Wasn't sure where to post this, but figured here is a good start.
There is now a new water park just 15 miles south of DLR.
Wild Rivers waterpark has finally opened in Irvine! Some of you may remember the original Wild Rivers which was sadly closed in 2012. Well, it's back and I have to say, after having visited twice, it's SO MUCH BETTER than the original!
Our family is lucky enough to live just under 2 miles from this awesome new water park, so we purchased season passes last fall when they went on sale. So far, we have been twice and are going again this afternoon.
The park has been in a sort of "soft open" mode since July 10 while they finished up some slides and stuff. They are still working on a few things like the food service locations and bar, and one kiddie slide area is still under construction, but the Grand Opening is this Wednesday the 27th and by that date, the park is expected to be 95% complete. From my experience, if your kids are taller than 42", the park is worth the admission price for sure. It's not quite ready yet for the smallest kids, since their slide pool won't be open until likely next season.
That said, this park is clean, well run, has cool live entertainment (singers/bands play live music), and has a lot of fun attractions. The staff are all super friendly and helpful and our experiences so far have been really great (especially on uncrowded weekdays).
There are 4 family raft rides, 5 double innertube slides, racer mat slides, 4 "cannonball" style slides with drops into a deep pool, 2 body slides, a wave pool, lazy river, and huge play structure with additional 5 slides and dump bucket. The park is small in footprint which makes it easy to navigate. There is plenty of comfortable seating located around the park, and also cabanas available for rent.
There is food available while they finish up the official food venues, and it's good, but some of it is VERY overpriced (my one criticism so far). $7 for a frozen treat is even higher than Disney charges. So, be ready for that.
Admission is $65, which is a bit high compared to Soak City ($48) but from my experience, Wild Rivers is a superior product. Knotts has a larger wave pool and lazy river, but Wild Rivers has better slides and caps attendance to keep waits reasonable. It's a great way to spend an extra day in the area. Since it opened, my kids haven't even asked to go to Disneyland. They just want to go there every day.
Here are some photos.
There is now a new water park just 15 miles south of DLR.
Wild Rivers waterpark has finally opened in Irvine! Some of you may remember the original Wild Rivers which was sadly closed in 2012. Well, it's back and I have to say, after having visited twice, it's SO MUCH BETTER than the original!
Our family is lucky enough to live just under 2 miles from this awesome new water park, so we purchased season passes last fall when they went on sale. So far, we have been twice and are going again this afternoon.
The park has been in a sort of "soft open" mode since July 10 while they finished up some slides and stuff. They are still working on a few things like the food service locations and bar, and one kiddie slide area is still under construction, but the Grand Opening is this Wednesday the 27th and by that date, the park is expected to be 95% complete. From my experience, if your kids are taller than 42", the park is worth the admission price for sure. It's not quite ready yet for the smallest kids, since their slide pool won't be open until likely next season.
That said, this park is clean, well run, has cool live entertainment (singers/bands play live music), and has a lot of fun attractions. The staff are all super friendly and helpful and our experiences so far have been really great (especially on uncrowded weekdays).
There are 4 family raft rides, 5 double innertube slides, racer mat slides, 4 "cannonball" style slides with drops into a deep pool, 2 body slides, a wave pool, lazy river, and huge play structure with additional 5 slides and dump bucket. The park is small in footprint which makes it easy to navigate. There is plenty of comfortable seating located around the park, and also cabanas available for rent.
There is food available while they finish up the official food venues, and it's good, but some of it is VERY overpriced (my one criticism so far). $7 for a frozen treat is even higher than Disney charges. So, be ready for that.
Admission is $65, which is a bit high compared to Soak City ($48) but from my experience, Wild Rivers is a superior product. Knotts has a larger wave pool and lazy river, but Wild Rivers has better slides and caps attendance to keep waits reasonable. It's a great way to spend an extra day in the area. Since it opened, my kids haven't even asked to go to Disneyland. They just want to go there every day.
Here are some photos.
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