USA TODAY 10Best
Ransack Ridge at Wild West Wins Best Water Park Kids' Area
Best Water Park Kids' Area (2015)
America's water parks, whether indoor or outdoor, provide a safe and fun environment for kids of all ages — and their parents — to cool off and unwind. While wave pools and waterslides have their appeal, they're not always kid-friendly. USA TODAY 10Best asked readers to vote for their favorite water park zones made especially for kids, and the results are in!
The top 10 winners in the category Best Water Park Kids' Area are as follows:
- Fossil Falls at Lost World - Wisconsin Dells, Wis.
- Splash Attack at Adventure Island - Tampa
- Tadpole Bay at Noah's Ark - Wisconsin Dells, Wis.
- Joker Soaker at LEGOLAND Florida - Winter Haven, Fla.
- Joker Soaker at LEGOLAND California - Carlsbad, Calif.
- Han's Hideout at Schlitterbahn - New Braunfels, Texas
- Sand Castle Cove at Schlitterbahn - South Padre Island, Texas
- East Coast Waterworks at Hersheypark - Hershey, Penn.
- Safari Sam's SplashLand at Splashin' Safari - Santa Claus, Ind.
- Ransack Ridge at Wild West - Wisconsin Dells, Wis.
Photo courtesy of Wilderness Resort at Wisconsin Dells
No. 10:
Inside Lost World, one of eight water parks at Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wis., kids often make a beeline for Fossil Falls, a spray and play structure with a dinosaur theme. Topping the multi-level aquatic playground is a 750-gallon tipping bucket.
Photo courtesy of Adventure Island
No. 9:
At Splash Attack, the watery play area at Adventure Island in Tampa, kids and adults alike are sure to get soaked thanks to 500 feet of open and enclosed slides and 50 water play toys covering a giant tree house structure at its center. Guests scramble over bridges, crawl along nets and webs and climb ropes all while awaiting a 1,000-gallon wooden bucket to dump over their heads.
No. 8:
At the heart of America's largest water park, kids big and small get sprayed, splashed and soaked in Tadpole Bay, the kid-centric play zone at Noah's Ark. Topped by an 8-foot-tall tipping bucket, the colorful, multi-level structure boasts four waterslides and 50 interactive water toys and elements.
Photo courtesy of LEGOLAND Florida Resort
No. 7:
At LEGOLAND Florida, the largest LEGOLAND park in the world, guests find a tangle of slides, water toys, cannons and more on the dual-level play structure known as Joker Soaker. Every few minutes, a 300-gallon tipping bucket soaks little ones waiting below.
Photo courtesy of LEGOLAND California
No. 6:
Joker Soaker, the interactive playground and wading pool at California's LEGOLAND amusement park, not only offers water cannons, gadgets and a 350-gallon tipping bucket, it also boasts a jester made from LEGOs who keeps guests laughing with his jokes as they play and splash below.
Photo courtesy of Schlitterbahn Waterpark & Resort
No. 5:
Young guests at the original Schlitterbahn water park in New Braunfels, Texas love Han's Hideout, a five-level water-filled fun house in the shape of a German pirate ship. Crawl tunnels, body slides, climbing nets, dumping buckets and water cannons provide hours of fun for kids of all ages, and the 500-gallon water bucket on the bow of the shipwreck soaks unsuspecting pirates below to many a kid's delight.
Photo courtesy of Schlitterbahn Waterpark & Resort
No. 4:
Young guests at Schlitterbahn on South Padre Island find five levels of spray and play fun at Sand Castle Cove. This water play area, shaped like a giant sand castle, is outfitted with hundreds of water play elements, dump buckets and waterslides. A giant tipping bucket atop the castle makes for a perfect (and wet) family photo op.
No. 3:
Head to the Boardwalk in Hersheypark in Hershey, Penn. to find East Coast Waterworks, a water playground boasting 54,000 gallons of fun in the form of seven slides, two crawl tunnels, bridges, ropes, tip cones and some 600 interactive water toys.
Photo courtesy of Holiday World Splashin' Safari
No. 2:
Splashin' Safari in Santa Claus, Ind. might be most famous for housing the world's two longest water coasters, Mammoth and Wildebeest, but it also caters to kids at Safari Sam's SplashLand, a zero entry activity pool (maximum depth of 18 inches) where kids have their pick of eight different open and enclosed body slides.
Photo courtesy of Wilderness Resort at Wisconsin Dells
No. 1:
Within the balmy interior of Wild West, the biggest indoor water park at Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells, little squirts will find four stories of interactive aquatic fun at Ransack Ridge. This interactive play structure has it all: body slides, water cannons, blasters and, of course, a 750-gallon tipping bucket.
Additional nominees for Best Water Park Kids' Area included Baboon Lagoon at Zoombezi Bay, Bear Mountain Fire Tower at Splash Country, Blastaway Beach at Wet 'n Wild Orlando, Buccaneer Beach at Splashwater Kingdom, Ketchakiddee Creek at Typhoon Lagoon, Ski Patrol Training Camp at Blizzard Beach, Splash Zone at Soak City, Tree House Island at Six Flags White Water, Walkabout Waters at Aquatica Orlando and Walkabout Waters at Aquatica San Diego.
10Best and USA TODAY extend their congratulations to all the winners.
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
Dave Parfitt
A reformed academic with a PhD in neuroscience,... Read More
A reformed academic with a PhD in neuroscience, Dave Parfitt began writing about his family travel adventures after surviving a trip to Walt Disney World as father of two budding princesses. As owner and editor of AdventuresbyDaddy.com, Dave offers family travel advice and escapist fun from Dad’s point of view. Dave’s travel articles and photos have appeared in US News & World Report, Fox News Travel, Huff Post, USAToday, Family Circle Magazine, and more. He has appeared as a family travel expert on nationally syndicated radio shows, newspaper articles, and around the internet.
Dave Parfitt
A reformed academic with a PhD in neuroscience, Dave Parfitt began writing about his family travel adventures after surviving a trip to Walt Disney World as father of two budding princesses. As owner and editor of AdventuresbyDaddy.com, Dave offers family travel advice and escapist fun from Dad’s point of view. Dave’s travel articles and photos have appeared in US News & World Report, Fox News Travel, Huff Post, USAToday, Family Circle Magazine, and more. He has appeared as a family travel expert on nationally syndicated radio shows, newspaper articles, and around the internet.
Lydia Schrandt
Lydia, Senior Photo Editor and Readers' Choice... Read More
Lydia, Senior Photo Editor and Readers' Choice Production Manager for USA TODAY 10Best, has traveled to more than 40 countries in Europe, Asia and North and South America, and has lived in Albuquerque, Galveston, Austin, Thailand, Korea, China, Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Spain and now Houston. When she's not at her computer in a cafe, she's out photographing the city, writing fiction or cheering on Barça.
Lydia Schrandt
Lydia, Senior Photo Editor and Readers' Choice Production Manager for USA TODAY 10Best, has traveled to more than 40 countries in Europe, Asia and North and South America, and has lived in Albuquerque, Galveston, Austin, Thailand, Korea, China, Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Spain and now Houston. When she's not at her computer in a cafe, she's out photographing the city, writing fiction or cheering on Barça.
