USA TODAY 10Best
Splashin' Safari Water Park named best in the U.S.
Best Outdoor Water Park (2019)
When the heat of summer descends, millions of visitors head to America's water parks to cool off. We asked our readers to vote for their favorite outdoor water parks in the country for the ultimate day of sun and fun.
The top 10 winners in the category Best Outdoor Water Park are as follows:
- Hurricane Harbor - Austell, Ga.
- Adventure Island - Tampa
- Rapids Water Park - Riviera Beach, Fla.
- Water World - Denver
- Schlitterbahn New Braunfels - New Braunfels, Texas
- Aquatica Orlando - Orlando
- Cowabunga Bay - Henderson, Nev.
- Dollywood's Splash Country - Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
- Lost Island Waterpark - Waterloo, Iowa
- Splashin' Safari Water Park - Santa Claus, Ind.
Photo courtesy of Six Flags Hurricane Harbor
No. 10:
Hurricane Harbor, a Caribbean-themed water park inside Six Flags Over Georgia, represented the largest expansion in the park's history when it opened in 2014. Facilities include a 38,000-square-foot wave pool, the world's first zero-gravity hybrid single slide, a 2,000-square-foot interactive play area with six kid-sized slides and a 41-foot slide tower.
Photo courtesy of 2019 SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment
No. 9:
In Tampa, thrill seekers can tackle Colossal Curl, a thrill slide at Adventure Island bringing up to four riders high above the action for a weightless experience that merges funnel and wave for an action-packed descent. Back on the ground, Paradise Lagoon’s 9,000 square feet of slides and waterfalls offer lots of adventure on terra firma — unless you choose to cliff jump off its 20-foot platform, of course.
Photo courtesy of Rapids Water Park
No. 8:
Rapids Water Park, the largest water park in South Florida, comprises 30 sun-kissed acres dotted with some 42 water slides and attractions, including the Black Thunder dark vortex funnel, Brain Drain vertical plunge, FlowRider surf simulator and Riptide Raftin family raft ride.
No. 7:
For those who like their attractions big, Water World is a definite contender. At roughly 70 acres, it’s one of the nation’s largest — with wave pools, towering slides, interactive offerings and winding rivers from mild to wild. While rides like the Funhouse Express Gondola take guests high above the winding slides for a birds-eye view reminiscent of winter’s ski lifts, Warp Speed allows riders to cool down with a journey through an interstellar wormhole that’s both game and ride in one.
Photo courtesy of Schlitterbahn New Braunfels
No. 6:
Over three miles of tubing and seven kids' areas complete this popular water park between Austin and San Antonio. It sets itself apart with three uphill water slides (a novel concept invented by Schlitterbahn) as well as The Falls, a 3,600-foot-long lazy and not-so-lazy river: the world's longest water park ride.
Photo courtesy of Aquatica Orlando
No. 5:
SeaWorld’s first and most popular water park, Aquatica Orlando, draws 1.5 million visitors per year while seamlessly integrating sea life into rides. Its signature attraction, Dolphin Plunge, is an enclosed tube slide that passes through a pool of playful, black and white Commerson’s dolphins. Guests can also take a leisurely raft ride down Loggerhead Lane, through colorful exotic fish. Aquatica's South Seas theme is further enhanced by 60,000 lush, tropical plants covering its 60 acres.
Photo courtesy of Cowabunga Bay
No. 4:
Cowabunga Bay is the best place to cool off in Las Vegas, with 23 acres of fun featuring more than 20 slides, pools and attractions. Highlights include Wild Surf, the world’s largest man-made wave, and Point Panic, an enclosed, pitch-black water slide that’s not for the faint of heart.
No. 3:
Dolly’s Smoky Mountain oasis offers up more than 24 slides and thrill rides for all ages at Splash Country. The littlest guests enjoy loads of interactive play time in places like the Cascades — a lagoon-style pool where hidden misters, bubblers and secret slides make for fun discovery. Thrill seekers, on the other hand, revel on rides like the RiverRush. It’s four stories of family fun on a water coaster with multiple drops, twists and turns.
Photo courtesy of Lost Island Waterpark
No. 2:
At Lost Island Waterpark in Waterloo, Iowa, park-goers can take the plunge at Lost Soul Falls, catch a wave in Tsunami Bay, float the Kailahi River, play some volleyball in Blue Iguana Lagoon or ride one of the world's only hydromagnetic water coasters, Wailua Kapua.
Photo courtesy of Holiday World & Splashin' Safari
No. 1:
It may be in Santa Claus, Indiana, but Splashin’ Safari’s about as far from the North Pole as you can get, offering myriad thrills to cool guests off in the summer heat. Families who thrill-ride together will revel catching actual air on Mammoth — a water coaster so massive its seven-story bulk takes up more than three acres! Multiple drops employ cutting edge technology, lifting up to six passengers to plunge again and again and again.
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to pick the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote.
Congratulations to all these winning water parks!
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Doug Barnes
Doug Barnes is the Owner/Producer/Host of the Read More
Doug Barnes is the Owner/Producer/Host of the Season Pass Podcast. Podcasting on Themed Entertainment for over 11 years, Doug took his lifetime hobby of theme park fun and turned into the largest audio archive of creative stories, career origins, and attraction development, told by the industry creators themselves, on the Internet. Doug has interviewed 500 plus themed entertainment creatives, media, celebrities, and fans; and has moderated multiple convention panels based on themed entertainment.
Doug Barnes
Doug Barnes is the Owner/Producer/Host of the Season Pass Podcast. Podcasting on Themed Entertainment for over 11 years, Doug took his lifetime hobby of theme park fun and turned into the largest audio archive of creative stories, career origins, and attraction development, told by the industry creators themselves, on the Internet. Doug has interviewed 500 plus themed entertainment creatives, media, celebrities, and fans; and has moderated multiple convention panels based on themed entertainment.
John Stevenson
John Stevenson is the founder of Coaster101.com, a... Read More
John Stevenson is the founder of Coaster101.com, a roller coaster and amusement industry website featuring in-depth articles about the fundamentals of roller coaster design, theme park guides, roller coaster reviews, interviews with industry experts, the latest coaster news and more. In 2017, John authored Libertyland: Images of Modern America, a book detailing the history of the former Libertyland amusement park in Memphis, Tennessee, which operated from 1976 until 2005 and was home to the Zippin Pippin, Elvis Presley's favorite roller coaster. John has traveled from coast to coast riding over 230 roller coasters in the US.
John Stevenson
John Stevenson is the founder of Coaster101.com, a roller coaster and amusement industry website featuring in-depth articles about the fundamentals of roller coaster design, theme park guides, roller coaster reviews, interviews with industry experts, the latest coaster news and more. In 2017, John authored Libertyland: Images of Modern America, a book detailing the history of the former Libertyland amusement park in Memphis, Tennessee, which operated from 1976 until 2005 and was home to the Zippin Pippin, Elvis Presley's favorite roller coaster. John has traveled from coast to coast riding over 230 roller coasters in the US.
Monet Massa-Sena
Monet Massa-Sena is the owner of The Theme Park... Read More
Monet Massa-Sena is the owner of The Theme Park Princess and The Memory Makers. She is a former Walt Disney World Cast Member who spent two semesters on the Disney College Program and one semester as a professional intern for the Disney Parks Live Entertainment team. She is currently a social media manager for NowThis.
Monet Massa-Sena
Monet Massa-Sena is the owner of The Theme Park Princess and The Memory Makers. She is a former Walt Disney World Cast Member who spent two semesters on the Disney College Program and one semester as a professional intern for the Disney Parks Live Entertainment team. She is currently a social media manager for NowThis.
Robb Alvey
Robb Alvey is the owner of ThemeParkReview.com,... Read More
Robb Alvey is the owner of ThemeParkReview.com, started in 1996 and one of the longest running and largest theme park fan sites with over 3 million followers. Robb travels to theme parks all over the world each year including Europe, Asia, Australia, and all around the Americas, has visited hundreds of different parks and ridden about 2,000 different roller coasters. His background in theme parks started as a cast member for Disneyland when he was 17 years old and has continued more than 30 years later.
Robb Alvey
Robb Alvey is the owner of ThemeParkReview.com, started in 1996 and one of the longest running and largest theme park fan sites with over 3 million followers. Robb travels to theme parks all over the world each year including Europe, Asia, Australia, and all around the Americas, has visited hundreds of different parks and ridden about 2,000 different roller coasters. His background in theme parks started as a cast member for Disneyland when he was 17 years old and has continued more than 30 years later.
Robert Niles
Robert Niles is the founder and editor of Read More
Robert Niles is the founder and editor of ThemeParkInsider.com, an online consumers' guide to the world's leading theme and amusement parks, read by more than 400,000 people each month. It has been named the top theme park site on the Internet by Forbes and Travel + Leisure magazines and was a Webby Award finalist and winner of the Online Journalism Award, presented by the Online News Association and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. Robert is a former Walt Disney World cast member and has worked as a reporter, editorial writer, columnist and website editor for several newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register.
Robert Niles
Robert Niles is the founder and editor of ThemeParkInsider.com, an online consumers' guide to the world's leading theme and amusement parks, read by more than 400,000 people each month. It has been named the top theme park site on the Internet by Forbes and Travel + Leisure magazines and was a Webby Award finalist and winner of the Online Journalism Award, presented by the Online News Association and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. Robert is a former Walt Disney World cast member and has worked as a reporter, editorial writer, columnist and website editor for several newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register.
