Southern Byways

Get Your Thrill on in the South: Amusement Parks, Theme Parks & Waterparks (Part One of Two)

by Apryl on July 18th, 2008

Okay, so you’ve visited Walt Disney World in Orlando numerous times and been to Universal Studios when you got tired of Disney. You’ve seen Shamu in Florida and Texas. You’ve even gone to both Busch Gardens Europe and Busch Gardens Africa. You are well-acquainted with all of the Six Flags throughout South (Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Six Flags Over Texas, Six Flags over Georgia, Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom and Six Flags America). Whew! You have conquered all of the  amusement parks, theme parks and waterparks, or have  you?  Did you know even with everything I’ve mentioned above, there are still more ways to have fun in the South?

Piqued your interest? Well, just read on..

While Dogpatch USA might be gone, you can still find places to have fun in Arkansas. Hot Springs is  home to Magic Springs & Crystal Falls. As you probably guess, the former is the amusement park and the later is the waterpark. At Magic Springs, you can get your feel of roller coasters with rides like the Arkansas Twister and The Gauntlet.  There are also a number of family rides for those who aren’t coaster fanatics, and rides for the youngsters. Cool off at Crystal Falls by going down slides or enjoying the lazy river.

In North Little Rock, Wild River Country is regarded as the state’s largest waterpark. It features such water slides such as Vertigo, Pipeline and the Vortez.

Over in Fort Smith, there’s The Park at West End. This amusement park has some interesting historical aspects to it. For instance, there’s the Ferris wheel from the 1935 World’s Fair and a vintage arcade.

Texas is a lot like Florida when it comes to amusement parks, theme parks and waterparks  - there’s a lot of them. Which is good because that means you can find one that fits your personality.

If it’s thrill rides you are in the mood for, you won’t be disappointed at either Wonderland Park in Amarillo or Joyland Amusement Park in Lubbock. At Wonderland Park, you’ll find the Texas Twister and the Texas Intimidator. Joyland has the Tower Drop and the Rock-O-Plane. Don’t worry, though if the thought of riding any of these leaves you with a weird feeling that we won’t discuss because both parks also had milder rides as well.

So, you think you’ve been to water parks. Just wait until you visit one of the three Schlitterbahn Water Parks. You will soon find out why these are considered to be the “best of the best” waterparks anywhere! 

Kemah Boardwalk in Kemah is home to more than amusement rides like the Boardwalk Bullet and the Century Wheel. There are restaurants, a marina and the Boardwalk Beast, which isn’t a mascot, but a customized open deck speedboat.

Looking for that all-time favorite, bumper cars? Well, you can find them and other rides as Sandy Lake Amusement Park in Carrollton.

Louisiana is home to Dixie Landin’  (next to Blue Bayou Water Park) in Baton Rouge. This theme park includes a spinning roller coaster called Extrem and a steel looping coaster aptly named Ragin’ Cajun. At the water park, if you wanted intense water slides, well, you have found some. Experience Lafitte’s Plunge with a 90′ drop or the Mad Moccasin that has more twists than a mountain road.

You probably wouldn’t think about an amusement park in New Orleans City Park, but this urban oasis is home to Carousel Gardens Amusement Park. The pinnacle of the park has to be the antique carousel. There are other rides as well, such as a miniature train ride and a tamer roller coaster.

It’s all about the water in Mississippi. Throughout the Magnolia state, you’ll find a handful of waterparks, each different from the other. In Collins, Grand Paradise Waterpark has the required Lazy River as well as the Blue Typhoon slide and the Grand Falls slide.

Gulf Island Waterpark in Gulfport has a water roller coaster, the Horn Island Blaster, that not only gets you wet, but also takes you through a number twist and turns and other surprises. There are also wet attractions geared toward to younger visitors as well. 

I wonder what happens on Mt. Everwet in Geyser Falls Water Theme Park in Choctaw? I bet that you get wet. Well you do, and then some. There are three different 6-story speed slides.

Photo credits: (upper left) Roller Coaster at Magic Springs and (upper right) Water Slide at Crystal Falls in Hot Springs, Ark., both photos courtesy of Arkansas Tourism; (middle right) Schlitterbahn at Moody Gardens, flickr, creative commons by KM&G; (middle left) Kemah Boardwalk 1, flickr, creative commons by Behr; (lower left) IMG_9011, flickr, creative commons by peeperita; Water Slide Fun at Gulf Island Waterpark, photo courtesy of Mississippi Gulf Coast CVB.

Be Sure to Check Back Tomorrow for the Rest of What Thrills the South has to Offer

Share This

Related Stories

Britt’s Tour of the South - Day 3: Norfolk LakeOld St. Augustine, St. Augustine, FloridaGet Your Thrill on in the South: Amusement Parks, Theme Parks & Waterparks (Part Two of Two)

POSTED IN: Southern Byways, Things to See in Arkansas, Things to See in Louisiana, Things to See in Mississippi, Things to See in Texas, Things to See in the South, amusement parks, attractions, theme-parks, water parks