Friday, July 18, 2014

Beat the Heat with Raging Waters in Sacramento {Our Family's Review}


 I received complimentary passes for review purposes. All opinions are 100% my own.

Recently my family had the pleasure of being invited to Raging Waters, a water park in Sacramento, California. We chose a very hot 100+ degree Sunday to cool off! As Sacramento’s largest water park, Raging Waters features more than 25 exciting water attractions for the whole family, so rest assured there's plenty to do for everyone.

Since it had been well over ten years since my last visit to Raging Waters Sacramento, it was nice to receive a personal tour of the park before arriving at our private cabana on Shipwreck Reef - a lovely surprise of generous hospitality that we were not expecting!

Our private cabana on Shipwreck Reef was completely surrounded by the Calypso Cooler Lazy River and accessible from just one pathway. We had a table and chairs, lounge chairs and two inner tubes specifically for cabana rentals only. We returned to our cabana frequently to eat (cabanas include meal service), rest, and reapply sunscreen. We were provided a locker rental for our wallets and valuables, which I still recommend since anyone can technically come into the cabana areas. Actually, after returning to our cabana from our last attraction of the day, someone had snagged our two inner tubes! However, we definitely recommend renting a cabana for the day of your visit. It's worth having a designated shaded area just for you.

Since Buddy is just a couple inches under the 48" minimum height requirement for bigger kid attractions, we mostly stuck around the attractions that Buddy could enjoy. Those were the Treehouse Reef, Calypso Cooler Lazy River, and the Breaker Beach Wave Pool. But I'll show you photos of a few of the larger attractions, some of which Hubby or I went on.

Next stop, the Calypso Cooler Lazy River. This slow-moving, 800-foot river is perfect to start off with to get used to the cold water. We probably went around it a dozen times during our visit, and it turned out to be Buddy's favorite. Later in the day after we found the free life jackets at Treehouse Reef Buddy really felt free to swim and float down the Lazy River without hanging on to mom or dad the whole time. 

Treehouse Reef is perfect for young kids. With several open slides, tunnel slides, and even three big ones (see below), there was plenty of excitement for Buddy. There was also plenty of water shooting out at various places, getting everyone nice and soaked. You do wade around in at least a foot of water in this play area, so that definitely slows down any kids that try and run. This is great for keeping cool, staying safe, and keeping your kiddos within a safe distance. Buddy had tons of fun here!


After testing out the little slides, Buddy couldn't wait to check out the big ones that little kids are still allowed to go on. I was shocked and amazed to see him climb the last flight of stairs to the top all by himself. Totally fearless! He wanted to go on the red one, which I went down first so I could make sure he got out okay. Dad went after Buddy and we did this several times. Buddy was absolutely thrilled with himself!

Also great for the tiniest tots is the Shark Pool, which is only 2 feet deep. We didn't get over here this time since Buddy had enough to do at Treehouse Reef.

Breaker Beach Wave Pool is also little kid friendly, with lots of adult supervision of course. Kids under 48" are required to wear a life jacket within this area. Waves are created about every 5 minutes or so, and it's extra fun floating on an inner tube! Buddy also liked to be able to jump up as each wave came to feel it carry him up and down.

A shot of the Calypso Cooler Lazy River running next to Breaker Beach Wave Pool. Ah yes, how lovely it was to enjoy the cool water on such a hot day.

A peek at the Stingray and Manta Ray slide exits for one rider each. Also in the area are the Mako and Hammerhead which allow two riders together and the Great White which allows one to three riders. Since each of these has the minimum 48" height requirement, that meant that only the Stingray and Manta Ray would work for us since one of us had to stay with Buddy at all times. That's definitely something to keep in mind if your party is just two adults and little kids.

Splashdown launches you out of the slide and down into a 10-foot deep pool. If you enjoy creating a huge splash, this is a fun slide you don't want to miss.

The dare devil Cliffhanger Speed Slide - we definitely didn't have the guts to do this attraction, but I remember the weightless free-fall very well from my last visit years ago!

Other attractions we tried were the Dragon's Den and the Honolulu Half Pipe - I totally screamed on that one. It was a blast!

Forget your sunscreen? Want to find a souvenir? The Big Kahuna Surf Shop has you covered! You'll also find an ATM inside, just in case.

There are two cafes to grab some lunch in the park. They serve your typical park foods like cheeseburgers, hot dogs and chicken tenders. When planning your visit, keep in mind that sealed plastic water bottles, baby formula and special food are the the only outside food or drinks allowed in the park. Since I'm strictly gluten-free with a wheat allergy, I was able to bring a few snacks in for myself without a problem.

As you can see we had a wonderful day at Raging Waters and we're excited to go back. We may not be the most adventurous, thrill-seeking family, but you don't have to be to enjoy this water park. There are so many attractions to keep you busy for hours.

Ready to visit Raging Waters in Sacramento? My family suggests you wear a rashguard top if you burn easily along with lots of sunscreen, and perhaps water shoes since the concrete gets really hot in the afternoon. Enjoy the sun and water safely!

Don't forget to take advantage of this special offer -----> Use code 40128 to get $8 off of the $31.99 General Admission gate price when you purchase your tickets on Raging Water Sac’s online site, rwsac.com!
 

5 comments:

MikiHope said...

That cool water must have felt amazing on a 100 degree day! I don't live in California, I live in NY so I won't be going there but it truly looks like lots of fun!

Laurie Floyd - Steals and Deals for Kids said...

I love water parks!! It is one of my favorite things to do with my family in the summer!!

Dede said...

Those slides look amazing! My kids would so love to visit this.

Rebecca Swenor said...

This looks like a great place to visit. I would love to go there one day because it would be for for whole family. Thanks for sharing.

Shelly Peterson said...

This looks like a really nice and fun place for the family. We have a local water park but it's nothing like this. My kids would have a blast at something like this.