Bø Sommarland is Scandinavia's largest water park, located in the middle of Telemark, about two hours from Oslo. It opened on 27 June 1985 as Telemark Sommarland, built by local forces in what was essentially the middle of nowhere. It was renamed Bø Sommarland in 2000.
Around 200,000 people visit every summer, which makes it one of Norway's biggest tourist attractions. For context, the town of Bø itself has about 6,600 residents. When the park is running at full capacity on a hot July day, the visitors outnumber locals many times over.
The park has both outdoor and indoor water attractions. The headline ride is Mot i Brøstet, which was the world's first water roller coaster when it opened in 1997. The Halfpipe has a 19-metre height difference and is one of the largest of its kind in Europe.
The park was acquired by Spanish group Parques Reunidos in 2006, the same company that owns TusenFryd near Oslo. The season runs from early June to mid-August. It is entirely weather-dependent; on a rainy day, it is not worth the trip. On a sunny day with children, plan to spend most of the day here.
Around 200,000 people visit every summer, which makes it one of Norway's biggest tourist attractions. For context, the town of Bø itself has about 6,600 residents. When the park is running at full capacity on a hot July day, the visitors outnumber locals many times over.
The park has both outdoor and indoor water attractions. The headline ride is Mot i Brøstet, which was the world's first water roller coaster when it opened in 1997. The Halfpipe has a 19-metre height difference and is one of the largest of its kind in Europe.
The park was acquired by Spanish group Parques Reunidos in 2006, the same company that owns TusenFryd near Oslo. The season runs from early June to mid-August. It is entirely weather-dependent; on a rainy day, it is not worth the trip. On a sunny day with children, plan to spend most of the day here.