ORLANDO — Thrill seekers are taking their last rides down the waterslides at Wet n’ Wild Orlando as the longest-operating water park in the U.S. gets ready to permanently close its doors Dec. 31.

“For more than 30 years, Wet ‘n Wild Orlando has been the water park where endless numbers of families and friends have created memories that will last a lifetime,” says Ashley Reyes, Marketing Manager for Wet n’ Wild Orlando and Universal’s Volcano Bay, in a Universal Orlando Resort blog post.

Opened in 1977, Wet ‘n Wild Orlando was bought by Universal in 1998.

Reyes added that “the excitement and thrills Wet ‘n Wild has offered will continue at Universal’s Volcano Bay, a next-generation water theme park opening next summer.”

There’s speculation that many of the newer attractions at Wet n’ Wild will reappear in a new format at Universal’s Volcano Bay, located just across the street.

Universal’s Volcano Bay is scheduled to open in early summer 2017, spread across 30 acres. At the heart of Volcano Bay there’s the 200-foot-tall volcano Krakatau. By night the volcano will illuminate with blazing lava.

According to a report by the Themed Entertainment Association, Wet ‘n Wild ranked fourth among the Top 20 water parks in North America, bringing in nearly 1.3 million visitors in 2014.