Day Trippin' with Everything Arlington!

I'm the mom who will go to great lengths to entertain her kids.

There is no playspace too far, no weather too cold, no activity too expensive.

Okay, well, that last one is a bit of a lie. I do draw the line at activities that cost, you know, more than my mortgage.

But I really will try anything in reasonable distance at least once. To say we've been. To see if we like it. To check it off our list of accomplishments. And to entertain my kids. Because seeing them happy and having fun is worth all of the hassle (Cheesy, I know)

So when a Google search turned up a small indoor waterpark in East Texas, I knew we had to go. I planned the trip, put it on the calendar and the girls counted down. I mean, who doesn't love waterparks? In the middle of March, no less? (Plus it came recommended by family in East Texas. And it gave us a chance to visit Miranda Lambert's store in East Texas. Win!)

The waterpark we tried yesterday is called The Waterpark at the Villages, and it is located in Flint, Texas, about a two hour drive east of the Arlington area. It is open year round and closed on Monday and Tuesday during the off season. Hours vary, but are typically 10a or 12p until 9p. Tickets cost $19.95 for an adult and $16.95 for a kid under 48 inches. Kids under 36 inches are free. After 4p you can get a twilight pass, which saves you $3 per ticket. You can also buy an "observer" pass if you plan to just supervise older kids and not get in the water yourself. Those tickets are $10.

When you walk in, you first come across a small eating and shopping area, with a pizza place and a Subway, as well as a shopping area to buy souvenirs and the like. Locker rooms are off to your left, which provide space for changing and showering. After you pass these points, it's go time!

Food available on site.

The waterpark itself is similar to the one at Great Wolf Lodge. The perimeter of the park has tables for setting your stuff down, and all the water areas are focused in the center. They have a kids' climbing stricture, a wave pool, a lazy river and 4 "big kid" slides, as my girls call them.

My girls loved the kids climbing structure. Because there was no standing water here, they were able to climb up and down without floaties. The structure has multiple slides for little ones to go down, as well as lots of bridges, climbing ropes and more. We spent the most time here. (Bonus: I didn't have to participate in this one- I stood at the bottom in a spot they all knew and they checked in often, telling me how awesome the slides were, before heading back up to go down!).

Kids play structure.

My little two were not quite big enough for the "big kid slides," you have to be at least 42 inches, but my oldest loved them! There are two body slides and two that require tubes. She loved the ride that required a two-person tube and went down with my sister. Like Great Wolf, you can see these slides protruding from the waterpark as you are parking. This got her especially excited!

View from the corner where we kept our stuff showing two of the "big kids" slides.(left)

Climbing structure to get up to "big kids" slides. (right)

The lazy river was also a favorite. The water is shallow- only 3 feet deep- so both my older girls could be in there without puddle jumpers. Clear tubes were stationed all around the river in case you wanted them, but my girls mostly just flipped and swam in the water. We circled this probably two dozen times during our visit.

Lazy river.

The wave pool is quite small and only 4 feet at the deepest, so my girls enjoyed this, too. There is also a ledge for sitting at the shallow end of the wave pool- perfect for holding little ones so they can still feel the water on their toes. Bonus: the wave pool was the warmest water in the whole park!

Overall this waterpark was super great for a day-long outing for kiddos. It is small- significantly smaller than Great Wolf. But, bonus!, you don't have to stay anywhere overnight in order to get in. It was quite cold in there, probably my biggest complaint. Yes, I realize it's March, but I expected to not be shivering when I wasn't in the water! This waterpark was perfect to entertain littles, but this would also be a great place for older kids where you can sit back and relax and let them run around and enjoy the water. It did get quite crowded as the day wore on- by 2p the lazy river was so crowded it wasn't very enjoyable, but, as this is Spring Break for much of the area, I imagine that explains the crowds. I would definitely recommend as a day trip for kiddos... It will wear them out and prepare them for summer!

 Happy waterpark-ers!