The Top 5 Water Parks near Houston

Six Flags’ Hurricane Harbor Splashtown is only 20 minutes from the city. We love how convenient it is for those who may not be able to go too far from home. Heck, we ourselves barely clocked the time when driving to it!

They have kids’ rides, family rides, and thrill rides, so there should be something for everyone. They have a total of 18 rides, and we loved them all.

They have a good range of food options, with ice cream, burgers, bars, snacks, and cafes available. We highly recommend the funnel cakes for that perfect park experience!

We also enjoyed shopping at their stores, Sammy’s, Tradewinds, and Surfer Sweets. They’ve got all the summer essentials covered, from toys to swimsuits to sunscreen.

We’re also pretty impressed that the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards has designated Six Flags as a Certified Autism Center.

They have a Personal Care Attendant program for guests with disabilities, and they can help give information on which attractions are best for them.

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Their single-day passes start at $29.99, which is pretty good.  If you plan on going often, they also have Gold, Platinum, and Diamond Passes for $7.99/mo, $8.99/mo, and $11.99/mo respectively. 

We recommend checking their website for the specific perks that come with each.

However, some customers we talked to said there’s a downside to the passes. You might buy them expecting to have access for the summer, but the park can choose to close when there aren’t enough guests or the weather is bad.

This means that some customers showed up to the park only for it to be closed. A customer also mentioned that he bought the season’s pass, only for the park to close a month early.

We should also note parking in the area costs $20. We definitely wish there was free parking!

Typhoon Texas currently operates in two locations: one in Katy, and one in Austin.

This is awesome if you want to have a fun outing but don’t really want to go too far out of the city. Katy is just west of Houston, so we got there and back without issue.

We love that they have attractions for all ages. Buckaroo Bayou, Howdy Hollow, and the Gully Washer are perfect for the little ones to splash around in.

We were pleased to see that older thrill seekers also have plenty to do. There are big water slides and raft rides at Monster Storms, the Duelin’ Daltons, the Snake Pit, and Lone Star Racers.

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If you’re going with a group, you might want to rent one of their cabanas for the day. They go for $250-329 dollars, and come with discounted platters, wait staff, and personal safes. 

If you want a cheaper option, you can also reserve shaded lounge chairs for $59.

Be warned, though, that security isn’t that great at the park. Some customers we talked to said it’s pretty common for shoes and other belongings to be stolen.

There are lockers available for $10-$20. We had a little bit of difficulty securing one, given how busy the park can get.

You’re also not allowed to bring your own food and drinks in. This is standard practice, but we recommend checking their website for their dining options before buying tickets.

Finally, regular day passes cost $44.99 online and $50 at the gate. Kids under 48”, military, and seniors can get in for $34.99.

These admission fees are definitely on the pricier side of this list, although still reasonable for the attractions you get access to.

Big Rivers Waterpark and Adventures is in New Caney, Texas, which is around 30 minutes from Houston. We appreciated that it’s pretty close by, so we got to it without any trouble.

They’ve got a great range of attractions for all ages. These include a wave pool, a lazy river, splash pads, and slides and rides for both thrill-seekers and kids.

They’ve got quite a few other attractions too, including a floating challenge course, aerial rides, mazes, a big maze, and their fairgrounds rides.

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Right now, their admission fee is $14.99, which we love. Do note, however, that they are a cashless park, meaning they only take card and online payments.

This comes with access to a large chunk of their attractions. However, we should note that some of their attractions, like the ziplines and animal encounters, will cost you extra.

They have cabanas for rent if you want to have a safe spot for your group. The riverside ones cost $250 and come with lounge chairs, lockers, a dining table, a cabana server, a refrigerator, and wheelchair access.

There are also luxury lakeside cabanas for $450. They come with all those perks, plus an outdoor sectional couch and mounted TV with channel service.

If you just want a safe place to store your things, you can get lockers for $12, $15, or $20 depending on size.

They have two restaurants at the park which serve barbecue and Tex-Mex food. However, we were warned by some customers that the food often runs out.

Some of these customers also warned us that some of the attractions are usually closed or broken. Unfortunately, this can definitely make or break your trip.

Schlitterbahn Waterpark is a little farther out from Houston, with Galveston being around an hour away. However, if you have the transportation, it shouldn’t be a problem.

They have a total of 29 rides and attractions at the park, which is amazing. Our heads were spinning trying to figure out where to go first.

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They rate each ride on a scale of 1 to 5 in thrill level, which means there’s something for all ages. Kids will love their splash pads and activity areas, while thrill-lovers like us can check out their raft slides and water coasters.

One thing we didn’t love, though, was the (unsuitably named) Torrent River. There were barely any waves or a current when we tried it, and some people we talked to said it used to be much better.

Some customers also lament the fact that when they come, a number of the attractions are out of service. This can definitely be a damper on someone’s experience.

Their daily admission tickets start at $39.99, which is reasonable. Members of the military can get theirs for $34.99.

They also have season passes available for $110 ($99 for military), which come with discounts for merchandise, food, and your friends’ tickets.

You can also upgrade to add fast lane passes, which are $30 for the day and $150 for the season. This can definitely come in handy, because the lines can get really long.

They also have a number of different cabanas you can rent, from $209 to $499. Most are for groups of 6-8, with the largest one able to hold up to 24 guests.

They have a pretty good number of restaurants and bars to check out. They have barbecue, burgers, pizza, chicken, ice cream, and alcoholic drinks (which were delicious!)

We also love that they have an accessibility guide on their website, which can help tell which attractions are safe for you. The park also has braille guides, and access for service animals.

Palm Beach at Moody Gardens is a small, beautiful water park on Galveston Island.

They have a lazy river, wave pool, splash pad, tower slides, and the Aquarium Adventure Playground. It’s not the biggest range of attractions, but it gives kids plenty to do.

There are also curb ramps everywhere, and wheelchairs are free to use for those who need it. Service animals are also welcome within the premises.

Unfortunately, we don’t think it’s the best place for older people and thrill-seekers. The adrenaline junkies among us didn’t get a lot of thrill.

The lazy river is also quite narrow and full of unused floaties. This can make the experience pretty inconvenient for a lot of people.

There are a bunch of free amenities on a first come, first serve basis. These include comfy beach chairs, shady umbrellas, and life jackets.

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We love that these are free, because most parks charge a fee for use and reservation. However, you definitely need to get there early to try and get them before they fill up.

If you want a definite spot, you can rent lounges and cabanas from $175 to $450.

Their regular daily tickets cost $30-$40, which is pretty standard pricing. Children and seniors get in for $24-$35, and children 3 years old and younger get in for free!

Their season pass costs $75 per person, and includes admission to Palm Beach as well as the ziplines and rope course. This is a pretty great deal!

They do also have an Annual Pass Plus Membership for $165 per person. This includes admission to everything the season pass gets, plus Dino Alive, Festival Lights, and the year-round attractions.