Nashville Then: Wave Country has been the place to be during summer since 1980

Chris Hallums, 6, of Lebanon plays in the water at the new Metro Wave Country off of Two Mile Parkway on June 12, 1980.

A large crowd flocked to Wave Country to ride on rubber rafts and to bask in the summer sun on July 4, 1985.

Patrons beat the heat and humidity at Metro’s Wave Pool in Two Rivers Park on July 1, 1986.

Sacha Engel, 14, and Julie Hixon, 13, of Donelson float in the Wave Pool at Wave Country on May 28, 1988. The Briley Parkway water park was one of a number of Nashville-area attractions opening on Memorial Day weekend.

Identical 6-year-old twins Alicia and Angela Hooter splash in the water at Metro’s Wave Country pool at Two Rivers Parkway during Memorial Day on May 27, 1990.

James Burns, left, and Ronald Carr, right, gang up on friend Gerald Grice at Wave Country on June 30, 1990. They came out to the pool to “cool off and have fun” amid temperatures in the mid-90s.

Five-year-old Joseph Dunlap catches a wave at the Wave Country pool on June 27, 1991. He was there with his family, along with a few hundred other people, to beat the heat.

With the temperatures in the 90s, Stephen Andrew, 4, cools off in the pool at Wave Country on June 18, 1992.

Richard Santos, 20, enjoys the water slide at Wave Country in Nashville on July 9, 1994. Santos is visiting Music City from Boston.

Kevin Harper, a student at Freewill Bible College, relaxes in the blue water at Wave Country off of Briley Parkway on June 24, 1995.

Will Perry, 4, of Joelton gives his mother, Marilyn, a kiss at Wave Country off of Briley Parkway in Nashville on June 24, 1995.

Five-year-old Kenneth Grisham gets a splash of water in the face while playing in the pool at Wave Country on May 29, 1996. It is one of the most popular summer attractions in Middle Tennessee.

Billy Short holds his 4-year-old son, Wayne, as they zoom down a slide at Wave Country off Briley Parkway on June 27, 1996. The pool is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily until Labor Day.

Nicki Lambert, vacationing from Florida, cools off at the pool at Wave Country as temperatures hit the high 90s in Nashville on July 2, 1997.

Jamie Searcy, 6, rides with Rhonda Brown as her mom, Michelle Searcy, pushes them in the pool at Wave Country on July 29, 1997.

The pool at Wave Country is crowded as people sought to escape the record heat in Nashville on July 19, 1998.

A boy takes the plunge into the deep end at Metro’s Wave Country pool on June 7, 1999.

With just a few days of summer vacation remaining before school starts again, Heath Hart of Nashville enjoys the waterfall at Wave Country on Aug. 2, 2000.

The pool is the place to be at Wave Country in Nashville on Aug. 16, 2000.

Mallory Mingus, 10, of Nashville climbs out of the wave pool at Wave Country on Aug. 16, 2000. She says the summer break went by too fast.

Joseph Phillips, 4, of LaVergne plays in the kiddie pool at Wave Country on July 23, 2002.

Visitors at Wave Country bob in the pool as they enjoy the last days of summer break on Aug. 18, 2002.

Visitors to Wave Country enjoy the last vestige of summer while the temperatures are still in the 90s on Aug. 18, 2002.

From the waves in the big pool to the kiddie area in the background, there is something for all ages at Metro's Wave Country off of Briley Parkway in Donelson on July 12, 2003.

Donnie Gray, 15, of Mt. Juliet does a flip into the pool at Wave Country on July 24, 2003. Gray, a student at Mt. Juliet High School, said he'll spend the few remaining weeks of summer vacation "just laying around."

Metro Parks employee Jodi Benz prepares floats at Wave Country on May 11, 2004. The season opens on May 29. More than 600 floats will be prepared for the summer.

The new speed water slide at Wave Country is ready for customers on April 13, 2007.

Markel Campbell, 14, rides the new speed water slide on opening day at Wave Country in Nashville on May 26, 2007.

With the new speed water slide in the background, folks of all ages are enjoying the pool on opening day at Wave Country on May 26, 2007.

Glencliff High football coach Greg Abner checks the water for different chemical levels as part of his job at Wave Country on June 28, 2007. Like many other high school coaches, Abner supplements his teaching income with a non-sports related summer job.

Construction continues on a new bath house and concession stand at Wave Country in Nashville on March 18, 2008. Project manager Chad Buscher predicts the job will be completed by the end of April.

April Witkowski, 26, of Murfreesboro rides the speed water slide at Wave Country on June 26, 2008. The slide is 80-feet long and features a 40-foot drop.

Anthony Woods of Proslide smooths the joints on one of two large water slides at Wave Country on April 28, 2009, in preparation for the parks opening on Memorial Day. The two slides start from the top of a 40-foot tower and plunge downward for 80-feet into the water.

With temperatures in Nashville climbing into the high 90s, many visitors beat the heat at local pools like the one at Wave Country on July 7, 2010.

Visitors lounge in the pool at Wave Country on July 7, 2010.

Tennessee State University football coach Rod Reed surprised his team on Aug. 22, 2010, after telling them to prepare for their toughest and hottest practice of the year. Instead he loaded them onto busses and took them to Wave Country.

Tennessee State lineman Charles Sparkman, a 340-pound Pearl Cohn High alum, dives into the pool at Wave Country on Aug. 22, 2010. Head coach Rod Reed surprised his team with a trip to the pool instead of practice.

Tony Coaklet, 16, does a flip into the pool at Wave Country on June 24, 2012, as temperatures rose above 95 degrees in Nashville.

Brittney Towe, 8, enjoys the water slide at Wave Country on June 24, 2012, as temperatures soared above 95 degrees in Nashville.

Tabitha Huddleston of Lebanon plays in the pool at Wave Country on June 24, 2012.

Opening-day patrons line up in front of Wave Country on May 24, 2014.

Memorial Day visitors play and lounge at Wave Country on May 24, 2014.

Stacey Blacksmith of Nashville kisses her 5-month-old daughter, Joy, while relaxing at Wave Country on May 28, 2016, opening day for the seasonal attraction.