Castaway Bay Indoor Water Park
Sandusky
419-627-2500, www.castawaybay.com
Can you endure a 35-foot-high, 520-foot-long water roller coaster that blasts riders uphill using water jets? Or are a spa, massage, and manicure more your style? Either way, Cedar Point's Castaway Bay won't disappoint you. This Caribbean-themed island paradise is a five-story indoor park outfitted with palm trees, huts, inland lagoons, and plenty of wet and wild adventure. The resort includes 237 hotel rooms, three restaurants, a huge arcade, and the Spa at Castaway Bay. Oh, and if you get tired of the wet stuff, pop next door to Cedar Point Amusement Park.
Insider Tip: The only way to experience Castaway Bay is by booking a stay in the hotel. Unlike most newly built indoor waterpark resorts, Castaway Bay was built as an addition to the old Radisson hotel.
Dover Lake Waterpark
Sagamore Hills
330-467-SWIM, www.doverlake.com
In terms of sheer landmass, Dover Lake is the largest waterpark in Northeast Ohio. Arranged on 56 acres in the scenic Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Dover Lake offers a nice mix of wet and dry activities. Whitecap Wave Pool is among the best of its kind, creating ocean-like waves without the hassles of seaweed and sharks. For the daring, two 75-foot-high Speed Slides send you hurtling at speeds up to 60 mph. And for the lazy, a relaxing float down the new, 800-foot Lily Pad Lagoon should suffice. If your fingers start to look like prunes, dry off with activities like paddleboats, miniature golf, and carnival rides.
Insider Tip: The Dover Lake season runs from June 22 to August 21. General admission is $17.95 Monday through Friday and $21.95 on Saturday and Sunday.
Erieview Park
Geneva-on-the-Lake
440-466-8650, www.ncweb.com/biz/erieview
Erieview Park exudes all the old-time charm of a Coney Island afternoon. Patrons can cool off at Wild Water Works, a small waterpark that boasts two flumes -- each 750 feet long and navigated with inner tubes. Once dried off, kiddies can brave carnival rides like the Tilt-A-Whirl and Skyfighters. Next door, adults can relax in the Old Firehouse Winery, which offers a wide variety of tasty wines and food. The whole complex sits right next to Lake Erie, so visitors also enjoy the cool breezes and postcard vistas of Geneva-on-the-Lake.
Insider Tip: Junk-food junkies won't want to miss Times Square, the fast-food restaurant at the park's entrance. It serves the state's biggest order of French fries -- it's as big as your head!
Kalahari Waterpark Resort
Sandusky
877-KALAHARI, www.kalahariresort.com
Surf's up at the brand-new Kalahari Waterpark Resort in Sandusky. This 435,000-square-foot, African-themed hotel-and-waterpark complex is making waves with a unique indoor-surfing attraction called the FlowRider. With all the cool of the '70s War song that inspired its name, the FlowRider use 50,000 gallons of water per minute and creates a constant five-foot wave, so surfers can practice their bottom turns, cutbacks, and glides. But if speed is your game, try the Zip Coaster. Designed to give riders a feeling of weightlessness, the Zip Coaster will propel you through 500 feet of freefalls, dips, and high-bank turns in 30 thrilling seconds. The thrill rides are juxtaposed with a nice assortment of indoor pools, slides, miniature golf, gift shops, on-premise dining, and Spa Kalahari (offering massages, body treatments, manicures, and pedicures).
Insider Tip: Experience Las Vegas-style dining and entertainment at the resort's Kahunaville Restaurant & Bar. Hum the theme to "Kokomo," and watch bartenders mix and flip bottles with acrobatic flair.
Monsoon Lagoon Water Park
Port Clinton
419-732-6671
www.monsoonlagoonwaterpark.com
This Port Clinton waterpark has been offering cool adventures since it opened in 2003. Families flock to the park's fun-filled water facilities like the Adventure Island Tree House, with its obscenely large, 1,000-gallon drenching bucket, 105 water play stations, and 17 different levels. Or head straight for the three-story Typhoon Rush Slide or the 600-foot inner-tube river called the Coral Reef Ride. Those in the know eventually mosey over to the Blue Lagoon Saloon and Adult Pool, where adults paddle to a Tiki bar that offers a variety of Caribbean specialty drinks. Monsoon Lagoon also offers a nice mix of dry distractions, including a go-kart racing track.
Insider Tip: Watch for Christian Week, June 19-25. Discounted tickets are carried at many Christian bookstores and are promoted through local Christian radio stations.
Soak City
Sandusky
419-626-0830, www.soakcity.cedarpoint.com
Soak City sits between the cool, refreshing waters of Lake Erie and the towering rides and roller coasters of Cedar Point amusement park. The 18-acre waterpark, which opened in 1988, features the gamut of liquid leisure rides, including two relaxing inner-tube rivers, more than a dozen water slides, a gigantic 500,000-gallon wave pool, and Splash Zone -- a multistory interactive play area. Soak City also offers easy access to a mile-long stretch of sand known as Cedar Point Beach on Lake Erie.
Insider Tip: Guests aren't allowed to bring alcohol into the waterpark, but you can catch a buzz at Bubble's Swim-Up Refreshment Center.
Wildwater Kingdom
Aurora
330-562-7131, www.geaugalake.com
Have you ever asked yourself what it might be like to take a raft through a tornado with four of your friends? Well, Geauga Lake has. That's why it's building one of Ohio's most intense, white-knuckle waterparks on 20 acres of the old Sea World Ohio and Hurricane Hannah facilities. Management for the renovated park is touting hair-raising rides like Liquid Lightning, a 60-foot-high tornado slide that shoots a four-person raft through what looks like a twister on its side. Those who survive can brave Thunder Falls -- the tallest waterslide complex in Ohio, containing seven slides (three enclosed body slides and four tube slides). The park opens in mid-June.
Insider Tip: Phase II of Wildwater Kingdom will premiere in 2006 and features a 38,000-square-foot wave pool as well as an adult pool with a swim-up bar.
