Live your best life with a lazy river.
Kids aren’t the only ones having fun here. | Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Dells
Water parks were a summer staple when I was a kid, but just because those “deadly” slides aren’t so scary anymore doesn’t mean you can’t kick off your flip flops and spend the entire day lounging on a water park tube. Lazy pool. Even if you’re not near Orlando or its many theme parks, feel like you’re at a Caribbean seaside resort by sliding down speed slides, drifting along lazy rivers, or relaxing at the Swim Up Bar. You can taste it. (It’s just a short drive or plane ride from my home).
All over the country there are many water parks with beer halls, daybeds, concerts on the “beach” and other thrills that are really fun for both children and adults. Don’t give up on childhood just yet.Here are the 10 best water parks for adults in the US
Go beyond commissary food at upscale restaurant SoundWaves
Nashville, Tennessee
Water parks were never known for their food. Soft pretzels, soggy pizza, and plastic trays of tortilla chips submerged in a pool of nacho cheese (lukewarm if you’re lucky) are usually the norm for the course.
That’s what makes Nashville’s Soundwave, an indoor/outdoor park at Gaylord Opryland Resort, a standout. Not only will you find upscale, modern attractions (including year-round 84-degree indoor temperatures, a state-of-the-art Wave Rider, and an adults-only bar and cabanas), but you’ll also find cuisine for more adult tastes, such as lobster rolls. , poke bowls, sliders and Mexican-style paletas in flavors like blackberry-mint and strawberry-jalapeno, as well as homemade bread and honey from the on-site beehive. The restaurant is spread out into a restaurant, two food trucks, and an adults-only upper-level lounge with its own bar and infinity pool. (As a note of caution, the park’s outdoor attractions are only open on select days from late May through the summer, and closed for the season after Labor Day. The party continues indoors, too.) [Grab your tickets here.]
Sedona, Arizona
Most water park activities take place outdoors, but when the mozzarella from the concession stand sticks to you and the smell of chlorine wafts into your soggy nostrils, are you feeling “fresh air”? In the truest sense of the word. For an outdoor adventure, ride the 80-foot slide at Oak Creek Canyon in Sedona. The chute is not PVC, but is naturally carved into red rock (smoothed by algae) and is powered by the current that pours into the large swimming hole. In addition to the slides, there is her half-mile stretch of Oak Creek, perfect for taking a dip. You can also pack a picnic, fish for trout upstream beyond the water recreation area, or explore the park’s hiking trails. Keep an eye out for the javelina, a wild pig-like creature that lives in the area (you’ll never see it in man-made parks). [Grab your tickets here.]
A stylish beach bar, slide, and cabana combination is the perfect place to take a break. | Photo courtesy of Tidal Cove
Enjoy short lines and strong cocktails at Tidal Cove
Aventura, Florida
Imagine a swanky South Beach day club with occasional live DJs, immaculate private cabanas, and frosé served all day long. Next, add the waterslide. This is pretty close to the experience at Tidal His Cove, a water park attached to the JW Marriott about 30 minutes north of Miami.
Here, you’ll live like a jet-set adult, play like an overindulged child, and indulge in upscale bar fare, strong fruity cocktails, and quality people-watching. Lines are never long (lines are possible for daily admissions of $95 or more). So you can shoot down Aqua his drops on the trapdoor, or you can go weightless with Boomerango and have little time to recover before climbing to the next peak. There are good reasons for this. Relax, have a drink, and take a breather by the lazy river. [Grab your tickets here.]
Las Vegas, Nevada
Although Las Vegas is located in the middle of the Mojave Desert, the city is full of watering holes. Almost every hotel along the Strip has a pool, but thanks to this resort’s aquatic trifecta: wave pool, lazy river, and beach (man-made, of course), Mandalay Bay has the status of a water park. is pushing up. ).
At 11 acres of Mandalay Bay Beach, you can ride the waves, sip pina coladas while riding the tube, or relax at a pool party with a DJ. All of this is right next to the casinos. Music lovers should also check out his Summer concert series on the beach at Mandalay Bay, which is back in full force since the pandemic. Those who prefer a little more privacy can head to Moorea Beach Club, an adults-only offshoot of the resort. There, guests can reserve a variety of poolside daybeds, cabanas, and even private pavilions with their own pools, waterfalls, and wet bars. [Grab your tickets here.]
Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
Slip, slide, and take a break with a Wisconsin craft beer
If you’ve ever tried to get a beer at a pizza place with a rat-like mascot named Chuck, you know that theme park beer can usually only hope to be Miller Lite, Miller Lite, or Beer. Dew. MGD at best. But Kalahari proves that family beer and quality beer aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive.
Located in the cheesy Wisconsin Dells, also known as the “Waterpark Capital of the World,” the Kalahari is home to a beer-focused restaurant called Wisconsin Brew Pub. Create your own flight and sample the state’s best suds, including beers from New Glarus, Port Huron, and Lake Louis Brewing, then ride the resort’s African His Safari-themed slide (Zimbabwe His zipper and Swahili Swar). Another famous Wisconsin Dells waterpark, Noah’s Ark (the largest outdoor waterpark in the country), also has everything from the brand’s Blue Moon Bar to the island-inspired outdoor Kahuna His Bar. If you want to take a breather and take a break from the water, grab a beer or a margarita. [Grab your tickets here.]
Fun for two at this combined water park and zoo in Zoombezi Bay
columbus ohio
Zoomvege Bay has the distinction of being the only large-scale water park in America attached to a city zoo. This means that when you enter, you get access to the Columbus Zoo and all of its animals.
Zoomvege Bay has 14 world-class waterslides, including Sound Surfer, where you can choose your music genre and enjoy a light show to accompany your twisting and turning ride. But the real draw for adults in central Ohio is Clocktail His Creek, her 21-and-over lazy river that features a swim-up his bar. There, he can drink a fruity drink a foot or so and spend the afternoon swimming. Conveniently located next to the children’s area of the park, parents can decide who takes their kids to Baboon’s Lagoon and who gets to drink cocktails in the water. [Grab your tickets here.]
new braunfels, texas
Overwater bungalows are available in destinations like the Maldives, Seychelles, and Bora Bora, but all you have to do to explore aquatic parks is fly to Texas. Billed as “the world’s best water park,” his seven treehouse luxury suites at Schlitterbahn feature full kitchens, living rooms, hand-carved furniture, and the park’s lazy river and actual river. Both have views of the Comal River. This park has seven different accommodation options and is the perfect place for a multi-day vacation.
After checking into your suite, you can relax by the heated pool in the beer garden and slide down racing slides, double-loop body slides, and every other type of water slide you can think of. [Grab your tickets here.]
12 Amazing Natural Water Slides Across America
Before summer ends, slip and slide at one of these natural water parks.
Orlando, Florida
I don’t mean to sound like a Young Life recruitment meeting here, but sometimes you don’t need a ton of alcohol to have a good time. A great example is Volcano Bay. There you can indulge in some good old reliable horror the old fashioned way.
We’re talking about the park’s signature slide, the Kookiri Body Plunge. This is America’s tallest body-plunging waterslide. HEIGHT He rides a 125-foot trapdoor down the volcano at a 70-degree angle, passing less adventurous people lounging in the pool below. The park also has two other slides that are 40 meters high, and although they don’t fall as fast, they still offer the same adrenaline rush. If you need something to calm your nerves after some life-threatening action, visit Dancing Dragon’s Boat his bar. It will give you enough courage to try again. [Get your tickets here.]
denver, colorado
Tickets to Elitch Gardens are 2-for-1. This means you have access to both theme parks and water parks. The water park features an adrenaline-pumping 65-foot speed slide called Epic Mega Wedge. Once you have collected enough swimming trunks, press Meow Wolf’s girlfriend Kaleidoscape. The Santa Fe-based art collective’s thrill ride has been described as a “mind-boggling journey” and “adventure of creative discovery”, and if it’s anything like what we’ve seen before… If it’s the same, you don’t want it. To miss. (Before you head out, know that this park is only open on weekends and closed for the post-Halloween season.) [Grab your tickets here.]
belton, texas
The coolest bar in Belton, Texas has a dress code and swimwear is required. That’s because the bar is actually Summer Fun, a water park about 90 miles north of Austin. Adult Night is held every other Saturday from June to August. Limited to a crowd of 21 or more, the night is filled with live music, bikini dance parties, and a lazy river until late at night. Plus, you don’t even have to splurge on amusement park prices since you can’t bring anything in at night and admission is only $30. If you play your cards right, your new “going out outfit” might include steamy aqua socks. [Grab your tickets here.]
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Matt Meltzer is a contributor to Thrillist. Follow me on Instagram @meltrez1. Amelia Mularz is an LA-based travel and lifestyle writer who has worked for Vogue, New York magazine, The Knot, HGTV Magazine, and has appeared in Travel + Leisure, National Geographic Traveler, and He also contributed to Harper’s Bazaar.
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