Growing up just north of Denver summer the highlight of the season was always heading to the water park owned by the city. As a child I assumed that every town had a local water park for the kids to play at. Once I realized that wasn’t the case it became obvious how lucky my community was to have such an amazing parks and recreation team creating attractions like Water World for us to enjoy.
Water World is a 70 acre park featuring 48 attractions throughout the park. This summer the park celebrates 40 years and of those, I’ve probably experienced 15-20 summers as a park goer.
One of my best friends father’s worked as an EMT at the park during the summer, so as soon as we were old enough to explore on our own we were able to spend long days in the sun getting tan while floating around the lazy river. Once I was a bit older my friends started working at Water World, meaning on their days off we’d again spend hours hauling tubes up hills and snacking on dip’n’dots.
As an adult getting to spend a day at Water World is a special occasion that makes reliving childhood a real and tangible experience.
My favorite way to start the day is by heading directly to the Voyage to the Center of the Earth. This ride opened around the time that I was first allowed to visit Water World by myself with friends. I love the dark tunnels full of animatronic dinosaurs and the surprise of water falls just as you float around the corners of the ride.
After Voyage the next stop is Storm. Storm opened a few years after Voyage and the line is never as long. Fully enclosed, your raft goes through fast-paced twists and turns while water comes from every angle.
When these two rides are through I like to go back to the Thunder Bay for a snack and to reapply sunscreen. Thunder Bay is the large wave pool with a single tidal wave that floods the area every 15 minutes or so. As a child there was a video on PBS that showcased exactly how the wave worked. I honestly can’t remember the details, but I do remember watching the video over and over again so apparently the partnership worked!
Thunder Bay is surrounded by lounge chairs and areas to lay out on a towel for a rest. I like to set up my towel in this area because it’s centrally located. One of the best things about Water World is being able to pack in a picnic for the whole family to enjoy. I like to fill up a cooler with snacks, sodas and water with the plan to pick up lunch at one of the concession stands.
After filling up on treats there is no better time to float the day away in the Lazy River. This is always one of the most popular areas in the park so it might take a while to snag one of the communal tubes floating by.
Following Lazy River I like to head to river country where tube rides for both family rafts and individuals can take up a huge chunk of the day! Each ride requires picking up the corresponding tube at the bottom of the hill and bringing it up to the top to start the ride.
Once my calves are burning from the hills it’s time to head back to Thunder Bay to snag lunch from one of the concession stands. Water World is known for their affordable concessions so it’s easy to feed the whole family for less then $20.
With 72 acres of rides, its nearly impossible to see them all before it’s time to head home but after lunch I like to grab a ride on the Gondola out to the Fun House. With several areas for clowning around in the water the best part about the Fun House is if the Gondola gets drenched on it’s ride in. This is the furthest south area of the park and there are more slides before walking back up towards the rest of the park to call it a day.
I love that this amazing amusement park is just in my own backyard and something I can share with family and friends when they come to visit. Summer just isn’t complete without a trip or two to Water World!
Disclaimer: I received complimentary park tickets to facilitate this review. All writing, photos and opinions are my own.
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