Sherry Jeffers

Review of Raging Waves Waterpark

My son and I visited this waterpark for the first ...

My son and I visited this waterpark for the first time today. What a great place to go for some water fun! Pros: Free parking, if you don't mind a slight walk. Absolutely fun waterslides! (Although, just like amusement parks...your child/ren has/have to be greater than 42-48 inches tall to be allowed to go on the slides). The place is landscaped beautifully, and well-kept cleanliness-wise. Big, well-watched by the guards wave pool (a young lassie in the shallower section swallowed some water, and they were in the water in an instant making sure she was ok). And, the food (what little we had), was good. Cons: today is August 16th. From my calculations, there are still at least 18 days left before most pools/waterparks close, and not all kids are back to school yet.It was decently busy for a Friday in the 'back to school' season. I was surprised (and rather disappointed) that the lazy river was closed, due to 'understaffing issues' because the college kids on staff were heading back to school. My son (he's 15) and I both felt, that it would've been nice to be able to float around on that for a while in between all of the walking from the slides to the wave pool to take a break, but still enjoy the water. Also, the 3 body waterslides were closed, and looked as though they hadn't been operated in months, if not years. I don't know about other budget-conscious parents, but if I'm going to spend money on something...I'd like to be able to get the full experience. The least the park could do is offer a slight discount to patrons if they know in advance that parts of it aren't going to be operational due to lack of staff. Or, plan ahead, since folks are paying a pretty decent price per head to visit, and make sure that they have coverage for the times when they know that some of their own staff are going back to school, yet they still won't be closing for a few more weeks. Or, post updates on their website, or SOMETHING. In my eyes...that's just business practice that's not up to par. And, frustrating to those of us coming there, seeing it for the first time and wanting a fully enjoyable experience.

This place has got what it takes...so long as they're properly staffed. My thoughts? Go in June or July, and you most likely won't be disappointed.