Cold Weather Won’t Matter

How often does Mother Nature disrupt your vacation plans? Maybe I’m just unlucky, but I’ve never had a vacation with utopia like weather every day. When your inevitable, unseasonably cold or wet vacation day arrives, head over to Castle Rock’s indoor water park for a slippery fun time without breaking the bank.

Before reading on, let this slideshow share my family experience!

The Price is Right

As a parent of twin 8 yr old boys, I am always on the lookout for value attractions. Castle Rock Water Park certainly falls into this category. At $15 per swimmer, a family of 4 can spend the entire day splashing down the slides, floating the lazy river, or swimming laps in the swimming pools. If you’re a parent that prefers to sit out and play lifeguard, your ticket as a non-swimmer will only run $5. Children 2 years and under are free. Don’t let the price fool you though, the park is not only a blast, it’s well maintained, clean, and safe.

Large Water Slides

There are 2 large water slides in the park with a minimum height requirement of 42 inches. Long, concrete, stairways complete with hand railings ascend above the main level to the slide entrances.

For the first slide, you’ll grab a required, inflatable tube before your short hike to the top. The slide itself is completely covered and winds around at a very gradual slope and concludes with a steepening plunge into a large landing pool. Because it is fully enclosed, it’s a dark ride. This one is a personal favorite of my boys. They’ve appropriately named it the “cave slide.”

The second slide doesn’t require an inflatable tube. Compared to the first slide, the slope makes for a slightly faster ride initially with a drop in speed at the conclusion. The overall slide speed is definitely tied to the weight of the rider. If you’re a 6 foot 4 inch adult, you’re gonna build up speed before the final plunge. As an observer, you won’t want to miss the perfect photo/video opportunity behind the thick, splash barrier at the base of the slide (pic in slideshow). Watch out for adults though! Even the splash guard might not fully thwart off their concluding water show.

Kiddie Pool and Slides

Between the two main slides you’ll find an entire area for toddlers. I’m not exactly sure of the water depth, but it can’t be much more than a foot. There are 3 or 4 kiddie slides in the shape of tropical fish, reptiles, and amphibians. I saw children as young as 2 years old (with a parent of course) splashing around. There are also several water falls and a giant, 500 gallon dumping bucket to fully drench your little ones.

Lazy River

There is a giant loft area housing a lazy river. The river is great for both adults and children. You have the choice of swimming tubeless or grabbing a single or double tube for a leisurely float. I must caution adults though; there is an unavoidable waterfall that will soak you each lap. Along with the waterfall, kids will enjoy the unique, mini-bucket dump encountered along the way.

Swimming Pools & Outdoor Area

There are two swimming pools; one outside, one inside. The rectangular, indoor pool has both a shallow and deep end with multiple ladders and steps leading into the shallow end. The pool is handicap accessible by way of a lifting device. You won’t find a diving board, however, so you’ll have to save your twisting, somersaulting, pike dive for the upcoming summer Olympics.

We visited the park in March; therefore, the outdoor area was still closed. As seen in the photo, there is a swimming pool, a kiddie pool, another dump bucket, and 2 kiddie slides. Although there were no lounge chairs out, I suspect there will be once the area opens for the season.

Fuel for the Fire

Kids’ burn energy; lots of it. When its time to drag them away from the slides, you’ll have plenty of food options available to refill their tanks. The restaurant, adjoining the main park with the hotel lobby, has an extensive menu. Pizza, burgers, grilled cheese, pulled pork, and PB&J are just a few of the kids meals you’ll find on the menu. Prices are reasonable too ($10.99 for a 12 inch pizza). You are not restricted to eating in the restaurant. You can bring your meals to one of the many table areas surrounding the water rides so little Johnny can remain barefoot and wet while eating lunch. For early risers, the restaurant also includes a breakfast menu.

Gaming & Gift Shop

One word. Galaga! Wait… 4 words. Galaga and Cruisin USA. Ok. So my age and gaming addiction is showing. I grew up battling the never ending onslaught of galactic bugs and probably spent an entire 401k account on galaga and cruisin USA. I wasn’t a pacman fan, but the popular ms pacman is here too. Along with the aforementioned classics, there’s an air hockey machine, skee ball, a stuffed animal claw machine, and a handful of other arcade games. You won’t find any quarter gouging in this small arcade; 25 and 50 cents a play.

Safety and Lifeguards

Safety is top notch. Even my wife, a recovering helicopter mom, managed to relax while our kids splashed around for hours. There is an entire army of lifeguards on constant patrol. You’ll find them circling the kiddie pools, slides, swimming pools and lazy river. A lifeguard is also camped at the top of each slide policing correct usage of the slides. I also noticed the watchful eye of management ensuring the lifeguards are paying attention. Worth a mention is the chlorine level which is loosely related to safety. As with any public pool, there’s ample chlorine to make your eyes sting. A good thing if you ask me. Nobody wants to spend the remainder of their vacation battling a microscopic bug.

When its time to pack up and leave, you’ll find a rinsing shower right next to a large supply of clean towels. If the kids minded well and didn’t bellyache about leaving, you can grab them an ice cream or chocolate bar from the various vending machines on your way out.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this small, indoor water park to families. It provides enough enjoyment for an entire day. The ticket cost is minimal and the food, video games, and gift shop are priced reasonably.

Location & Lodging

Castle Rock can be found on Green Mountain Drive just off the main Branson Strip (Hwy 76). If you’re looking for lodging close by, check out our Thousand Hills condo rentals located across the street.