Ah, summer. As a child, you learn to love it as the time when school’s out. You and your friends play in the sun and then cool down by splashing in the water. It’s a simple pleasure that never goes away. As people get older, they simply find new ways to redirect that love. And the best of them is a day at a water park.
At water parks, every day is summer.
Nothing is more All-American than the idea of summer. It’s when the nation celebrates its independence. Perhaps that’s why the country has a ridiculous number of water parks. Did you know that there are roughly 30 of them in the state of Texas alone? Of course, those are just a small percentage of the 1,200 water parks in the United States. People certainly can’t get enough of them…but which ones are the best? What follows is a list of the eight best water parks in America. They’re all great enough to make you chant, “USA! USA! USA!”
8. LEGOLAND Florida Water Park
Some water parks are more about the ambiance; others are all about the rides. LEGOLAND Florida Water Park combines the two while splashing in a crayon box worth of colors to make the whole thing better for kids.
In fact, even by water park standards, LEGOLAND is all about the kids. The Creative Cove section includes Build a Boat, which allows children to play with LEGOs in a novel way. First, kids construct LEGO boats. Then, they get to race them down a waterway to see who has built the most seaworthy vessel. Alternately, families can work together to build a float they can use to ride down a lazy river all afternoon. LEGOLAND is pure joy, and the water park is an extension of that feeling of euphoria.
7. Lost Island Waterpark
You may not think of Iowa as a great destination for summer fun, but their water park is one of the best kept secrets in the industry. Lost Island is a thematically brilliant facility located in Waterloo. Fans of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure will immediately think of it as the real version of Waterloop, which is fair because this park is most triumphant.
Lost Island features several fantastic attractions such as Tá Katipo, a four-way race to the bottom of the water slide, and Molokini Crater, a tubed ride that dumps people out of a 60-foot funnel. The main attraction here is Wailua Kupua, a hydromagetic water coaster that offers the rider a stunning view of the park before thrusting them uphill through an intricate series of tunnels that eventually splash down at the bottom of the hill.
6. Splash Country
Dollywood is undeniably known for its shows and its hospitality, but the adjoining water park has a surprising number of thrills. Attractions like Fire Tower Falls and Raging River Rapids will put a smile on your face. Fire Tower Falls is a drop ride that’s seven stories tall, while Raging River Rapids is a curving 700 foot tube ride for three to five people.
Unquestionably the best thing at the park is RiverRush, a recent champion at the Golden Ticket Awards. It’s a brilliantly designed water-coaster that sweeps riders through 1,175 feet of track. Dollywood also recently introduced TailSpin Racer, a five-story tall waterslide that pits six competitors against one another to see who can reach the bottom quickest…and hopefully in one piece.
5. Hurricane Harbor
The newest water park on the list is also one of the most innovative. When the park planners at Six Flags Over Georgia decided to add a new facility, they went all out. Hurricane Harbor is the largest expansion in the history of a park that’s 50 years old. It’s kid-friendly with a 2,000 square foot play area that will entertain the children while the parents relax elsewhere. Of course, everyone eventually winds up in the 38,000 square foot wave pool that functions as a de facto gravity well, sucking in all park guests.
When you visit Hurricane Harbor, pay attention to its thematic touches, as it’s a Caribbean getaway somehow nestled just outside Atlanta, Georgia. You’ll also want to ride Tsunami Surge, which Hurricane Harbor’s marketing team describes as a “hybrid zero-gravity water slide.” Basically, it’s a carefully constructed violation of every law of physics that you know.
4. Splashin’ Safari
When you visit Santa Claus, Indiana, you’ll want to bring your swimsuit. Sure, the city is best known for its love of Christmas, but its weather is decidedly not wintery when Splashin’ Safari is open. This park, the sibling to Holiday World, debuted in 1993 and has become an industry stalwart. In 2011, TripAdvisor users voted it as the best water park in the world a few years ago, and USA Today readers named it the Best Outdoor Water Park of 2017. Suffice to say that Splashin’ Safari has been great for years, and it’s poised to continue its run of greatness through countless Christmases to come.
The highlights of Splashin’ Safari both prove that size still matters. Mammoth, which opened in 2012, instantly became the longest water-coaster in the world. The ride that it usurped to take the title was Wildebeest, a 2010 creation at – you guessed – Splashin’ Safari. More than five years later, the park still hosts the two longest water-coasters anywhere. So, you might visit to see Santa Claus, but you should stay to ride water-coasters that last all day.
3. Noah’s Ark
If we voted purely based on names, Noah’s Ark would win. This cheekily named Wisconsin treasure is the pride of the Dells. And the Wisconsin Dells are the unofficial water park capital of the world. The best one there is undoubtedly in the conversation for best water park.
What differentiates Noah’s Ark from the other Wisconsin Dells parks? The advertising brochure hits on a key point. The owners claim that Noah’s Ark is “America’s largest water park.” It’s a moving target to be sure, but this place definitely has a strong argument. It offers a stunning 51 water slides, several of which are also rides. In fact, Travel Channel has described the park as “the Granddaddy of all extreme waterparks.” While all of its attractions are a blast, the pride of Noah’s Ark is Black Anaconda, which is currently the third longest water-coaster in the world.
2. Schlitterbahn
Since Texas is such a haven for water parks, the best of them is obviously going to earn a spot on this list. Simply picking the best Schlitterbahn in Texas is a difficult task since the company hosts four of them, and each one has its charms. Still, I’ll always favor the original due to its heritage.
Schlitterbahn’s website boasts about the invention of what some consider the first major water park in North America (note that this is a contentious debate). In 1966, Bob and Billye Henry wanted to do something fun for their kids. They constructed a few entertaining activities based around water sports. A few years later, they augmented the area after they purchased a small hotel beside the Comal River in New Braunfels, Texas. By 1979, they were ready to launch an official water park. Almost 40 years later, it’s still amazing.
The original Schlitterbahn features amazing rides and a deep respect for Texas nature. The innovative filtration system in place captures and re-uses 98 percent of all water used, making it one of the most environmentally friendly operations in the industry. It even features natural water from the Comal River to supply half the park’s rides. And oh yeah, Dragon’s Revenge is incredible. It’s impeccably themed and a blueprint example of why Schlitterbahn New Braunfels has won the Golden Ticket Awards category of Best Water Park for 19 (!) straight years.
1. Typhoon Lagoon
The debate with these lists is always whether to include Disney parks. They’re in a different stratosphere in terms of construction budget and engineering (*ahem* IMAGINEERING) quality. I’ve left Typhoon Lagoon off the last couple of water park rankings, but in the discussion for best overall water park, its exclusion would be unforgivable. This water park is the best in the world, and it’s only getting better.
Typhoon Lagoon attracts more than 2.2 million visitors each year, making it the second most popular water park in the world based on attendance. The only park that does better is Chimelong Water Park in Guangzhou, China, with 2.5 million visitors. This is a good time to mention that the population of Guanzhou is 14.4 million, while Orlando’s is about 263,000.
What makes Typhoon Lagoon such a tourist destination and the clear choice as best water park? Well, it has a huge advantage in that it’s part of the Walt Disney World campus. Guests can even buy park tickets that include admission to this facility and Blizzard Beach, Disney’s other Orlando water park. Still, Typhoon Lagoon would be a strong seller without the special ticket program. It’s amazing.
The theming of Typhoon Lagoon is what’s left behind in the wake of a killer storm. Wreckage is everywhere, with clever implementations of flotsam and jetsam sprinkled throughout the park. The attractions also fit the theme well.
In 2017, Disney introduced the latest and greatest one, Miss Adventure Falls. It’s pure Disney magic, with an audio animatronic bird adding some color as the rider gets pulled uphill on a track until a thunderous watery sound signifies that the ride is about to start. From there, it’s a majestic but very wet tube ride that’s equal parts relaxing and engaging. Simply stated, it’s yet another masterstroke from Disney’s amazing Imagineers. It also perfectly embodies why Typhoon Lagoon is always at the top of any discussion about the best water parks in America. Disney’s always trying to make something new and better for its fans.
