So you know that Summer 2018 is officially underway and the Everything Arlington family is ready to hit the ground running and do ALL the things!
First up?
Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark in Grand Prairie, Texas!
The girls beg to be poolside from basically May until September. And we, sadly, don't own a pool...
Plus, it was supposed to be wicked-hot on Saturday, June 2 (and the thought of not dealing with sunscreen was also super appealing!).
So Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark in GP seemed like a no-brainer!
Before we went, I did my homework. Here is what I learned:
- Epic Waters has three "industry first" slides: The Lasso Loop, the Yellowjacket Drop and the Aquanaut!
- Epic Waters has a fantastic kids' area, complete with slides, an aquatic fort, a tipping water bucket and more!
- Epic Waters has the "Rio Grand"- a 600-ft. lazy river- the longest indoor lazy river in Texas!
- Epic Waters has a FlowRider surfing simulator!
- Epic Waters has a 45-game arcade, lots of yummy food AND a full-service bar!
- Epic Waters has an outdoor wave pool coming soon!
I mean, how could we NOT be excited to check it out?!
We checked into a cabana for the day so we had a place to stash our stuff (we also went early- right at 10 am when they opened. Epic Waters frequently hits capacity later in the day). Chairs and tables are aplenty but they fill up quickly! Epic Waters also has locker rentals near the restrooms to keep valuables safe (we bring our travel lock box, a genius invention, to places like this).
Here is my list of must brings for a successful day at Epic Waters: towels, flip flops (for the restrooms, it gets slippery!), floaties for the youngest (although they do provide life jackets you can borrow), dry clothes, shampoo and soap (for showering before we head home), cell phone, debit card/cash. We also have a travel safe from MasterLock we bring to places like this to lock up our valuables and save renting a locker.
After we plopped our stuff down, we bee-lined for the lazy river. It's only 3 feet deep, so all of my girls could touch. I lost count how many times we went around. Twenty? Twenty-five? They LOVED it. You can use inner tubes, or not, but they are quite hard to come by, so we didn't bother. We also love that there is a beach entry at the front of the waterpark to get into the lazy river. There is spouting water and a shallow end for littles to play!
My kids love- LOVED- the Rascal's Round-Up, the kids' area. I loved that it has lifeguards constantly roaming about and very little standing water, so my girls, ages 8, 6 & 4, could run free and check in with my husband and I periodically. There are multiple slides, lots of water-gun type features that allow you to spray other kiddos, a giant climbing area and a huge tipping bucket that spills water when the bell starts dinging above it. We spent a solid two hours playing here. Even I enjoyed the mild slides!
Let's be honest, though. Most "big" kids go for the crazy slides! My absolute favorite is the Prairie Plunge, which drops you essentially straight down to a zero-depth exit. It's... Terrifying. And exhilarating. I feel the same way about the Lasso Loop, where you are literally shot upward to make a loop before dropping down. It. Is. Thrilling/Crazy/Awesome/Terrifying/all the things. (You do have to weigh 100 pounds and be at least 48 inches tall to experience most of these slides, so my girls weren't eligible to experience these thrills)
My girls also loved the pool. They have a pool at the center of the waterpark that has basketball hoops for gaming as well as a shark for climbing on. The pool is 3 feet at the shallow end and 5 at the deep end and is perfect for monkeying in!
We also spent some time watching Epic Waters-goers try their hand at "surfing" on the surfing simulator. Let's just say... It doesn't look easy.
We had a delicious lunch from the on-site grill. My girls went gaga for the cheeseburgers. They didn't disappoint! The drink menu also looked delicious...
When my girls were done swimming, we showered and dressed and hit up the arcade! They loved all the games- and I loved the air conditioning! (It gets quite humid in the waterpark) The arcade is spotless and the games are super fun and the prizes are actually things you might want to win! They lasted a full hour here.
A couple of things:
- Epic Waters does birthday parties! How awesome is that?! They have party rooms that overlook the waterpark.
- Epic Waters has a retractable roof! Again- awesome!
- You can buy a spectator pass and save money. If you don't want to swim, you can just pay $10 to access the arcade and watch your friends/kids/relatives swim.
- They have a full shop at the entrance that sells things such as bathing suits, towels and flip flops. So no worries if you forget something!
- If you are looking to save money on admission, consider these options: go during Twilight Swim. It's only $14 per person after 5 pm Sunday through Thursday. Also check out their Tiny Tot Swim (back for summer!) and season passes to enjoy the fun year-round!
We had a such a great adventure here! The Everything Arlington crew can't wait to head back!
Disclaimer: I received free items in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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