Hurricane Ian: South Georgia theme park offers free admission for storm evacuees

Hurricane Ian: What you need to know Ian regained strength late Thursday afternoon and became a minimal Category 1 hurricane. (NCD)

By Bob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

September 28, 2022 at 5:56 pm EDT

VALDOSTA, Ga. — A South Georgia theme park is offering free admission to Florida residents who were forced to flee their homes during Hurricane Ian.

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Valdosta’s Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta is providing free passes on Saturday or Sunday for anyone from the 26 Florida counties who were forced to leave under mandatory evacuation orders, The Tampa Bay Times reported.

Anyone with valid identification or proof of residency in the those counties under evacuation orders is eligible, according to the newspaper.

Hurricane Ian: Walt Disney World announces park closures

The move comes after Walt Disney World announced on Tuesday that its theme parks would close on Wednesday and Thursday due to the storm. Depending on the weather conditions in South Georgia, the Valdosta park’s operating hours could be impacted by Ian.

“Our hearts go out to those affected by Hurricane Ian, and we understand there is so much waiting and worrying for those affected by the storm,” Jon Vigue, Wild Adventures’ vice president and general manager, said in a news release. “We want to provide an opportunity for those who have taken shelter in our community to step away and have a few hours of fun at Wild Adventures.”

The park is currently in the middle of its second annual Great Pumpkin LumiNight event, the park said in its release.

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