SOAK CITY U.S.A.
New water park adjacent to Knott’s Berry Farm; Open daily 10 a.m.-8 p.m. through Labor Day; $19.95 adults; $13.95 kids 3-11; under 3, free; parking $7
Got kids? If so, consider heading out to the county’s newest water park where kids of all ages can test their mettle on speed slides, racing slides and tube slides, or bodyboard in a 750,000-gallon wave pool, Tidal Wave Bay. But this is more than just a spruced up swimming pool. There’s also a three-story water funhouse with an array of water pistols and other gadgets, as well as a lazy “river” for tubing and a lagoon where toddlers can enjoy milder water fun. The 13-acre park by Cedar Fair, parent company of Knott’s Berry Farm, opened on a former parking lot June 17. The company hopes it will draw locals and tourists alike to its surf-themed “shores.” The surf theme is carried out in the names of the rides (Banzai Falls, Malibu Run) and surf music plays (a bit loudly) throughout the park. A plus: if you don’t have your own private beach or beach parking, there’s plenty to be had adjacent to the park. A minus: adults without kids in tow might wish they’d retreated to the tranquility of their own backyards. Still, grown-ups might be drawn to the deck chairs that front on Tidal Wave Basin. And a couple of 40-somethings were seen poking through the model woodies (complete with surfboards) in search of a ’55 Chevy at the Wipeout Surf Shop,without the younger set along.
