Top 10 Water Parks - USA
The summer time heat can get close to unbearable at times during the day and night... that's why we've built a list a the Top 10 waterparks throughout the U.S. ---- not so much designed to be the best ones ever (although they are all awesome), but written so people everywhere can get to them.
1) Schlitterbahn
New Braunfels, Texas
www.schlitterbahn.com
A German word meaning "slippery road," there are 3 different
locations in Texas. This one in particular was originally
opened in 1979, and is built along the cool spring-fed waters of the
Comal River. The park features tunnel slides with and
without tubes, a wave pool, different kid's areas and
kiddie parks, water coasters, lazy rivers, a skycoaster,
surfing rides, two hot tubs with swim up bars, an activity
pool with an obstacle course, and numerous speed slides.
Schlitterbahn was also honored again with top awards in the
World's Best Waterpark, World's Best Waterpark
Landscaping and the World's Best Waterpark Ride categories
during the 2007 Golden Ticket Award ceremony.
2) Wet 'n Wild
Orlando, Florida
www.wetnwild.com
The rides here are a little different from the norm.
The BrainWash is a 2-4 person tube slide with a 53-foot vertical drop. They also have a 6 story speed slide, and a Wake Zone; this is a place to enjoy Knee Skiing, Wake Skating, and Tubing behind a boat on Wet 'N Wild's Lake. The Bubba Tub gives four people on a tube a six story, triple dip drop, and the now open Black Hole features sounds and lights throughout the slide ride.
3) Noah's Ark
Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
www.noahsarkwaterpark.com
This park claims America's Longest Watercoaster, over a
1/4 mile long, with six climbs at 30mph. Two multi person
dark slides, a lazy river, an adventure river (with geysers,
waterfalls and waves), multiple splash rides
4) Holiday World/Splashin' Safari
Santa Claus, Indiana
www.HolidayWorld.com
One ride, ZOOMbabwe, is an 887-foot long enclosed water
slide that sends riders hurtling through a maze of
pitch-black darkness for 50 seconds. Funnel rides, flume
rides, and numerous slides abound, and Splashin' Safari
also has an amusement park, Holiday World, in the same
location. Roller coasters, high rise drops, and
multi-holiday themes make this park easy to remember.
5) Water World
Denver, Colorado
www.WaterWorldColorado.com
Denver's largest water park features themed rides. Many
different rides at the park seem to be themed after National
"Vacation," such as Wally World, a kiddie area for children under 48 inches; however, the main highlight is the three dark tube water rides featured here. The park of course has numerous tradition rides, such as a lazy river and tube/tunnel slides, but also features different "half-pipe" style slides.
6) Blizzard Beach
Lake Buena Vista, Florida
www.DisneyH2O.com
OK, so Florida gets put on here twice.. but come on, its surrounded by water. Yet, the setting of Disney's Blizzard Beach is a melting ski resort. Most of the attractions are located at the top of Mount Gushmore: the downhill double dipper is a parallel flume race to the bottom of the mountain; the slush gusher is a speed ride to the bottom. The Summit Plummet is the flagship attraction at 120 feet tall, and is also the world's tallest and fastest free-fall body slide.
7) Water Country USA
Williamsburg, Virginia
www.watercountryusa.com
As Virginia's largest water park, Water Country USA features
more than 30 water rides. It also offers live
entertainment, shops and restaurants, and other attractions,
all of which have a 1950s or 1960s surf theme. Juke Box
Tower hosts three body slides known as "Funky Chicken", "The
Hully Gully", and "The Twist". The Nitro Racer is a ride
that uses six slide lanes to allow guests to race face first
on plastic/foam mats, and Surfer's Bay is Virginia's largest
wave-pool, offering four-foot waves.
8) Kalahari Water Park
Sandusky, Ohio
www.kalahariresort.com
Kalahari Water Park is America's Largest Indoor Waterpark
under one roof at 173,000 sq. ft., and also features a large
outdoor park as well. Inside you can stand up surf, boogie
board, ride the many different tube and tunnel slides, or
just hang out under the Texlon transparent roof, while
enjoying the 12,000 sq. ft. wave pool. The amenities outside
include activity pools, hot tubs, dry play, an expanded sun
deck, sand volleyball courts, and shuffleboard courts. You
can also get your own private outdoor bungalow or indoor
cabana, and enjoy a private flat screen TV, refrigerator,
security safe, iPod docking station, chaise lounges, table
and bottled water.
9) Six Flags White Water
Marietta, Georgia
www.sixflags.com/whitewater/index.aspx
Six Flags White Water has numerous body slides, speed
slides, tube slides and other water activities: this
includes a 100-Meter Splash head-first racing slide, an
activity pool, a six person raft ride known as the Famous
Bahama Bob-Slide, the Tidal Wave body flume, the Captain
Kid's Cove, and Little Squirts Island. Other attractions
include Flash Flood Canyon, Slippery Ridge, Pine Valley and
Wildwater Lagoon. Although it's not included, Six Flags
Over Georgia is also right around the corner.
10) Wild Rivers
Irvine, California
www.wildrivers.com
Despite nearly getting closed at the end of last season, Wild Rivers reopened this summer. One of the most popular rides, the Bazooka Bowls, features a 4 story platform slide into the barrel of the "Bazooka Tube." You accelerate in seconds before spinning into the side of the Bazooka Bowls, and just when you thought you were dizzy enough,
plunge 3 feet into a 9 feet pool. Basic rides, like a lazy river, wave and activity pools of course can be found, and many of the bigger rides are scaled down for the smaller ones.