The Most Visited Water Parks In North America

Tubing and slides are popular activities at a water park.
Tubing and slides are popular activities at a water park.

Water parks are amusement parks that feature water rides and water play areas like water slides, lazy rivers, artificial wave pools, splash pads, etc. The best water parks around the world attract thousands of visitors every year. North America hosts some of the world’s most notable water parks. Many of them have water rides that are world record holders. Here is a list of the most visited water parks in the continent:

10. Splish Splash - 513,000

This water park is located in Calverton, New York. The park remains open from May to September. It is the tenth most visited water park in North America. According to the Travel Channel, Splish Splash is the third best of its kind in the US. The park features 30 rides and runs like the Dinosaur Falls, Lazy River, The Abyss, Alien Invasion, Cliff Diver, etc.

9. Six Flags Hurricane Harbor - 549,000

The Hurricane Harbor is a brand name of the Six Flags that was adopted in 1995. The same year, the Wet 'n Wild in Arlington, Texas was bought by the Six Flags and rebranded to Six Flags Hurricane Harbor in 1997. Today, it is the ninth most visited water park in North America. It has a number of existing water rides and attractions like lazy rivers, tube slides, body slides, shopping areas, food courts, etc.

8. Schlitterbahn - 562,000

This water park was opened in 2006 in Galveston, Texas, US. It hosts the most thrilling rides of all the Schlitterbahn parks. The tallest water coaster in the world, named the MASSIV, is also present here. The MASSIV has a height of 81.6 ft.

7. Six Flags White Water - 568,000

This water park is located in Atlanta. It was opened in 1984 and became a member of the Six Flags group in 1999. The park features four sections with their own set of attractions. Some of the oldest attractions include the Wildwater Lagoon, Flash Flood Canyon, Pine Valley, and the Slippery Ridge.

6. Adventure Island - 650,000

The Adventure Island is the sixth most visited water park in North America. It is located in Tampa, Florida. It was opened in 1980 and is a part of SeaWorld Entertainment of the Blackstone Group. A number of exciting rides and attractions like the Caribbean Corkscrew, Key West Rapids, Wahoo Run, Endless Surf, Rambling Bayou, etc., are found here. Food lovers will find a wide variety of cuisines, beverages, and ice-cream shops at this location.

5. Water Country USA - 733,000

This water theme park is located in Virginia’s Williamsburg. The SeaWorld Entertainment owns this amusement park. The water park hosts numerous attractions like a heater water playland, slides and fountains, a Rock N' Roll Island, an aquabatics show, and more.

4. Schlitterbahn - 1,037,000

The fourth most visited water in North America is the Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort located in New Braunfels, Texas. It is the first park owned by the Schlitterbahn group. It was established in 1979. Initially, the park had four waterslides but the attractions in the park grew over the years. Several of this park’s attractions are world record holders. For example, the Dragon Blaster was the first inland surfing ride in the world. The Torrent was the world’s first wave river. Also, the world’s longest tubing river is present in the park.

3. Aquatica - 1,536,000

The Aquatica Orlando is located in Orland, Florida. The theme of the park features the southern Pacific region. The park can be visited by people of all ages and swimming abilities. Some of the attractions of the park traverse through natural habitats of animals. The two wave pools of the park share a massive white-sand beach area. The beach is well-equipped with deck chairs, umbrellas, etc., to allow the visitors to relax by the waters. Some of the most notable water rides include raft slides, family raft slides, lazy rivers, children areas, etc.

2. Blizzard Beach at Walt Disney World Resort - 2,091,000

This water park shares the same location as the Typhoon Lagoon. It was inaugurated on April 1, 1995. Most of the park’s main attractions are located on the top of an artificial hill named Mount Gushmore that has an elevation of 90 ft. The mountain has been divided into three slopes, Green, Red, and Purple, each with its own attractions. The Green Slope features single track water slides. The Purple Slope offers racing opportunities with at least two nearly identical tracks moving downslope. The Red Slope has a single multi-slide attraction. There park also hosts other attractions at the ground level like the Melt-Away Bay, Cross Country Creek, The Chairlift, etc.

1. Typhoon Lagoon at Walt Disney World Resort - 2,277,000

This water theme park is located in Florida’s Walt Disney World Resort. This park was opened on June 1, 1989. It is North America’s most visited water amusement park. The wave pools present here are one of the world’s biggest. The park has been designed on the ‘typhoon’ theme whereby it appears as if a giant storm has wreaked havoc in the location. Objects like ships, surfboards, fishing equipment, etc., are strewn across the park. The central feature of the park is a ship impaled on the top of an artificial mountain named "Mount Mayday”. Every half hour, a 50-ft geyser erupts water from the mountain. The entire arrangements lend a dramatic appearance to the Typhoon Lagoon.

The Most Visited Water Parks In North America

RankWater parkLocationNumber of visitors in 2016
1Typhoon Lagoon at Walt Disney World ResortLake Buena Vista, Florida, United States2,277,000
2Blizzard Beach at Walt Disney World ResortLake Buena Vista, Florida, United States2,091,000
3AquaticaOrlando, Florida, United States1,536,000
4SchlitterbahnNew Braunfels, Texas, United States1,037,000
5Water Country USAWilliamsburg, Virginia, United States733,000
6Adventure IslandTampa, Florida, United States650,000
7Six Flags White WaterMarietta, Georgia, United States568,000
8SchlitterbahnGalveston, Texas, United States562,000
9Six Flags Hurricane HarborArlington, Texas, United States549,000
10Splish SplashCalverton, New York, United States513,000
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