The problem was that last year, I was able to get our passes for $100 for the two of us and this year they were going to be $240. That was a little bit of sticker shock since we spend our time at the waterpark. Sy went to the shows once and was disappointed that the shows were the same each time and did not provide information about the animals. So what if they can jump, he wants to know what they eat, where they live, how long they live, etc. The only other activity we did on a regular basis was go see the dolphins and feed them if we happen to be there at feeding time.
I knew I needed someplace for us to go since we do not have a pool at our house nor do we have easy access to one of a friend/family member. And in case you didn't know, it gets really hot in South Texas.
Splashtown was a good option for us since Sy has asked me every single time we passed it coming/going to the G&G house if I would take him to the that park. And since it was only a waterpark, I knew I wasn't paying for a lot of stuff that we wouldn't be going to - and the $50 each for season pass - I could afford it.
So I got our passes and we have been a handful of times. We only spend a few hours so I do not know what it would be like for the entire day. They have set up some picnic tables just outside the park itself for families who bring a picnic to sit and eat. No bbq pits but you could have sandwiches there with no problem.
They also have some nice seating options in the park and have two food areas for you to get lunch, dinner, or a snack. We are partial to the dippin' dots kiosk although it hasn't been open every time we are there. I'm not sure why that is. When it is open, that's the treat right before we leave for home.
There are lockers you can rent to put your keys, purse, wallet in. And there are large restroom and changing areas - at least on the women's side.
Overall impression. The park is older and it kind of looks it. It's not bad but the pools have a lot of flowers from the crape myrtles and leaves from the mature trees surrounding them. It's nice to have the shade. I just wish they would skim them better in the morning, at night, or maybe even both.
The wave pool does not really make waves. In a way that's good because for many year's Sea World's wave pool was scary. But this one just makes slight rises in the water and it never results in a wave even in the shallow area.
We have spent most of our time in the kiddy area and I have to say this is where Splashtown excels. The kiddie area takes up a large portion of the back of the park and has a variety of slides and water features to keep the kids busy. It ranges from 6" up to 4' in depth.
They do have some single big slides you can do. Sy and I did the purple loop de loop ones. He did not like being inside the dark tunnel. We did the ones you come down on your belly - they give you a mat to lay on. I almost put my teeth through my lip on that one because of the way the front of the mat was constructed and how hard I hit the water - so I haven't done that one again. Sy did the Wedgie - it's a 40' tall slide that comes straight down. He has enjoyed that one. And yes, you get a wedgie. For the girls, it's not very pretty. We did one of the long slides with lots of curves and twists but Sy wound up not really liking that one.
The lazy river is very basic meaning it doesn't have cool extra features - it's just a canal of water running in one direction. Sy likes to climb on the tube and fall off while I walk and push it. I get some good exercise and so does he. It takes a lot out of him to keep climbing back up on the tube and then jumping off. This area of the park gets a lot of shade and the water in the river is the coldest of any in the park - by far.
The park really does have stuff for everyone in the family. I like that it's not too big. I haven't had any issues with parking. Everyone has been friendly. I think it's safe enough to let the teens go ride the larger slides while the little ones are monitored in the kiddie park. You can almost see the entire park from the kiddie pool area so it would be somewhat easy to keep tabs.
They offer some nice discounts online or with Big Red cans. If you think you may go a few times in the season, the season pass is really the way to go. We got additional discount tickets at the beginning of the season, two free admissions, and now we can bring up to 6 guests for $10 each. That really is a good deal. You don't get that with SeaWorld passes.
If you haven't been, you really should go. It's affordable, not overwhelming and very fun.
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| Sy with the Alligator at the entrance of the park. |
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| Catching a wave at the front gate. |
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