Do you remember that Southridge Mall in Des Moines had a famous indoor waterslide known as the "Hydrotube." However, it was a short-lived attraction that no longer exists today. I remember being 6 years old at the time when it opened. It was so weird to head to the mall for a waterslide, but we headed to Southridge to check it out. Of course it was busy that first month of opening when we went. I thought it was so cool at the time. It was unlike any other attraction we had in Central Iowa. A waterslide in a mall!
The slide originally opened up on May 29, 1985, and permanently closed just six months later on November 11, 1985. It was a 65-foot-tall enclosed tube slide. The unique setup required riders to climb a tower that actually protruded above the mall's roof. Riders then slid through the tube, twisting back into the building before plunging into a splashdown tank inside the mall near the Sears entrance.
The attraction operated almost like a mini-storefront inside the mall, complete with its own locker rooms and a snack bar. While an official reason was never publicized why it closed, its rapid closure was largely attributed to exorbitant liability insurance costs and impending legal/leasing disputes between the mall and the slide's independent operators.
The waterslide is completely gone nowadays. While Southridge Mall went through major outdoor strip-mall redevelopments over the years, the notch on the building where the tube originally re-entered the mall remained a recognizable piece of local trivia for Central Iowans.
Did you ever get a chance to try the Hydrotube at the mall? Do you think we need one at Jordan Creek Mall today?
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