There are world-class water parks across the US, particularly in the country’s warmer states, such as Florida and Texas. Disney and Universal’s Orlando-based parks claim the top spots in North America. Joining them are aquatic attractions from companies including SeaWorld, Cedar Fair and Six Flags.
The water parks in this list are measured by pre-pandemic attendance in 2019. The latest attendance figures from the TEA/AECOM Theme Index are for 2021 when the attractions industry started on the road to recovery. As there were still restrictions limiting operating days and capacities in place in some areas in 2021, the TEA/AECOM Theme Index has kept the 2019 rankings in place for the 2021 report.
In 2019, the top 20 parks in the US attracted a total of 16.4 million visitors. In 2020, they welcomed just 3.8 million guests, and in 2021, 10.7 million.
1 Typhoon Lagoon | Walt Disney World, Florida
Typhoon Lagoon can be found at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista. It is one of two water parks operating at the resort and was the second to open after Disney’s River Country. This closed in 2001.
The water park in Florida opened in 1989. It is inspired by a tropical paradise, with ships, fishing tackle and surfboards. Typhoon Lagoon’s sister water park, Blizzard Beach, first opened in 1995.
Typhoon Lagoon’s attractions include waterslides such as ‘Crush ‘n’ Gusher’, ‘Bay Slides’, and ‘Storm Slides’. Guests can also enjoy a lazy river called ‘Castaway Creek’, as well as family-friendly water rides, and the largest wave pool in North America.
In January 2022, Typhoon Lagoon welcomed guests for the first time in nearly two years after closing in response to Covid-19. New offerings include a shipwreck-inspired F&B outlet.
2019 attendance – 2,248,000
2 Blizzard Beach | Walt Disney World, Florida
Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon’s sister attraction at Disney World, is the second most visited water park in the US. It was the third water park to debut at the Orlando property in 1995. The majority of its attractions, from waterslides to rapids and pools, are located on top of an artificial hill called Mount Gushmore.
Summit Plummet is one of the tallest and fastest freefall body slides, while Teamboat Springs is one of the world’s longest group whitewater raft adventures. Toboggan Racers is a unique attraction where visitors compete on a mat. Cross Country Creek is a scenic lazy river, and Runoff Rapids has three inner-tube waterslides.
Blizzard Beach now features a handful of Frozen-themed attractions. These are part of Tike’s Peak, a polar-themed wonderland for young guests with small slides and aquatic activities. The new offerings include Anna and Elsa’s igloo, and statuettes of Olaf and his Snowgie pals can be seen in the wading pool.
2019 attendance – 1,983,000
3 Volcano Bay | Universal Orlando, Florida
Universal Orlando’s Volcano Bay opened fairly recently in 2017. It replaced Wet ‘n Wild on International Drive. Volcano Bay is located next to Universal’s Cabana Beach Bay Resort. It covers 25 acres and includes more than 30 experiences and attractions. These range from body slides and raft rides to a multi-directional wave pool and hydro-magnetic waterslide coaster.
“Universal’s Volcano Bay sets a new standard on every level,” said Tom Williams, CEO and chairman of Universal Parks & Resorts. “It provides our guests with spectacular entertainment experiences and innovative technology that helps them enjoy more of what matters most – connecting with each other and having an amazing time together.”
2019 attendance – 1,811,000
4 Aquatica | Orlando, Florida
SeaWorld’s Aquatica Orlando opened in 2008. This top US water park is home to several WhiteWater products. In 2021, Aquatica launched Florida’s first duelling water slide, Riptide Race, from ProSlide Technology Inc., an industry leader in water ride manufacturing and design. “Riptide Race will offer a ride experience you won’t be able to get anywhere else in Florida,” said David Heaton, Aquatica Orlando VP.
Riptide Race riders slide side by side and face-to-face in racing lanes. “Aquatica will be the first water park in the state to have a thrilling, and more importantly, duelling water slide,” added Heaton. In 2019, Aquatica became a Certified Autism Center.
2019 attendance – 1,533,000
5 Schlitterbahn New Braunfels | Texas
Schlitterbahn New Braunfels near San Antonio in Texas provides a host of river rides, pools and waterslides. Schlitterbahn’s flagship waterpark has 51 attractions on more than 70 acres. Its four sections are each as large as most regional water parks. Every area includes a swim-up bar, lazy river and children’s area. Open year-round, the resort is home to hotel rooms, suites, cabins and vacation homes.
The park, alongside Schlitterbahn Galveston, was acquired by Cedar Fair in 2019. “We are very excited about the opportunity to bring these two award-winning Texas water parks into the Cedar Fair family,” said Richard Zimmerman, Cedar Fair’s President and CEO. “These properties represent new markets for us with attractive demographics in the growing Central Texas region, and they align with our strategy to identify compelling opportunities to accelerate our growth and profitability.
2019 attendance – 996,000
6 Water Country USA | Williamsburg, Virginia
Owned by SeaWorld Entertainment, Water Country USA can be found in Williamsburg, Virginia. Billed as Virginia’s largest family water park, Water Country USA is home to more than 40 state-of-the-art water rides and attractions. These include Cutback Water Coaster, the only ProSlide RocketBLAST coaster on the East Coast.
The US water park, which opened in June 1984, also features the Vanish Point drop slide, Aquazoid raft ride and Hubba Hubba Highway lazy river. Riptide Race, Virginia’s first duelling pipeline waterslide, is opening in summer 2023. Riders will get the chance to race each other through 250 feet of slide and high-speed tunnels. Riptide Race opened at Aquatica Orlando, also owned by SeaWorld, in 2021.
2019 attendance – 736,000
7 Adventure Island | Tampa, Florida
Another aquatic park in SeaWorld’s portfolio is Adventure Island. Located across the street from Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, the 30-acre attraction opened in June 1980. Highlights include the Rapids Racer, the world’s first duelling saucer waterslide, and Wahoo Remix, the park’s first slide to offer synchronised light and sound elements.
Further waterslides found at Adventure Island are Solar Vortex, Colossal Curl, Riptide, Caribbean Corkscrew and Water Moccasin. The park also has a 17,000-square-foot wave pool, a children’s water playground, the Rambling Bayou lazy river, and a 70-foot drop slide.
2019 attendance – 656,000
8 Aquatica San Antonio | Texas
Aquatica San Antonio, part of the SeaWorld family, is a US water park with animal experiences. Its attractions include thrilling waterslides, a lazy river, lagoons, a huge wave pool and more than 42,000 square feet of beaches. Stingray Falls, the park’s signature attraction, plunges riders into an underwater grotto of hundreds of stingrays and tropical fish.
Opened in May 2012, Aquatica San Antonio also offers Ihu’s Breakaway Falls, the tallest drop slide in Texas. Additional waterslides include Tonga Twister, Taumata Racer, Walhalla Wave, HooRoo Run, Kiwi Curl, Riptide Race and Tassie’s Twisters.
2019 attendance – 651,000
9 Schlitterbahn Galveston | Texas
Schlitterbahn Galveston is a 26-acre water park with more than 33 unique attractions. Found along the Texas coast on Galveston Island, it opened in 2006. It houses the award-winning Massiv water coaster, from WhiteWater, a leading waterpark manufacturer, and the award-winning Transportainment river system. In 2019, the park opened the tallest and longest pair of head-first mat racers, Infinity Racers. It is also home to the original inland surfing ride, Boogie Bahn.
As well as its Master Blaster, WhiteWater supplied a Multi-Lane Mat Racer, AquaPlay and AquaSplash, and a FlowBarrel.
Schlitterbahn Galveston has three sections – Blastenhoff, Surfenburg, and Wasserfest. All three provide state-of-the-art aquatic attractions, F&B and retail outlets. As well as Schlitterbahn New Braunfels, the park was acquired by Cedar Fair in 2019.
2019 attendance – 567,000
10 Splish Splash | Calverton, New York
Splish Splash in Calverton, New York offers 96 acres of slides and attractions. These include more than 20 waterslides, two wave pools, a large children’s area, a lazy river and F&B outlets. High-speed slides include Bombs Away and Riptide Racer, as well as Bootlegger’s Run, the first water coaster in New York. The state’s largest water park opened in May 1991. The park is home to a total of 18 attractions from ProSlide.
It is owned by Palace Entertainment, one of the leading leisure park operators in the US. Palace Entertainment is part of Parques Reunidos.
2019 attendance – 542,000
11 Six Flags Hurricane Harbor | Arlington, Texas
Hurricane Harbor in Arlington is owned by Six Flags, the world’s largest regional theme park company and the largest operator of water parks in North America. This US water park is home to more than 40 rides, slides, attractions and pools across 47 acres. Hurricane Harbor also boasts three million gallons of water.
Highlights for children include Splashwater Beach and Hook’s Lagoon, while thrillseekers can enjoy rides such as Dive Bomber, Geronimo, Tsunami Surge and Typhoon Twister.
2019 attendance – 538,000
12 Six Flags White Water | Marietta, Georgia
Another Six Flags park is White Water in Marietta, Georgia. The aquatic attraction has more than 24 state-of-the-art waterslides, a relaxing lazy river, and various child-friendly play areas.
Originally opened as White Water Atlanta in May 1984, the 69-acre water park became part of the Six Flags family in 1999. Six Flags White Water is the second gate to Six Flags Over Georgia, which boasts more than 40 rides and attractions.
2019 attendance – 526,000
13 Six Flags Hurricane Harbor | Jackson, New Jersey
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor in Jackson, New Jersey offers a million-gallon wave pool, one of the world’s longest lazy rivers, more than 23 waterslides, and a huge water playground.
In 2019, the park opened Calypso Springs, its largest expansion to date. Calypso Springs includes a 100,000-gallon activity pool featuring an obelisk-style fountain with an erupting geyser. “Hurricane Harbor is an industry leader with the biggest and best waterslides and thrilling, interactive family attractions,” said Six Flags Great Adventure president John Winkler.
2019 attendance – 482,000
14 Typhoon Texas | Katy, Texas
Covering an area of 25 acres in Katy, Typhoon Texas is a family-friendly US water park with 33 waterslides, a lazy river and wave pool, and live entertainment. Slides include the Duelin’ Daltons, the Snake Pit and Lone Star Racers. It is home to 13 products from WhiteWater.
Typhoon Texas’ water parks in Pflugerville and Katy are owned and operated by Pyek Group. The company also has two parks in Nevada – Cowabunga Canyon in Spring Valley and Cowabunga Bay Las Vegas in Henderson.
2019 attendance – 478,000
15 Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Splashtown | Spring, Texas
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Splashtown in Spring, Texas opened in 1984. It has more than 40 attractions, including the new Wahoo Wave slide complex.
Highlights include the Blue Lagoon activity pool, Coconut Bay children’s area, Hurricane Bay wave pool, and Paradise River lazy river. As for slides, Hurricane Harbor Splashtown offers Big Kahuna, Big Spin, Bonzai Pipelines, Paradise Plunge, Vortex and Stingray Racer.
2019 attendance – 475,000
16 Zoombezi Bay | Powell, Ohio
Zoombezi Bay is a US water park owned by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Powell, Ohio. It features a multi-level play structure, state-of-the-art waterslides, a wave pool, an action river and lazy river, private cabanas, and a children’s play pool. It includes attractions from both WhiteWater and ProSlide.
Python Plunge is Ohio’s only water coaster, and Big Boa Falls is one of only six slides of its kind in the US. Opened in 1946, Zoombezi Bay is spread across more than 22 acres.
2019 attendance – 466,000
17 Six Flags Hurricane Harbor | Phoenix, Arizona
The largest theme park in Arizona, Hurricane Harbor Phoenix has lazy rivers, a wave pool, family-friendly play areas and thrilling waterslides.
In 2021, the park debuted a new 42,000-square-foot expansion called Paradise Island. This includes a 12,000-square-foot activity pool, a new restaurant, and a water volleyball area and water basketball court. Owned and operated by Six Flags, Hurricane Harbor Phoenix first opened in July 2009.
2019 attendance – 441,000
18 Camelbeach | Tannersville, Pennsylvania
Camelbeach is a water park in the Poconos in Tannersville, Pennsylvania. It boasts 37 rides and slides, an interactive area for toddlers, a wave pool, an adventure river and lazy river, and a FlowRider from WhiteWater.
First opened in 1998, the state’s largest outdoor water park is part of the 560-acre Camelback Resort. The destination also offers skiing and snowboarding, adventure attractions, and the Aquatopia indoor water park.
2019 attendance – 439,000
19 Dollywood’s Splash Country | Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Dollywood’s Splash Country is a 35-acre aquatic attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Adjacent to the Dollywood theme park, this US water park features slides, pools and splash zones.
Attractions include the Mountain Waves wave pool, Little Creek Falls play area, and Downbound Float Trip lazy river. Waterslides include Fire Tower Falls, Mountain Scream, Mountain Twist, Slick Rock Racer and Wild River Falls. It features 23 attractions from ProSlide. Dollywood is a 160-acre theme park jointly owned by Dolly Parton and Herschend Family Entertainment.
2019 attendance – 433,000
More water parks to come
There are also a handful of new and upcoming water parks in the US. Last year, OWA Parks & Resort in Foley, Alabama opened a new indoor water park, Tropic Falls. Covering an area of 100,000 square feet, its offerings include a lazy river and 11 waterslides. Outdoor attractions include a wave pool called Big Water Bay, as well as a surf simulator and dining location called Smugglers Café.
OpenAire, a leading designer and manufacturer of retractable roofs and skylights, worked on the design and construction of this 65,000-square-foot venue, which includes multicoloured blue-tone glass walls. There is also a 130ft wide, 26 ft tall operable sliding door that slides open to the adjacent wave pool.
The new Great Wolf Lodge in Perryville, Maryland will feature the company’s largest indoor water park to date, at 128,000 square feet, when it opens later this year. It will be home to 22 slides, as well as pools, a lazy river and a giant tipping bucket. It will also offer two new rides, High Paw Holler and Forest Flume.
Additionally, Great Wolf Lodge has broken ground on a new $300m resort and water park in Mashantucket, Connecticut. The group has also broken ground on new locations in Naples, Florida and Webster, Texas.
Michigan’s largest indoor water park is coming to the Bavarian Inn Lodge, part of a German-themed resort in Frankenmuth. The $80m expansion will add more than 100,000 square feet to the resort’s indoor water park. It will feature more than 20 new aquatic attractions, including waterslides and a wave pool. It will have a roof and walls designed by OpenAire.
In Atlantic City, work is underway on Island Waterpark, a $100m indoor water park on the Boardwalk. This 103,000-square-foot attraction will boast a range of waterslides, including parallel racing slides, as well as pools and a lazy river. Interior work will be done by Martin Aquatic Design & Engineering, a world-class aquatic firm, while OpenAire will add a retractable roof.
Attendance figures from this list come from the TEA/AECOM Theme Index which can be accessed here.
