAire enclosure at The Villages Resort in Texas.

Silver Leaf was delighted that OpenAire’s retractable solution had extended The Village’s peak season year-round and wanted to bring this all-weather design to its next project.

The Solution

Pirates Cay Waterpark opened in late 2014 and has been offering tropical aquatic fun to Sheridan’s visitors ever since. In the early summer of 2016, the water park was purchased by Holiday Inn’s Orange Lake Country Club, which will continue to operate this tropical getaway for families through all four seasons, thanks to OpenAire’s soaring retractable glass enclosure.

The freestanding, double-sloped structure includes two 24-foot-high glass sidewalls and spans 132 ft. by 148 ft., with two gable ends connecting seamlessly with the building’s 24-foot-wide cupola and 93-foot-wide entrance building. The modern-styled enclosure’s motorized panels open to the warm sunshine and breezes of summer days, but close securely in cold or inclement conditions.

Even in heavy snowfall, the inch-thick insulated glazed polycarbonate and glass keeps the palm tree-lined park and its pools at a perfect 84°F (28°C). All told, Pirates Cay Waterpark (indoor) has become one of Sheridan, Illinois’ great attractions and is sure to offer tropical fun to guests for years to come.