Wet 'n Wild

Description:

• Who knew people came in so many shapes and sizes? Stacked or stubby, terribly tan or not, all kinds come here, so there's no reason to be bashful about squeezing into a bathing suit and going out in public. The 25-acre Wet 'n Wild is America's third most popular water park (behind Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, respectively). In 2007, Brain Wash, a multiperson tube ride with a 53-foot drop, areas of complete darkness, and high-tech special effects that includes video projection and special lighting was added to the lineup of thrills. Disco H20, an enclosed flume ride where a four-passenger raft sends you flying through the sights and sounds of the '70s, complete with mirrored lights and disco tunes blasting in the background, debuted in 2005. Other options include the Flyer, a six-story four-passenger toboggan run through 450 feet of banked curves; the Surge, which is one of the longest (580 ft. of curves) and fastest multipassenger tube rides in the Southeast; and Black Hole, a two-person spaceship-style raft that makes a 500-foot twisting, turning voyage through darkness (all three rides require that children 36-48 in. tall be accompanied by an adult). You can also ride the Knee Ski, a cable-operated half-mile knee-boarding course that's open in warm-weather months only (56-in. height minimum); Der Stuka, a six-story, free-fall speed slide; and Mach 5, which has a trio of twisting, turning flumes, among other thrillers. The park also has a large kids' area with miniversions of the big rides. If you enjoy the water, plan on spending a full day here.

  Note: In addition to the admission prices, Wet 'n Wild is part of the multiday FlexTicket package that includes admission to Universal Orlando (which owns this attraction), SeaWorld, and Busch Gardens in Tampa.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010