Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels, south of Austin, is the 800-pound gorilla of water parks in Texas. Open from April through September, this sixty-five acre park has something for kids, teens and adults, be they novice swimmers, expert swimmers or even non-swimmers. Want to see what a water coaster's like? Get on the famous Master Blaster and let it push you uphill or tube through the surging Torrent Wave River. Be warned, though--with seventeen water slides, three uphill water coasters, seven childrens' water playgrounds and a mind-boggling array of other attractions--you'll never be able to ride everything in one. And the lines and waits to the more popular attractions can be very long.
If you don't want to make the drive down to New Braunfels or deal with the lines, head up to Volente Beach in Leander. It's a smaller park with fewer rides, but also smaller crowds. It's on the shores of Lake Travis, has eight major rides--including water slides and a big pirate ship in the middle of the kid's pool-- and it even offers a childrens' summer day camp.
If you're up around Waco--maybe on your way back from the Bush ranch in Crawford--drop on by the Waco Regional Water Park, between the Brazos and Bosque rivers. Try out the two pools, two water slides and let your kids go nuts on the water playscapes or with the interactive water toys. And the nineteen court Waco Regional Tennis & Fitness Center is just next door.
San Antonio is Texas' chief tourist destination because there's just so much there to see and do. So if you're down there and need to cool off check out the twenty-acre Splashtown Waterpark. Shoot through a completely dark tube on the Starflight ride, take a mat down the Head Rush, ride the Hydras tube all the way down from a five-story height, or watch a film in the water at the Dive in Movies. There are even twenty-five scaled-down rides and attractions for little kids.
Sea World is one of the most popular attractions in San Antonio. Sure, you know about Shamu and the dolphins and all the other animal acts, but did you know Sea World is also a water park? Ride the river rapids of Rio Loco, tube along Castaway Cruisin,' or plunge five stories down the Texas Splashdown flume.
