15 water parks in your own backyard

By Dan Butcher

updated 4:34 p.m. ET June 23, 2008

Wilderness Territory Waterpark Resort at Wisconsin Dells
Near: Madison, Wis. (55 miles)
The Wilderness Territory's most popular ride is the Hurricane: Riders experience the eye of the storm as they rapidly descend through a four-story funnel. Flashes of lightning, rumbling thunder, and drifting fog convey the sense of a full-blown natural disaster.

Details: 511 E. Adams St., Wisconsin Dells, Wis., 800/867-9453, wildernessresort.com. Kids eat free with adult purchase.

Other Wilderness locations: A brand-new, 150-acre Wilderness resort in Sevierville, Tenn.

Parks nearby: Other water parks in Wisconsin Dells: Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park and Noah's Ark.

Alert: The area experienced heavy flooding recently; if you're planning on visiting Wisconsin Dells, you'll need to keep an eye on the situation as it unfolds. We called the Wilderness, and they'll remain open with regular hours.

Kalahari Resort, Sandusky, Ohio
Near: Toledo (60 miles)
Kalahari doubled the size of the park in December 2007. The highlight is the Swahili Swirl. In a four-person inner tube, you'll be ejected from a steep tube slide into a 60-foot-diameter bowl; it's a dizzying three times around before you're sucked down the drain and dropped into a 50-foot-long landing pool. It's like a really fun toilet bowl. To mellow out, relax under the 40,000-square-foot clear Texlon roof, which houses tropical plants and allows guests to catch sun year-round.

Details: 7000 Kalahari Dr., Sandusky, 877/525-2427, kalahariresort.com. Look for spa packages and "Beat the Clock" lodging specials on the Web site.

Other Kalahari locations: Wisconsin Dells Wis. And a new water-park resort is under construction in Fredericksburg, Va., with a scheduled opening of 2010.

Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom, Geauga Lake, Ohio
Near: Cleveland (25 miles)
Older children and teens flock to the 60-foot-tall, 253-foot-long Liquid Lightning tornado slide. The ride launches you—at speeds of up to 24 mph—from a tube slide into a giant funnel, before spitting you into the calm waters of the finishing pool. Tamer settings include the Splash Landing family activity center, with waterslides, soaker hoses, bubbling geysers, and a raining umbrella, and Coral Cove, an activity pool with three basketball hoops and huge climbable animals.

Details: 1100 Squires Rd., Aurora, Ohio, 330/562-8303, wildwaterfun.com. Special events include Friday-night dance parties.

Aquatica by SeaWorld, Orlando
Near: Tampa (85 miles)
The signature experience here is the Dolphin Plunge, 250 feet of clear underwater tubes that plunge riders into a lagoon populated by charismatic black-and-white Commerson's dolphins. For a split second, you'll feel as if you're swimming with them. Aquatica's attractions include something for everyone: 36 slides, six rivers and lagoons, and more than 80,000 square feet of white-sand beaches.

Details: 5800 Water Play Way, Orlando, 888/800-5447, aquaticabyseaworld.com.

Daytona Lagoon, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Near: Orlando (55 miles)
Daytona Lagoon's most hair-raising experience is Blackbeard's Revenge. After you climb the 62-foot tower and mount an inner tube, you'll take a 15 mph, six-story tumble down a twisting, pitch-black tunnel slide. Don't miss the brand-new Kraken's Conquest, either: It's a four-lane, 55-foot-long ProRacer-series speed slide. Friends and families can challenge each other to high-speed, watery showdowns.

Details: 601 Earl St., Daytona Beach, 386/254-5020, daytonalagoon.com. The park offers a different special each day; for example, every Thursday you can get unlimited use of miniature golf, the carousel, and the rock-climbing wall from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for $10.

Splash Island at Cypress Gardens, Winter Haven, Fla.
Near: St. Petersburg, Fla. (74 miles)
At the interactive water-play area, the towering Tikki Head—basically a massive, dressed-up bucket—dumps more than 300 gallons of water over bathers every few minutes. The variety in the surrounding Cypress Gardens theme park is impressive, too, with a concert venue, picturesque gardens, and numerous animal exhibits.

Details: 6000 Cypress Gardens Blvd., Winter Haven, 863/324-2111, cypressgardens.com/splash_island. Keep an eye out for special events such as Float-a-Thon, which will raise money for the Red Cross, on July 13.

FirstPerson Theme park vacations Your best theme park photos.

Water World, Denver
Near: Boulder (30 miles)
The 67-acre Water World's calling card is the Voyage to the Center of the Earth. Brave riders hop onto inner tubes and journey into the dark—where they're confronted by large, animatronic dinosaurs, including a 15-foot T. rex. If you're scared of the dark, but not much else, the TurboRacer might be more your style: Jump headfirst onto toboggan mats and race your friends down four stories, eventually launching—at more than 20 mph—onto a straightaway to the finish line. Each rider's time is recorded, so you can tell if you're the fastest waterstud in Denver.

Details: 1800 W. 89th Ave., Federal Heights, Colo., 303/427-7873, waterworldcolorado.com. Families can bring a picnic into the park; parking is free. Also, bring in a can of nonperishable food and get $6 off general admission.

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