Make a Splash at 7 of the Best Water Parks in the U.S.
4. Splashin’ Safari (Santa Claus, Indiana)
Sentimentality and sensibility meet intensity at Splashin’ Safari, which is one half of the combination theme park known as Holiday World. Located in the aptly named town of Santa Claus, the park began as a celebration of the happiest time of the year during the 1940s and only broadened into aquatic entertainment in 1993.
Splashin’ Safari boasts Wildebeest and Mammoth slides and the world’s longest water coasters, but it also has some more modest innovations that parents of small children will appreciate. Pick Your Price ticketing lets visitors easily find the cheapest times to visit, and one admission gets you into both parks.
What’s more, Splashin’ Safari and Holiday World provide free parking, free Wi-Fi and (best of all) free sunscreen stations.
5. Disney’s Blizzard Beach (Lake Buena Vista, Florida)
So, remember my aside about winter and water parks in the first paragraph? Well, trust Disney to upend one’s expectations in the slickest way possible. Lazy rivers and wave pools, water slide races and multi-person tubing — Blizzard Beach contains everything you would expect from a water park.
What’s different though is its theme. Styled after a ski lodge that supposedly sprung up when Florida experienced a fictional snowstorm, everything is a floating sheet of faux ice and glacial colors. The chill (quite literally) Cross Country Creek even drops frozen slush into its placid waters.
From beaches to vineyards to historical sites, Santa Barbara will sweep you off your feet with its small town vibe and attraction-filled streets.
6. Roaring Springs Water Park (Boise, Idaho)
Proving that geography also provides little impediment to watery enjoyment, Roaring Springs brings cutting edge engineering to the Gem State. Though the park’s pinnacle is the appropriately named Cliffhanger, Corkscrew Cavern really deserves your attention. It’s an elegant loop of tubing designed to squeeze riders with g-forces as they zip down at 38 feet per second.
The park also deserve kudos for aiming attractions at younger riders. Kiddie Kowabunga shrinks all the thrills of big tube rides down to a child-friendly size, and the Mammoth Canyon Family Raft Ride is geared for every age level. Roaring Springs even offers reading programs for local students.
