Sunday, June 27, 2004

Wet, Wild Water parks


Family ratings

Park Attraction Mode No. riders Fun rating
The Beach Banzai Twin body slides One, but you race side by side Hill, dip, hill; Great for squeals 'n races
Hidden Rapids Inner tubes Two per tube; two slides for family racers Straight down with twisting flumes and pools of swirling water that sometimes trap sliders; great for team effort getting "untrapped"
Lazy Maimi River Inner tubes One, but families can hook tubes together in a chain Last word in relaxation; lay back and let the river do the rest

Boomerang Bay at PKI Tasmanian Typhon Cloverleaf shaped rafts Four, and the more weight the higher you go in the tube. Airtime is possible The sliding part's fun, but crashing out is even more fun; swirling waters in the funnel drive you high up the sides; it's also the park's most popular ride
Snowy River Rampage Traditional round rafts Four; more weight in the raft drives you higher up the banked sides of the slide Great fun and some speed too; not much air time; get the raft spinning for an extra kick
Jackaroo Landing You walk Unlimited Grab a water cannon and shoot people passing by; wait for the whistle and stand under 500 gallons of rushing water; challenge your kids to a water fight; race them on three family slides
Kookaburra Bay You lounge or wade Unlimited The large pool (less than 1-foot deep) has lounge chairs for parents, waterfalls for kids, built in ledges for sunning

Hurricane Bay at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom Caribbean Cruise Inner tubes Single seaters, but familes can hook up and make a chain on the quarter mile lazy river It's easy, it's lazy and it has the most fantastic landscaping you've ever seen
Hook's Lagoon On foot Unlimited It's another water fortress with cannons, a 1,000 gallon tipping bucket, bells, whistles and an assortment of slides
Hurricane Bay Wave Pool On foot, tummy or back Unlimited The park bills it as "the largest waves in the Midwest" -- so large that they actually had to tone it down this year.

Hurricane Hannah's at Geauga Lake Shark Attack, three twisted tube slides Inner tubes Single seaters At 40-plus feet, the twisted tubes make a favorite racing facility for families
Calypso Creek Inner tubes Single seaters It's your basic lazy river with a slow current; stretch out and tan, or hook tubes together and make a family chain

Soak City at Cedar Point Splash Zone On foot Unlimited It's a giant watery jungle gym with facilities for climbing, sliding and shooting water at other guests, plus a 1,000 gallon bucket of water dumping at 3-minute intervals
Zoom Flume Rafts Seats up to 4 At 76 feet high with severa; 90-degree, highly banked turns, you're riding the top of the tube most of the time.
Renegade River Inner tubes Single seaters but can hook together It's a 1,300-foot lazy river, but unlike most it has waves, some of them fairly large. It also has geysers, waterfalls and a few surprises

Splashin' Safari at Holiday World ZOOMbabwe Rafts Seats up to four It's 100-plus feet and completely enclosed, so it's pitch black. Lots of screaming here
Otorongo Rafts Seats two Another dark ride, it has two curved slides and one straight, perfect for racing families.
Watubee Rafts Seats four It's a rushing white water river adventure with steeply banked turns and a lot of sudden drops
Zinga Rafts Seats four Another of those trendy slides that end with a giant funnel and a long ride sloshing up the sides of the funnel

More ratings: Overall ratings | Family Fun | Big/Tall/Fast rides | Amenities