THINGS TO DO
The WhoaZone inflatable obstacle course at East Beach, New Bedford
By the beach By Michael J. DeCicco
The wisest beachgoers in town will tell you to head south for the best summertime experience this year. By that, they mean the south side of New Bedford and East Beach, where a new floating water recreation center, The Whoa Zone, and waterfront dining at the new Cisco Brewers New Bedford complex are both already attracting a crowd. The WhoaZone off of East Beach is an inflatable on-water Wibit obstacle “ninja” course that is one of six successful WhoaZone locations in five states as far west as Texas. This is its first year in the city; it replaces the floating aquatic recreation course set up at East Beach in 2019 by a different company. This location is here in partnership with the City of New Bedford, explained operations manager Leigh-Anne Hall. The New Bedford native who now lives in Florida when not working for the WhoaZone company said this and every WhoaZone emphasizes variety and safety. "I call it 'American Ninja Warriors' meets 'Wipeout,’" she said. "There's always a soft landing. I tell everyone the
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number one rule is to have a safe, fun time here." Each “obstacle” can be detached and deflated to make room for a variety of others. The whole idea, Hall said, is to frequently offer swimmers something different. There are more challenging obstacles such as the swings, the roller slide, the hurdle, the monkey bars, the roundabout, and the springboard. But less adventurous swimmers will still have fun on the flatter connectors in between obstacles, such as the balance beams, the roundabout, and the half-pipe. Safety rules include having to be at least seven years old, at least 45 inches tall, able to swim, and to wear one of the WhoaZone safety jackets to be allowed on the course. In fact, there is no other way to get to the course but swim to it. Its fifteen lifeguards on-staff are all Red Cross waterfrontcertified, assisted when needed by the city lifeguards on East Beach. The staff utilizes walkie-talkies for instant
August 2021 | The South Coast Insider
communication between each other and a bullhorn for quick contact with swimmers. Plus, boaters are required to keep a safe distance from the course's perimeter. Hours are from noon to 5:30 p.m., and visitors must book a time slot through the website, whoa.zone/New-Bedford.
BEACH BITES
Just down the road, at the site of the former famed East Beach dining spot, Davy's Locker, now offers an expansive entertainment center of its own, Cisco Brewers New Bedford. The 1482 Rodney French Boulevard venue is a 3.5-acre entertainment complex complete with a stage for daily live music in the summer months, five outdoors bars, and Cisco Brewers Kitchen and Bar, a restaurant with two patios and a rooftop bar. Do the math: that's seven bars in total available onsite. The complex features lots of sand, outdoor seating, a beach, and, though still only in the planning stages, a dock for those coming by water.
Alongside the band stage, patrons will find four separate booths: one each for retail items, a brewery, a distillery, and a winery. They face an auditorium-sized outdoor seating area. The water's edge includes a boardwalk and even seating around a fire pit. It's no surprise to hear manager Jennifer McHugh say the new complex "has been extremely successful. There's been a waiting list every day ever since we opened on June 23." No reservations are being taken for dinner seating yet. she said. It's all walk-ins. That will change eventually, but she doesn't know when it will happen. Meanwhile, customers don't seem to mind waiting. After all, while they wait they get to sit at benches with a view of Clarks Cove. "People say they love seeing this property utilized," McHugh said. "People like having a place to sit and outside and enjoy the waterfront. We have had great online reviews on the friendliness and hospitality of
