It was just three years ago that a major "new" amusement park opened in Aurora, Ohio, near Cleveland. Six Flags Worlds of Adventure it was called, and it joined the state's other two big players - Cedar Point in Sandusky and Paramount's Kings Island near Cincinnati, to give Ohio a theme park trifecta almost second to none in the nation. (Needless to say, that's not counting Florida and California, both of which will always be in a fantasy-land theme park league of their own.)

Of course, the "new" Six Flags of 2001 was little more than a newly manufactured nameplate slapped on a pair of existing theme parks, Geauga Lake and Sea World of Ohio, after Six Flags bought both of them. In all fairness, however, Six Flags did upgrade the former Geauga Lake to the tune of $40 million, making improvements and adding a number of new rides and attractions.

The resulting Worlds of Adventure mega-park was billed as the first ever combined thrill park, water park, and marine life park.

As the 2004 season opens, though, things have changed again over in Aurora.

Six Flags Worlds of Adventure no longer exists, having been purchased last month by Cedar Fair L.P., the parent company of Cedar Point. On one side of the park, the new owner has restored the old Geauga Lake name, and on the other, Cedar Fair has closed down the animal attractions and shipped out Shouka the killer whale, along with all the dolphins, sea lions, penguins, and other wildlife that had been there since the old Sea World days.

"We know amusement parks, we don't know the animal business," said Bill Spehn, Geauga Lake's new general manager, who has been frantically overseeing a transition that had to be accomplished in less than a month. Spehn has been with Cedar Fair 25 years, most recently as vice president of operations at Cedar Point.

Spehn said future plans for the former animal half of the park are uncertain - there are rumors of hotels or a big-time roller coaster in its future - but for now, that portion of the park contains a number of rides for smaller children, plus two theater attractions and a new water ski show on the 50-acre lake separating the two sides of the park.

With 10 roller coasters, Geauga Lake ranks second only to Cedar Point in the number of coasters among Cedar Fair properties (Cedar Point has 16). And at 690 acres, it's Cedar Fair's largest park, and less than a third of its available space has been developed.

Without looking too far down the road, Spehn said he's more concerned right now with creating an improved experience for visitors to the "new" Geauga Lake. In recent years, the park has seemed a bit frayed to some visitors, and Spehn said there will be a heavy emphasis this season on having "a clean, safe place with friendly and helpful employees."

To make it friendlier to visitors' wallets, the admission price this year has been sliced $5, from $39.95 for a one-day pass to $34.95.

Geauga Lake, Cedar Point, and Paramount's Kings Island are already open for the season, but they don't traditionally begin daily operations until the Memorial Day weekend. May, June, and September remain the least crowded months, while Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Sundays - that's right, Sundays - are the least crowded days.

Not surprisingly, Saturdays are the busiest days at each of the parks throughout the season.

Here is a quick look at what else is going on this season at Ohio's newly revamped "big three" of amusement parks:

No new roller coasters in 2004, but Cedar Point's 18-acre Soak City water park has a new, multi-story play area called Splash Zone, which includes 100 different gadgets that spray, squirt, and otherwise drench guests. The Splash Zone features water slides, geysers, and a centerpiece giant bucket that will pour 1,000 gallons of water on guests 50 feet below every 10 minutes.

Soak City opened yesterday.

More additions have been made at Lighthouse Point camping complex. These bring the total of lakeside cottages to 64, cabins to 40, and luxury RV campsites to 97.

Work also is under way to transform the existing Radisson Harbour Inn, at the entrance to the Cedar Park Causeway, to an indoor water park resort. Called Castaway Bay, the complex will be open year-round and feature a five-story indoor water park with a 520-foot water roller coaster, water slides, a 100,000 gallon wave pool, play pools, and whirlpools.

Castaway Bay is scheduled to open in November.

The big story here this season is Crocodile Dundee's Boomerang Bay, a water park with more than 50 activities, including 30 water slides, a giant lagoon, and a water fortress.

The water park's Tasmanian Typhoon is a 60-foot-high water slide on which four riders on a cloverleaf-shaped raft plummet through a 270-foot tube, then free-fall into a huge funnel that spins them to the end of the ride.

The water park resort opens Sunday, May 29.

Other new attractions at Kings Island include a number of live stage shows, one of which, "Paramount's Magic of the Movies," gives a behind-the-scenes look at filmmaking, inviting members of the audience to don costumes and act in scenes from famous movies such as Sleepy Hollow and Titanic.

A Nickelodean Celebration Parade with performers, floats, and celebrities will march through the park daily from July 17 to Aug. 15

Many of the rides at this park will seem familiar to those who visited Six Flags Worlds of Adventure in recent years, but now they have new names, in part because the new owners don't have the rights to the Warner Bros. and D.C. Comics-themed names used during the brief Six Flags era.

So the Superman ride has become "Steel Venom," the Batman ride is now "The Dominator," and Looney Toons Boomtown is "Kidworks Playzone."

The Batman water ski show has been replaced by a different show called "Water Ski Evolution," and new shows include "Snow Fliers X-treme Team," a snow ski show with skiers performing stunts off a jump nearly three stories high, and a musical show called "About America."

Hurricane Harbor water park, which is included in the park admission, has now become "Hurricane Hannah's Water Park."

Anyone who already has a Worlds of Adventure season pass will have to exchange it for a Geauga Lake pass, and neither the old or new passes will be valid at Cedar Point, other Cedar Fair properties, or any Six Flags parks.

Contact Mike Kelly at: mkelly@theblade or 419-724-6131.

First Published May 23, 2004, 3:01 p.m.