Water Parks 2012

There are plenty of new slides and rides, including record-breakers and ones that deliver major thrills, coming to water parks in 2012. Batten down the hatches and don your Speedos if you are brave enough to tackle the world's longest water coaster at Holiday World in Indiana, the Bonzai Pipeline, a near-vertical loop slide with a launch capsule (known by its manufacturer as an "AquaLoop," there are many of these wild thrill rides coming to water parks this season) at Six Flags St. Louis, or The Whirlwind, a 70-foot tall racing body slide that ends in a swirl to the finish inside a bowl at Hawaiian Falls in Texas.

There are also new water parks and a completely re-imagined park (Aquatica at SeaWorld San Antonio). Heck, there is even an uphill water coaster on a Disney cruise ship.

Learn about these and many other developments at parks throughout North America. The Slide Guide is arranged alphabetically by U.S. state. This page includes what's new for the 2012 season at selected parks in U.S. states from Alabama to New Mexico. The next page includes parks from New York to Wisconsin.

ALABAMA

Splash Adventureh
Bessemer, Alabama
The park is dropping the Alabama Adventure name along with the coasters and all dry rides and is converting entirely to a water park. It is also introducing two new rides: the world's first AquaCourse, an obstacle course with water-based tests of skill that includes bridges, and zip lines, and Water Maze, a labyrinth that is booby-trapped with water gotchas.

Find more Alabama water parks

ALASKA

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ARIZONA

Golfland SunSplash
Mesa, Arizona
The Revolution
The park is getting another bowl ride. Riders in two-passenger rafts will drop 70 feet into an open bowl for some serious swishing action.

Wet 'n' Wild Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Wet 'n' Wild Jr.
The waterpark within a waterpark is geared for younger kids and will offer multiple attractions, including a river ride, Screamin' Streamers, the mini funnel ride, Tiny Typhoon, and the competitive slide, Banzai Racers.

Find More Arizona Water Parks

ARKANSAS

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CALIFORNIA

Roseville Golfland Sunsplash
Roseville, California
Double Dare
Another near-vertical loop slide with two tracks and twin launched capsules. (Double Dare, get it?)

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COLORADO

Elitch Gardens Island Kingdom
Denver, Colorado
Tube Top
The mini funnel ride will send passengers in 4-person tubes spiraling down an enclosed tube into a small funnel for some vortex action.

Water World Colorado
Federal Heights (near Denver), Colorado
Mile High Flyer
A hydro-magnetic uphill water coaster will open at the huge park.

Find More Colorado Water Parks

CONNECTICUT

Lake Compounce
Bristol, CT
Riptide Racer
A new four-lane racing slide is coming to Splash Harbor water park (which is included in admission to Lake Compounce).

Find more Connecticut Water Parks

DELAWARE

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FLORIDA

Wet 'n Wild Florida
Orlando
New Kids Park
A huge sandcastle-themed interactive water play center with soakers, bridges, slides, and more is on the way.

Find more Florida Water Parks

GEORGIA

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HAWAII

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IDAHO

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ILLINOIS

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INDIANA

Holiday World
Santa Claus, Indiana
Mammoth
Lavishing more attention on Splashin' Safari, its sprawling water park, Holiday World will introduce the world's longest water coaster. (By the way, the world's second longest water coaster, Wildebeest, is also at Holiday World.)

• Mammoth overview
• Preview photos
• Preview video
• Point-of-view preview video

Find more Indiana Water Parks

IOWA

Adventureland Adventure Bay
Altoona (near Des Moines)
Breaker Beach
New wave pool. Also attractions for younger kids.

Find more Iowa Water Parks

KANSAS

Schlitterbahn Kansas City
Kansas City, Kansas
Six new rides featuring Boogie Bahn
The surfing ride, Boogie Bahn, debuts along with the two head-first mat slides, Twister and The Cyclone, King Kaw, a long lazy river, the Mighty Mo tube slide, the enclosed tube ride, Whirlwind.

Find more Kansas Water Parks

KENTUCKY

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LOUISIANA

Blue Bayou at Dixie Landin'
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Aqua Loop
Continuing the AquaLoop trend, Dixie Landin' will get four(!) of the wacky water slides that deliver near-vertical loops.

Find more Louisiana Water Parks

MAINE

Funtown Splashtown U.S.A.
Saco, Maine
Six New Slides
Six new water slides will share a 60-foot tower. Two of the slides will feature launch capsules. One of the slides, which looks similar to an AquaLoop model, will offer what the park is calling a "flatline" loop.

Find more Maine Water Parks

MARYLAND

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MASSACHUSETTS

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MICHIGAN

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MINNESOTA

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MISSISSIPPI

Find Mississippi Water Parks

MISSOURI

Hurricane Harbor at Six Flags St. Louis
Eureka, Missouri
Bonzai Pipeline
An Aqua Loop water slide, with its near-vertical loop and launch capsule, will be thrilling riders at Six Flags.

Find more Missouri Water Parks

MONTANA

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NEBRASKA

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NEVADA

Splash Canyon Waterpark
Las Vegas
It was supposed to open this year, but has been delayed until 2013. Read about the new park that is on the way.

Find more Nevada Water Parks

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Water Country
Portsmouth, NH
Dr. Von Dark's Tunnel of Terror
The thrill ride will send passengers aboard rafts into an enclosed, dark, winding tube and mini-funnel filled with effects.

Find more New Hampshire Water Parks

NEW JERSEY

Morey's Piers
Wildwood, NJ
River Adventure and Wipeout Racer
Raging Waters and Ocean Oasis will be getting an action river and a mat racing slide.

Hurricane Harbor at Six Flags Great Adventure
Jackson, NJ
King Cobra

Find more New Jersey Water Parks

NEW MEXICO

Find New Mexico Water Parks

Next Page: The 2012 season water park Slide Guide continues with parks from New York to Wisconsin.

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