Twisty slides, giant squirting mushrooms, in-park rivers and man-made waves keep families happily waterlogged at water parks. A far cry from the kill-an-hour-or-two pools where swimmers dangle their feet from concrete decks or sunbathe on a towel nearby, these suburban attractions accommodate kids and grownups who want a whole day’s worth of fun.
Most have zero-depth areas with shallow, sloping entry points for toddlers and pre-schoolers who wade on in and splash to their heart’s content. There are chaises for those longing to catch some rays and umbrella-shaded tables for folks who like it a bit cooler. Many of the parks have adjoining sand volleyball courts, playgrounds and picnic grounds. Concession stands provide everything from early-morning bagels to pizza slices. But what really draws crowds of squealing kids and adventuresome adults are the parks’ special attractions.
Speed slides with heart-stopping angles and towering, curvy slides send the daring careering down to a splash landing. Wave machines propel body surfers this way and that, while meandering rivers inner tubes keep weekend voyagers comfortably afloat. Even the little ones enjoy hydro-driven action: tot-friendly water slides, squirting whales and cascading waterfalls keep the youngest crowd busy.
Here’s a sampling of some area water parks:
Magic Waters Waterpark: The granddaddy of all area water parks is near Rockford, just an hour drive from O’Hare Airport. Splashmagic Island, centered in the Splashmagic River Ride, features a 50-foot-tall “interactive” water attraction including slides, fountains and a 1,000-gallon water bucket that tips over and sends water cascading down the side and over anyone in the pool below.
Other attractions include Breaker Beach, a 707,000-gallon heated pool where water alternates between waves and calm and is ideal for those who like to ride an inner tube; Splashmagic River Ride, a 1,200-foot tube float; and three water slides that send bodies screaming downward up to 30 m.p.h. Two other winding slides accommodate single and double inner tubes. Tots enjoy the Little Lagoon, where they can slide through a frog’s mouth, be squirted by a whale, ride a tube or climb on the park’s aqua creatures.
Bring your own picnic (no glass or alcohol) or dine at concession stands and food carts, which serve up everything from pizza and subs to ice cream. Sand volleyball courts make it easy to get into a pickup game. Magic Waters, 7820 N. CherryVale Blvd., Cherry Valley, can be reached from Interstate Highway 90; exit west on U.S. Highway 20 and head south on Bell School Road. It’s open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. Admission prices are $13 for adults and $11 for folks under 48 inches tall. Call 800-373-1679.
Rainbow Falls Water Theme Park: This Elk Grove Village park features three water slides, two cliff diving platforms, a high-speed inner tube ride, a toddler’s adventure pool and a family funhouse. The family funhouse is a combination of carnival funhouse and interactive waterplay. More than 70 water “gags” housed in the three-story structure keep water enthusiasts, well, enthusiastic.
There are bubblers, misters, jet sprays and a 2,500-gallon “boiler” that periodically appears to build pressure, tips and showers the folks below. A space bowl slide, attached to the funhouse, empties into a swirling bowl, dropping riders 4 feet into a plunge pool. Toddlers will love the adventure pool; it’s equipped with squirt guns, a spouting turtle, a junior water slide and a wading pool.
An 18-hole miniature golf course provides on-the-land action for diehard duffers. A concession stand and eating area make it easy to grab a quick lunch without leaving the park.
Located at Lions Drive and Elk Grove Boulevard, one block east of Arlington Heights Road, Rainbow Falls Water Theme Park is open 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Hours are shorter at the end of August and early September. Admission to the park is $5 for residents; $8 for non-resident adults 18 and older; and $7 for non-resident youth 2-17; kids under 2 are free. Call 847-228-2860.
Racing Rapids: This East Dundee landmark provides plenty of action for the water baby and the older kid that likes his or her fun on the dry side. Two 50-foot Slidewinder slides send riders on a twisty 400-foot descent into a splash pool. Four thousand gallons of water rush tube-riding kids and adults down the Twister Tube Slide. Younger kids partake in the aquatic thrills; you only have to be 40 inches tall for the Slidewinders and 36 inches for the Twister Tube Slide. There’s a smaller water slide, the Duck Slide, for pint-size aquanauts.
A half-mile go-cart track provides earthbound pleasure while the bumper boats make a wild almost-dry ride. A 450-foot-long Lazy River Tube Ride meanders under a waterfall and encircles Children’s Fun Islands, three shallow pools where swings hang from a gorilla, a mushroom sprays water and a turtle offers a back to climb on. Chaises and lawn chairs surround the pool so adults can relax and still keep an eye on the kids.
Picnics are welcome, but glass and alcohol are not. The concession stand serves pizza, nachos, corn dogs, sno-cones and other kid-pleasin’ provisions. Located on Illinois Highway 25 just south of Illinois Highway 72, Racing Rapids adjoins Santa’s Village, an amusement park featuring rides, live entertainment, games and a new Typhoon roller coaster. Admission to Racing Rapids is $12.95; add on another $9 and you get admission into Santa’s Village as well. Racing Rapids is open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Call 847-426-6751.
Big Surf Wave Pool: Located in Mt. Prospect, this park produces 3-foot waves, 10 minutes on and 10 minutes off, throughout the day. The waves keep things exciting as 500,000 gallons of water churn and surge. Zero-depth areas provide spots for younger surfers, and there are two diving boards for practicing half-gainers.
Chaise lounges and umbrellas outfit the concrete sun deck and there’s a concession area that serves pizza, hot dogs, chips, drinks and ice cream. Tubes and floats, renting for $3 plus a $1 deposit, enhance the swell-riding experience. Kids under 10 are not allowed into the pool area or water without an adult. Toys should be left at home.
At 1:30, 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. every day, there’s a 10-minute wave sequence just for adults. There are no picnic grounds inside the pool area; a picnic grove and playground are situated right outside the wave pool. Get your hand stamped so you can come back in.
The Big Surf Wave Pool is located on Maple Street two blocks south of Northwest Highway and five blocks east of Illinois Highway 83. The wave pool is open noon-7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Entrance fees are $6 for adults 19 and over and $4 for kids 3-18; kids under 3 are free. Call 847-255-5380.
Moran Water Park: Some say this Lombard pool is the best-kept secret in the western suburbs. With a lushly planted, well-tended city park surrounding the pool, there’s as much to do outside the fence as there is to do inside. Inside the chain links, visitors delight in five pools. Two lofty water slides curve into the drop pool and a lap pool offers six 25-meter lanes. Older kids appreciate the two diving boards with their own separate pool; diving boards are getting fewer and farther between as insurance rates rise.
A craggy rock complete with waterfall separates two zero depth pools. In the deeper of the two, three powerful sprays and three bubblers keep waders wet all over. There’s a 3-foot-deep bulkhead pool that’s ideal for mid-age kids and a game of Marco Polo. A generous supply of chaise lounges are arranged around all the pools and there’s a sand volleyball court, a sand playground for the toddling set, and a foot shower to prevent sand being dragged into the pools.
Picnic and umbrella tables sit in a shady, grassy grove near the concession stand. The concession stand serves up everything from bagels and orange juice to standard lunch and snack fare. Pop machines located away from the concession stand cater to those who hate waiting in line. You can’t bring picnics into the pool, but get your hand stamped and enjoy one of the picnic tables outside the fence. Play basketball, tennis or baseball on the park’s courts and fields. There’s even a Frisbee golf course; bring your own Frisbee and play a complimentary round.
Moran Water Park, located at 433 E. St. Charles Rd., Lombard, is open for limited general swim (adults-only in the lap lanes) 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; 12:30 p.m.-5 p.m. for general swim; 5-6 p.m. for another limited general swim and 6-9 p.m. (weekdays; until 8 p.m. on weekends) for general swim. Resident fees are $5 for 18 and older and $4 for kids 3-18 and seniors. Non-resident fees are $10 for adults and $8 for kids 3-18 and seniors; kids under 3 are free. Call 630-627-6127.
Splash Country: This park, on the west side of Aurora, opened in June. It boasts a Lazy River ride, a 1,100-foot stretch of water that’s for floating down with the aid of one of the park’s inner tubes. Those looking for a little more excitement grab an inner tube and twist their way down 275 feet on one of the park’s two water slides. Smaller kids love the sprayground, a playground adjoining the pool, where there’s water cannons, sprinklers and showers kids can operate themselves.
The pool is zero-depth and offers lap lanes for those looking for exercise as well as a good time. Tired adults and kids push a chaise under a shady trellis and take a break from the sun and water. There’s also a sand volleyball area and a regular playground. Concession stands serve kid favorites like chicken nuggets, pizza and hot dogs. Picnics can’t be brought into the aquatic center, but can be taken to Blackberry Historical Farm Village across the road.
Ask staff about dual-entry passes that cover admission to both the water park and the farm village. The village offers pony and train rides and a look at Aurora’s past with a number of museum exhibits. It’s a quiet spot to while away an hour or two while Mom, Dad, and kids rest up before taking another shot at the slides.
Splash Country is on Barnes Road near Galena Boulevard. Take Interstate Highway 88 and exit on Orchard Road. The park is open noon-7:30 Sunday through Friday in June; noon-8 p.m. in July; noon-7 p.m. in August; Saturday hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. through summer. Admission on weekdays: District resident fees are $4.50 for adults, $3.50 for kids 4-7 and $3 for seniors; weekday non-resident fees are $9 for kids and adults and $6 for seniors; kids 3 and under are always free. On Saturday and Sunday, fees increase by about $1. Call 630-906-7981.
Splash Down Dunes Water Park: Splash Down, in Chesterton, Ind., features a giant wave pool that goes from zero-depth to six feet. It’s got four twisty water slides and four speed slides, with 70-degree angle drops, that send sliders almost straight down into the pool. Machines churn up waves (bigger than those in Lake Michigan, says one employee) every 5 minutes.
There’s a kiddy pool with ankle-deep water, gigantic spraying mushrooms, three smaller water slides, a sandy beach and a wooden playground. Little folk under 48 inches accompanied by an adult are welcome in the wave pool, but aren’t allowed on the slides. Squirt guns, sand toys and life jackets are also welcome; water wings and floatie tubes are not. Chaise longues and umbrella tables offer out-of-the-way relaxation spots.
Rent single tubes for $3 or double tubes for $5 and ride the breakers. Ask staff members for a volleyball and spike a few on one of the two sand volleyball courts. Bring your own picnic, but no glass or alcohol. Just like at a Bears’ game, staff members check coolers. Concession stands serve picnic-type fare. If you want to take a break and visit nearby Indiana Dunes State Park or Porter Beach or play a round of miniature golf at the course next door, get your hand stamped for re-entry privileges.
The park, located at 150 E. U.S. Highway 20 in Chesterton (about an hour east of downtown Chicago), is open 10 a.m.-8 p.m. every day until Labor Day. Monday and Tuesday seem to be the least busy days. Admission for adults is $9.95; kids under 48 inches, $8.95; and kids under 3 are free. Call 219-929-1181.
Bolingbrook Aquatic Center: At this west suburban park, the good times roll even on inclement days. The only center like it in the state, Bolingbrook features both an indoor and an outdoor pool.
Outside, there’s a 300,000-gallon zero-depth pool equipped with two giant slides. One of the twisty slides is meant for tubing, just grab an inner tube next to the slide. There’s also a sprayground for kids can’t get enough water play. The playground boasts squirt machines and a waterfall. Sand volleyball courts and a regular playground provide entertainment for landlubbers.
Indoors, there’s a water slide at the end of a zero-depth pool as well six 25-foot lap lanes. Spraying fountains in the shallow end keep little ones happy. A 10-person hot tub and deck chairs make for livin’-is-easy entertainment. Picnics are welcome, but no glass or alcohol is allowed. The outdoor concession stand caters to kids with pizza, popcorn, candy and pop.
The Bolingbrook Aquatic Center is at 200 S. Lindsey Ln., Bolingbrook; the nearest cross streets are Lily Cache and Naperville Roads. The center is open noon-8 p.m. Monday through Saturday; and noon-6 p.m. Sunday. Admission prices are $4 for residents and $6 for non-residents. Call 630-759-2727.
