5 Water Theme Parks Close to NYC

So, there are no water theme parks in NYC yet, but you don't have to go too far to find some awesome ones. I've dug up the best water theme parks for kids in the New York area. There's a nice range of different kinds of experiences and each of them can turn any day into a daycation. Be sure to check websites for season passes if you think you might go more than 3 times.

The one that I can barely keep myself from jumping in the car to check out right now is Splish Splash Waterpark. Rated one of the best water parks in America, Splish Splash has 96 acres of rides, slides and pools. About 2 hours east of Manhattan (less, obviously, if you live in Queens), in Riverhead, Long Island, Splish Splash has fun for families and kids of all ages. Toddlers (who get in free!) can play in the kiddie pools, go down the froggie slide, play under the elephant sprinkler, or play in the shipwreck water playground. There's even toddler swings that dip little toes in the pool water. Although many of the more thrilling rides have height restrictions (like the slide that drops the height of Niagara Falls), little kids can ride several of them (not that one) on the lap of a parent, so there's plenty here for everyone in the family to enjoy, even moms and dads who are with littler children. When you've had enough water, there are family shows to watch while you drip dry, like the humorous parrot show starring 4 trained parrots.

Another convenient feature for families are the cabana rentals. For $100 you can rent a cabana to park yourself in the shade when you need a break from all the sun and fun. One last thing that makes Splish Splash unique is that when they developed the park they didn't cut down all the trees, they built around them. So, not only is it prettier than most theme parks, you can be filled with a warm feeling of goodness while you are cooling off on a hot summer day.

Although Six Flags Hurricane Harbor is almost half the size of Splish Splash, they really know how to pack in the fun. With 11 thrill slides, 2 more moderate slides, a half-mile lazy river slide, a wave pool and a kiddie area, Hurricane Harbor is slightly more geared to older kids, but will have plenty to do to enjoy for toddlers and the whole family. Six Flags Hurricane Harbor offers some nice amenities that make your day a little easier, like cabana and stroller rentals (toddlers are also freeat this water park). They also have meal vouchers that you can give to your kids so they can eat when they want and you don't have to worry about them spending their money on any of the other tempting money-suckers that are sure to be everywhere.

The main advantage to Six Flags Hurricane Harbor is that you can pair it with a visit to the other nearby Six Flags theme parks, Great Adventure and Wild Safari. I haven't been to Wild Safari in a while, but it was one of my favorite things when I was growing up. You can even buy a 3-park season pass that lets you into all three parks as much as you like. 

The Land of Make Believe is a true family amusement park. With quaint wholesomeness and rustic charm, it fulfills every fantasy of a country fair experience without sacrificing on the thrills and amusements one bit. About 90 minutes west of NYC in Hope, NJ, The Land of Make Believe has traditional amusements park rides plus a water park. There are several water slides, the world's largest wading pool, a water playground, plus some unique water rides like the sidewinder, which looks like a skate park ramp that you slide back and forth on in a tube. There's also plenty of regular amusement rides from the thrilling to the quaint.

For that touch of nostalgia, there's a civil war locomotive, a real World War II cockpit, a hay ride and a talking scarecrow. Kids can go back and forth from the rides to the water park when they get hot and when everyone gets tired of all that you can always take the kids to the arcade and impress the kids with your skee-ball skills. The Land of Make Believe is a great choice for families with small children, who sometimes get tired of a water park, because there are lots of other kiddie rides and other things to do. But, because it's more tailored to the little tykes set, only children under 2 get in free.

For a completely different kind of experience, Tomahawk Lake offers a mix of water park and state park. With a variety of water slides and a kiddie water play area set in 200 acres of parkland, a beach on a 20 acre lake, boat rentals (pedal boats, swan boats, bumper boats and kiddie canoes), a picnic area, sport fields and miniature golf, it almost feels like summer camp. Add to that an outdoor beer garden and old-fashioned country food concessions that sell home made donuts, fresh popcorn, charbroiled hot dogs and hamburgers, and circus cotton candy, you may never want to leave. An hour from the George Washington Bridge, in Sparta, NJ, there's nothing flashy here. If you come to Tomahawk Lake expecting state of the art facilities, you will probably turn around and go straight home as soon as you see this place. The miniature golf course doesn't have soaring sculpted animals, the kiddie area is a roped off part of the lake that has some plaster animals to climb on and a little slide...and there's a horse-shoe playing court. Need we say more.

On the other hand, if you cherish a little simple fun in the country where maybe your older kids can enjoy the water park and you can wade in a lake with your little ones or read a book on a sandy beach without having to deal with insane water park prices and crowds, this might be the place for you.

When it comes to the Jersey Shore, it seems like the theme is "too much is never enough." Maybe that's why Casino Pier is over-the-top fun with 27 water slides and flumes, a huge interactive kiddie water play area, 40 classic amusement park rides, including an antique carousel, miniature golf, and a penny arcade all right along the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, NJ, just 90 minutes from NYC. The owners of Casino Pier just bought and renovated the water park that used to be Jenkinson's Water Works (Now Breakwater Beach) so now for a few dollars more you can buy a day pass to both parks including all rides except the go-karts. Oh, I forgot to mention the go-karts