We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day, weather-wise, for our family’s first visit to Water Country.
After navigating a bit of unexpected traffic trying to get out of the Boston area, we arrived to the park around 11:00 am, a full half an hour after the park opens. Knowing how insane these types of attractions get on the weekends, I wanted to get there before they opened so we could jump on the more popular slides (a little trick we picked up at Disney World), but it was not meant to be.
But even still, it wasn’t too bad when we arrived at 11:00 am. Parking was a breeze ($15 for preferred parking close to the entrance; $5 for parking in a lot a bit of a walk away) and while the ticket lines were somewhat long, they moved quickly.
Our first stop, once we entered, was to search for our cabana. Water Country offers a variety of cabanas throughout the park (ranging from King’s cabanas to mini cabanas) for guests to rent during their stay. We ended up with a standard cabana in a prime position overlooking the wave pool, which the kiddos loved.
It included a canopy, two chairs, two chaise lounges and a small table. I wouldn’t say it gives you much privacy, but it’s perfect for eating lunch, escaping out of the sun and just taking a rest. (Although it would have been nice if there were restrooms in the cabana area. The closest bathrooms were located back past the main entrance, a bit of a haul for a newly potty-trained 3-year-old).
We started out at the wave pool first. Buddy immediately dove in, while Mimi (not surprisingly) was a bit more timid. But eventually she had a blast holding on to my hands and jumping over the waves.
While we were dodging the waves, Dr. G. ran over to rent some tubes and a life jacket for Mimi. Here’s a tip, friends: If you are renting a life jacket for your kids, you need your driver’s license AND a credit or debit card. Dr. G. had no idea and waited in a long line only to be told he couldn’t rent the life jacket because he didn’t have his license. Also, there is one rental line for lockers, life jackets, and tubes, so be ready to wait a bit.
We also decided to rent tubes to guarantee we’d never have to wait for one at the slides (which wasn’t really an issue, since there always seemed to be extra tubes, but better to be prepared, I guess). The nice thing about renting a tube is that you can use it, drop it off at a designated window away from the long lines, and if you need it again, you just pop over to the window and show them your bracelet. That way you don’t have to lug it around with you all day.
Although they do make comfy chairs.
We eventually made our way to the water slides, which range from moderate to screamworthy. Thankfully, Buddy is taller than 48 inches so he was allowed to go on all slides. He said his favorites were the Dragon’s Den, which he went on with his dad, and the Racing Rapids and the Plunge, which he and I did together.
Because of Mimi, Dr. G. and I alternated between riding with Buddy and hanging out with Miss Mimi, but there were a few attractions we could enjoy together, including my favorite, Thunder Falls, which resembles a whitewater rafting ride and can accommodate families, or groups of 2-4 people. Mimi is usually not a fan of rides, but she was shrieking with delight the whole time.
The other ride we could enjoy as a family was the Adventure River, which we kept calling the “Lazy River,” where you go through waterfalls, fountains and caves on about a .25 mile long river ride.
For little kids like Mimi, there are a number of kiddie attractions, such as:
And …
If you’re wondering what the waits were like, I will say we were there on a Saturday in July with the most perfect water park weather, and the most we waited in line was about 25 minutes. Not to say that isn’t a long time (especially when you’re standing barefoot in a wet bathing suit) but I was honestly expecting it to be worse.
The day flew by while we were there, and before we knew it, it was 5:00 pm! We got changed and drove 15 minutes to downtown Portsmouth, NH (the cutest town, by the way … very New England) for dinner and beers at Portsmouth Brewery, which was the perfect way to end a fun summer day.
Considering a trip to Water Country? Here are my tips:
- Rent a cabana. Trust me, it’s worth the extra money (which ranges from $249 to $49) to have a designated place off the beaten path to leave your belongings, eat lunch, rest, etc. Just try and reserve online ahead of time. Oh, and you can also get your lunch delivered to you in your cabana! Speaking of food …
- Bring snacks, drinks and even your lunch from home, especially if you have a cabana where you can leave it. As a family, we’re generally underwhelmed by overpriced amusement park food (especially for a vegetarian and a couple of picky kid eaters), so we decided to go with the safe bet: sandwiches, chips and grapes from home. Not only did we save some serious cash, we also enjoyed a healthy lunch. Thank you, Water Country, for allowing guests to bring in coolers!
- There is only one line/location for rentals, and if you are renting a life jacket for your kids, you need your driver’s license AND a credit or debit card.
- Rent tubes. They’re relatively inexpensive, and while I didn’t see any attractions that were out of tubes, it was nice knowing we were all set.
- Wear you flip flops. I made the mistake of walking around barefoot at first (when in Rome, right?), because within five minutes, Mimi announced she had to go potty, and I was forced to walk barefoot into the ladies restroom. Ugh. My recommendation? Wear an old pair of rubber flip flops that you don’t care about, just in case something happens to them. And every slide has an area where you can leave your shoes, too.
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I received four tickets and a cabana rental in exchange for this review, but all images and opinions are my own.
melissa G. says
Awesome! In all my years I’ve never been to Water Country. I love that they have areas for little kids too. My 3 year old would love that!
Jessie says
Love the review. I think we will be ready to go next year (if the 5 year old is 48″ – after our experience with Canobie over the weekend, he is not thrilled when Big Sis can do things he can’t).
Jessica says
Oh good, I hope it helped! I definitely recommend waiting for the 48 in mark (and they do measure!). Lucky for me, my little one is very timid and tentative that I don’t think she would have gone on even if she was tall enough 🙂