Epic Waters: Grand Prairie, TX

We love indoor waterparks! There's something extremely satisfying about putting on a swimsuit in the middle of Spring and splashing around in the water. It reminds your soul that summer is coming soon!

A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure to experience Epic Waters. in Grand Prairie, TX.

We went for Family Fun Friday. For $99, you can get

• 4 admissions after 4pm
• 1 pizza
• 4 drinks
• 2 $20 arcade cards

We typically spent this amount for dinner out and a movie, so that's a great deal for a waterpark! Plus, when we went (mid-April), it wasn't at all crowded.

The temperature inside was just right, and there were tables everywhere.

We've been to Great Wolf Lodge, and I would say Epic Waters is more geared toward the older kids/teens. Great Wolf Lodge has a larger water playground for young children, but Epic Waters has more thrill slides. In fact, some were so scary that none of our kids even wanted to attempt them. 

They have a wave pool, lazy river, several larger slides that even Hannah could ride, a surf simulator, and several slides that we were too chicken to attempt.

The surf simulator did have a line, but we didn't wait more than 15 minutes for a turn. It was a big hit! 

The food there was also surprisingly good. Timothy is very picky about his pizza but gave this a thumbs up. It was nice that a pizza was included with our Friday passes, but I took a look at the menu and found it to be more affordable than many theme parks. They really thoroughly search your bags on entering, so don't think you can sneak in any picnic supplies. Instead, feel prepared to spend money on their food. At least it takes good!

The entire family had a great time. Even though we couldn't get in until 4pm (and actually didn't arrive until more like 5), I found the evening pass was enough time for us. We would have stayed about that same amount of time anyway; we were all so tired! 

I have a love/hate relationship with the Epic Waters arcade. Who puts an arcade at the water park?! The kids kept asking, "Can we go to the arcade?" I promised them we would before we left, but apparently that's what all the other parents did, too. It was packed the thirty minutes before closing. While the games are fairly awesome and the $20 arcade card lasted much longer than I expected, the line for the coveted "arcade junk prizes" was extremely long. I still have our tickets and promised the kids we'd cash them in next time.

So, go to Epic Waters. Don't pack food. Plan to buy food there. Do the arcade first. And enjoy! 

Safari Splash at the Fort Worth Zoo

Timothy hates the zoo. When it was time for us to go to the Fort Worth Zoo, our excitement was met with his sarcasm.

"Why are you acting excited about the zoo?! Animals. Woo. Hoo." 

Our most recent zoo trip, though, was the best one we've had. We spent a good portion of our time at the Safari Splash at the Fort Worth Zoo, and I can't say enough good things about it!

Remember, our children are 6, 8, and 11, but this zoo sprayground had enough to entertain all of them. I also wouldn't hesitate to bring a young child here. 

The first way I evaluate any waterpark is how well it entertains the children. This waterpark had 4 larger slides and 2 smaller slides. While we certainly couldn't spend all day there, plenty of fun was had in a couple of hours.

I also look for shade. Safari Splash does have cabana rental for only $40 for two hours, which seemed reasonable enough. We planned to rent a cabana (as I burn in 5 minutes flat), but it turns out we didn't need to. There were many wonderful round tables with large umbrellas to keep away the sun, even when we went mid-day on a May weekend. 

Another great feature of Safari Splash is that the area is zero-depth water. The water is only a few inches deep, so there's no worrying about children getting in water that's too deep or having to wear floaties or puddle jumpers. Plus, there were 4 "lifeguards" making sure children obeyed the safety procedures, which meant less supervision was needed on our part. This allowed the hubs to take a nap while I was on waterpark duty (poor teachers at the end of the school year).

Mind you, this isn't the thrilling waterpark with exhilarating slides that we'll experience this summer. However, it is a wonderful place to cool off on a day trip to the zoo. And even though I don't have a toddler anymore, it had two wonderful areas with small slides for the little ones to enjoy.

Did I mention you're also allowed to bring a small cooler or ice chest in with you?! You don't find that often. Pack a lunch, put on some sunscreen, bring your swimsuits, and enjoy a day of fun in the (partial) sun.