You can’t enjoy a water park without traditional swimwear. One-piece swimsuits or two-piece swimwear without hanging ties or strings are both appropriate for female visitors, though a one-piece is more secure. Males should make sure their swim trunks are secure around their waist and strings are tucked inside to avoid snagging equipment. Water shoes, flip-flops or other plastic footwear can save your feet from hot surfaces and fatigue after a long day of walking in the sun. Children under 48 inches tall, non-swimmers and weak swimmers should wear a Coast Guard approved life vest while enjoying the water park. Check with the water park before you visit to confirm availability, or bring your own as a precaution.
Sunscreen is one of the most important things you’ll wear at a water park. It protects your skin from the sun’s damaging rays. Lather up with waterproof sunscreen at least 30 minutes before arriving at the water park and several times throughout the day, especially after riding slides. Bring a hat to protect your scalp and face from the sun, though you’ll need to leave it with a non-rider on high-speed rides. A loose fitting T-shirt is another great item of clothing to have on hand for any point during the day when you feel your skin has had enough sun.
Although water parks are, of course, wet, wet, wet, you won’t spend the entire day submerged. Bring a set of dry clothes -- a T-shirt, shorts and undergarments are good choices -- for the ride home or dinner afterward. You may also decide that you’re finished swimming after having lunch or after doing the tallest drop slide. A dry change of clothes can be a lifesaver.
Nobody wants to imagine the possible injuries that could occur when going down a water slide at high-speed wearing hoop earrings or a wrist of stacked bracelets. Leave all jewelry at home when visiting a water park. Chlorinated water can tarnish and ruin many metals, and you risk injury if the jewelry snags on the equipment. For the same reasons, bathing suits with metal details or attachments and shorts with rivets, buttons or zippers are also a bad idea. While prescription eyeglasses and protective sunglasses are a necessity, many water parks ask that you leave them with a non-rider or stash them in a locker before riding thrill rides. Bring these along but understand that you may be without them for a period of time.
