There is one thing we know for sure... Houston is HOT and will be HOT all summer long! This is why we were excited when Wet'n'Wild Splashtown invited us back out this week.
We went last year and had a great time running from slides to pools to the lazy river and tree house. What was new for us this year was that I did it on my own (plus the kids).
Most of our outings are done with just me and the kids... but for big water parks, I really try to bring another adults with me. I like to have the extra set of eyes around the water and and extra set of legs to take kids up the age-appropriate slides.
This year it just did not work out to have someone with me... so off we went to Wet'n'Wild Splashtown with strict orders to stick together... and the an understanding that we may not get to do absolutely everything.
But guess what, we did it all. The placement of the slides and pools allowed us to stick together and send the kids up the right sized slides.
After some trial and error, we figured out what to do. We found some slides that were okay for the 3 big kids. I walked the 5 year old to the top (while holding the baby), and then walked back down. (After a couple times, he was okay to go with his brother and sister.) For the slides for only 48" and above, the 2 big kids would slide and we would play right next door at the treehouse or smaller slide.
With this, the big kids got to do everything and we still took time to play with baby in the toddler pool and lazy river!
- Arrive at opening... and do your favorite rides first. I'd go to Big Kahuna and the Tornado before the lines get long.
- Save the lazy river, treehouse, kid pool and wave pool for later... because these do not have lines.
- The Stingray Racer is tucked away near the entrance... and often had no lines. This was our favorite thing to do and it was good for 42" and up!
- Consider wearing water shoes. The sidewalks are rough and hot!
- Little kids can play at Wet’n’Wild Junior, Tree House Island, Blue Lagoon, Paradise River and the Wave Pool. Bigger little kids can body board at Flow Rider, tube down Big Kahuna and race down a lot of slides.
- Alien Chaser is NOW open. It's a six-story tall two person slalom, drop and dive tube slide. Kids 48" can ride it!
- Lifeguards are everywhere. But, of course, you have to watch your kids!
- This is a lot of walking and climbing! The stairs to the top of the slides can take you several stories in the air.
- Lockers are available for $10-$20. I’m not sure how to get around renting the locker if everyone plans to swim and you have keys and a phone. The small locker will hold your keys, towel and change of clothes… and not a whole lot more. The jumbo held my camera, phone, sunscreen and clothes for 5 people… but it’s not gigantic. The good thing is that you can open and close all day for one price… so store your sunscreen and water… swim… and come back for more.
- Parking is $10.
- Outside food is not allowed in the waterpark… BUT you can bring in water, infant formula and food for those with special needs. You can also leave a cooler in the car and re-enter the park.
- Food inside the park has amusement park price tags. Most things are around $10, but it looks like you can find tacos, pretzels and popcorn for $3-$4. Bottles of water are $3 but I did see lots of coolers and cups for water.
- Going to a water park is a good way to unplug. With all the water, I locked away my phone and was offline all day. The only trouble was that I had no idea about the time. Next time I’ll wear a waterproof watch. (I also saw lots of people with waterproof phone cases.)
- Tubes are available for all the slides that require tubes. There are also tubes you can rent… but you can skip this expense (unless you are determined to float and not swim down the lazy river). I would personally skip the rental because it's hard to store these tubes and keep others from grabbing.
- Life vests are available for free, all over the park. You can also bring in your own devices. My youngest wore his Puddle Jumper, even though he can swim. (It made his mom feel better.)
- Lots of slides have shallow water at the end. The ones with deep water say that you need to be a strong swimmer to use them.
- Strollers are allowed in the park. (But all the strollers I saw had one parent watching over them.)
- Wet’n’Wild will stay open in the rain and they only close the attractions for lightning/severe weather. When we went last year, it was rainy, which kept the crowds away and only had to leave the water one time. If you want to gamble and go on a rainy day, you might also see fewer crowds… and who cares if you get wet at the water park? The catch is that NO rainchecks are issued… so if you spend a lot of money on tickets and then lighting closes the rides, you lose on the bet.
Look at the pictures below... and look for coupons at local McDonald's or on affiliate Groupon or season passes!
Leave a Reply