It began as a swimming hole in the late 1890's, and now Beech Bend Park has developed into a family destination complete with rides and a water park.

With recent news on the closure of the Six Flags Park in Louisville, we spoke with those at Beech Bend to see what they had to say.

Many amusement parks have been hit hard by the economic slump.

And Beech Bend says with Kentucky Kingdom closing, they may be one of the only places left to offer thrills in Kentucky.

"I'm not aware of any amusement parks in Kentucky," said Charlotte Gonzalez. "There's a few water parks scattered around, but I think we'll be the only park left in Kentucky."

Gonzalez' family has owned Beech Bend Park since the 1980's, and they know how bad the economy can be on amusement parks.

"We don't ever want to see bad luck on any other business, but at the same time we welcome the folks who've been going there to come to our place and give us a try because we believe whole-heartedly that we've got the best value, best bang for your buck," said Gonzalez.

Before their season ended last year, they noticed business was taking a slight bruising.

"Families coming to the park was down just a little," said Gonzalez. "For us, we were lucky. We didn't have a real big downturn, but the company side of the business, the corporate picnics, those kind of company functions were down drastically for every park in the country last year."

Gonzalez knows the economy doesn't discrimminate and can hit any business, any time.

So they're working hard to expand their fun, family atmosphere for when they open for this year's season on May 1.

"This year we've added free soft drinks," said Gonzalez. "We've always had free parking, free sunscreen, and free tubes. We try to make it a real good family value, so people will want to come and spend the whole day with us. Spend two or three days with us."

A large expansion to the park is in the works in hopes of making that a reality.

It's an addition that will almost double the size of their water park.

"We are so optimistic," said Gonzalez. "It's kind of like, build it and they will come. People have been asking for a long time for a wave pool and a lazy river. We're putting in a real nice addition this year."

Gonzalez says crews are working on the expansion everyday, except those days mother nature gets in the way, but they're still on track to have it completed by Memorial Day weekend.