From Arthur Levine,
Your Guide to Theme Parks.
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Mar 20 2006

New bowl rides, funnel rides, and surfing rides. New indoor water park resorts. 2006 will be another, ahem, watersherd year for waterparks. No matter where you may live throughout North America or where your vacation travels may be taking you this year, there's bound to be some new water park excitement awaiting you.

The guide is arranged alphabetically by U.S. state. This page includes what's new for the 2006 season at water parks in U.S. states from Arizona to New York.

The next page includes what's new for the 2006 season at water parks in U.S. states from North Carolina to Wisconsin plus Canada.

ARIZONA

Sunsplash
Mesa, Arizona
The Cauldron
Riders will swish around the "toilet bowl" ride.
To learn more about bowl rides, see my review of Hurricane Hole.

CALIFORNIA

Knott's Berry Farm
Buena Park (next to Anaheim), CA
Pacific Spin
A Tornado funnel ride, Pacific Spin, is coming to Knott's Soak City, the separate admission water park adjacent to Knott's Berry Farm. Funnel rides are a ball to ride and visually striking.
To learn more about the unique water park rides, see my review and photos of High Anxiety.

CONNECTICUT

Quassy Amusement Park
Middlebury, CT
Tunnel Twister
New water slides are coming to the park's Saturation Station.

IDAHO

Roaring Springs
Meridian, ID
Viper's Vortex
A raft bowl ride for one or two riders.
To learn more about bowl raft rides, see my review of Dragon's Den.

ILLINOIS

Six Flags Great America
Gurnee (near Chicago and Milwaukee)
Tornado
There is a funnel ride coming to the park's Hurricane Harbor water park.
To learn more about water park funnel rides, see my review and photos of High Anxiety.

INDIANA

Indiana Beach
Monticello
Splash Battle
The Splash Battle soak-or-get-soaked ride will keep guests cool this season as will the new interactive water sprayground.

IOWA

Lost Island
Waterloo
Molokini Crater, a funnel ride
To learn more about water park funnel rides, see my review and photos of High Anxiety.

LOUISIANA

Dixie Landin' and Blue Bayou Water Park
Baton Rouge
Azooka, a Tornado funnel ride
To learn more about water park funnel rides, see my review and photos of High Anxiety.

MICHIGAN

Wild Buffalo Lodge Indoor Water Park Resort
Traverse City, Michigan
New indoor water park resort

MINNESOTA

The Edge Indoor Water Park
Duluth, MN
New indoor water park resort

Water Park of America
Bloomington (near Minneapolis), MN
New indoor water park resort

NEW YORK

The Great Escape
Queensbury (near Lake George), New York
Six Flags Great Escape Lodge & Indoor Waterpark
Read more about the new indoor water park resort.

• Six Flags Great Escape Lodge photo gallery

Martin's Fantasy Island
Grand Island (near Niagra Falls and Buffalo), New York
Cannon Bowl
A raft bowl ride opens in the water park.
To learn more about bowl raft rides, see my review of Dragon's Den.

Seabreeze Amusement Park
Rochester, New York
The Helix and The Banzai Pipeline
The park's Raging Rivers water park gets a raft bowl ride (The Helix) and remakes its speed slide, now to be known as The Banzai Pipeline, by enclsoing riders in a translucent tube and sending them speeding down at a steeper angle.
To learn more about bowl raft rides, see my review of Dragon's Den.

Six Flags Darien Lake
Darien Center (near Buffalo), New York
Big Kahuna
The water park gets a 700-foot-long family raft ride.

Splish Splash
Riverhead (Long Island), New York
Alien Invasion, a funnel ride
The water park gets a 700-foot-long family raft ride.
To learn more about water park funnel rides, see my review and photos of High Anxiety.

Next Page: The 2006 Water Parks Ride Guide continues with parks from North Carolina to Wisconsin plus Canada.