Take the Plunge: Great Water Parks With More Adventures

Travel Writers
Fri, 20 Mar 2026 21:00:00 -0700
Lifestyle

By Candyce H. Stapen

Getting sprayed, splashed and soaked at a water park is an exciting rite of spring and summer for families. These mega fantasies of all ways to get wet provide multiple opportunities to scream happily with — not at — your children. Think of racing down slippery slides, getting doused by bucket dumps and splashing in wave pools. Plus, the photos make for lively Facebook and Instagram posts.

While kids can play in the water until their fingers wrinkle and the sun sets, most parents and grandparents can't. Like many adults, we prefer water parks at resorts that also offer out-of-the-pool adventures. At these four popular U.S., Bahamas and Caribbean destinations, add ziplines, obstacle courses, mountain coasters and other exciting ways to create a chorus of joyful shouts with the whole family.
Updated: Wed Apr 01, 2026

By Candyce H. Stapen

Getting sprayed, splashed and soaked at a water park is an exciting rite of spring and summer for families. These mega fantasies of all ways to get wet provide multiple opportunities to scream happily with — not at — your children. Think of racing down slippery slides, getting doused by bucket dumps and splashing in wave pools. Plus, the photos make for lively Facebook and Instagram posts.

While kids can play in the water until their fingers wrinkle and the sun sets, most parents and grandparents can't. Like many adults, we prefer water parks at resorts that also offer out-of-the-pool adventures. At these four popular U.S., Bahamas and Caribbean destinations, add ziplines, obstacle courses, mountain coasters and other exciting ways to create a chorus of joyful shouts with the whole family.

In the off-season, ski resorts turn their mountains into moneymakers by luring travelers with outdoor activities and affordable lodging. For those residing in the Mid-Atlantic who want water parks plus more activities, Camelback Resort in Pennsylvania's Poconos and Massanutten Resort in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley are good options.

Camelbeach Mountain Waterpark at Camelback Resort reigns as the biggest outdoor water park in Pennsylvania. The behemoth spans 30 acres and features 37 rides and attractions. For family thrills, tackle Titan, touted as the world's largest slide of its type. Hold on as you and your kids swirl down the eight-story-tall, three-football-fields-long raft ride. On multiple lane Rival Race, battle to see who reaches the bottom first.

The gentler play at Pharoah's Fortress includes bucket dumps and mild slides. And that's just the outdoors. Aquatopia Indoor Waterpark grabs riders with its Venus Slydetrap, an award-winning raft ride that combines a steep drop with a half-pipe. Don't miss the Storm Chaser Water coaster, reputed to be the world's longest. Out of the water, zoom on ziplines, tackle a treetop obstacle course, go down the mountain on a coaster and drive a UTV along switchback mountain trails.

At Massanutten's outdoor park, jump through 3-foot waves at White Cap, and savor a moment of weightlessness when you whiz down a nearly vertical section of MASS Mayhem, a 47-foot-long water slide. Youngsters toddle through sprays at Splash-A-Nutten. At the indoor WaterPark, hang 10 on a surf simulator, twirl on an inner-tube ride with waterfalls and sprays, and giggle on Massanutten Meltdown, a playhouse with water cannons, slides and waterfalls.

At the Kids' Adventure Course, ages 12 and under cross a rope bridge, confront a climbing wall and tube down a dry slide. Teens and adults whoop and holler as they race on dueling ziplines, bump down mountain-biking trails and ride the new Mountain Mayhem. Virginia's first mountain coaster, this ride reaches speeds of up to 25 miles per hour and features two 360-degree spirals. Get into nature by hiking some of the 30 trails.

My family loves the beach, especially if it's in the Caribbean or the Bahamas and is palm-tree-lined with sugar-soft sands. Two megaresorts, Beaches Turks and Caicos and Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas, feature engaging water parks. At all-inclusive Beaches, a noted family resort, the 45,000-acre Pirate's Island draws families with water cannons, dancing water jets and a lazy river. A complimentary kids' camp caters to tots through teens. You don't pay extra for kayaking, snorkeling, windsurfing and sailing. Beaches recently debuted its sixth village, Treasure Beach, which offers oceanfront, multibedroom rooms and villas, is geared for large families and multigenerational vacationers.

At Aquaventure, the 141-acre water park at Atlantis the Bahamas, go wild or mild. On Leap of Faith, speed through a 60-foot clear tunnel submerged in a marine lagoon, and on the Abyss experience a nearly vertical drop in the darkness. The tamer Rapid River has just enough swirls to be fun.

Another showstopper is the resort's marine habitat, among the largest open-air aquariums in the world. Hundreds of species live in the lagoons and saltwater tanks. Hammerhead, blacknose and reef tip sharks zigzag above you as you walk through an acrylic tunnel in the Predator Lagoon and get eyeball to eyeball with moray eels and other critters at The Dig, an aquarium.

Atlantis is not just for families, either. Gamblers try their luck at the casino, and foodies enjoy fine dining at celebrity chef restaurants.

WHEN YOU GO

Camelback Resort, Tannersville, Pennsylvania: camelbackresort.com

Massanutten Resort, McGaheysville, Virginia: massresort.com

Beaches Turks and Caicos: beaches.com/resorts/turks-caicos

Atlantis Paradise Island, the Bahamas: atlantisbahamas.com

At Leap of Faith, Atlantis Paradise Island, Bahamas, visitors speed down a 60-foot slide submerged in a marine lagoon. Photo courtesy of Atlantis Paradise Island.

Camelback Pharoah's Fortress at Camelbeach, Camelback Resort's outdoor waterpark in Pennsylvania, is the scene of memorable family fun. Photo courtesy of Camelback Resort.

Virginia's Massanutten Resort's outdoor WaterPark delights visitors of all ages. Photo courtesy of Massanutten Resort.

Candyce H. Stapen is a writer at greatfamilyvacations.com. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook @Familyitrips and Instagram @CandyceStapen, and discover HennysKids.org, Stapen's nonprofit that brings educational items to rural schools in Africa.