Summer is hot around here and water parks are a great way to cool off. These parks open in mid-May to the end of May and stay open until August or early September. All the water parks have lockers for rent, food and drinks for sale (and cooler restrictions), and picnic tables. Check their web sites for promotional offers and special group and party packages.
Great Wolf Lodge, an 80,000 square foot indoor water park in Grapevine, is the poshest water park in the Dallas area. With suites for overnight stays, six restaurants (from sit-down to Starbucks and Pizza Inn), and an Aveda spa, this is more than just a water park. But there are waterslides and pools, too. An indoor wave pool, a six-story funnel intended to be ridden in a four-person tube, a four-story treehouse, and plenty of slides will keep the family busy. A night at Great Wolf Lodge, which includes a room and water park passes, costs $179-520, depending on the date of your stay.
Owned by the city of North Richland Hills, this water park just north and east of Fort Worth has slides, wave pools, a play area for small children, and picnic tables and pavilions. In the summer, popular kids' movies are shown.
More than twenty rides -- slides, pools, rapids (for tubing), and kids' splash areas -- keep families cool in the summer heat. General admission costs $24.99. Admission for those under 48" tall costs $19.99. Children under two get in free. Season passes cost $69.99. A Super Combo Pass is available for $109.99 for those who want to admission to both Hurricane Harbor and Six Flags. Parking is $10-15.
Slides, lazy rivers, wave pools, inner tube rides, and much more can be found at the three Hawaiian Falls parks, located in Garland, The Colony, and Mansfield. General admission costs $18.99. Admission for those under 48" tall costs $11.99. Children under two get in free. Season passes cost $79.99. Party packages and food packages are available on their web site.
Bedford Splash at the Boys Ranch Activity Center is designed for younger kids and their parents with milder rides and plenty of splash play centers. Admission for those eighteen and older costs $6.50; 3-17, $5; two and under, free. Season passes cost $45-150, depending on residency status and month purchased. Check their web site for many events, including a dog splash, movie nights, and special holiday programs. Swim lessons, both private and group, are offered throughout the summer.
Four big slides, a lazy river, and a kids' splash place keep everyone busy at Denton Water Works. Pavilions, picnic tables, and lounge chairs provide space for relaxation. Admission costs $2-12, depending on age and residency status. Season passes cost $75 for a resident individual, $225 for a family and $90 for a non-resident individual, $275 for a family.
Slides, pools, splash areas for the little ones, and water wars can be found at this park. General admission for Rowlett residents costs $8.50 and for non-residents costs $10.50. Admission for those Rowlett residents under 48" tall costs $7.50; for non-residents, $9.50. Children under two get in free. Season passes for Rowlett residents cost $40 and for non-residents, $50. Group discounts and party packages are available. Swim lessons and water exercise classes are offered.
Arlington Parka and Recreation runs this family fun park. A water slide, leisure pool with a water channel and vortex, kiddie pool and play area, and pavilions available for party rental. Admission costs $5 for those under 48 inches and $5.50 for those over 48 inches. Children twelve months and under get in free. The Randol Mill Aquatic Center is located inside Randol Mill Park at 1924 West Randol Mill Road.
