Summer splashdown Sun, fun, thrills and chills await at suburban water parks
Summer has officially started, which means it's time for sunshine and swimsuits - and local water parks are a great way to enjoy both.
You'll find all the water park basics at each, including slides, swimming pools and lazy rivers. But a number offer something more.
• Raging Waves water park in Yorkville hosts "Sinbad and the Search for the Golden Pineapple," a high-dive act. Guests have the daily opportunity to watch daring divers plummet from as high as 80 feet in search for the golden pineapple.
See the show at noon, 2 and 4 p.m., leaving plenty of time for Raging Waves' giant sandbox, a lazy river called Kookaburra Kreek, the waves of the Great Barrier Reef Wave Pool and everything from body slides to multipassenger slides.
• Six Flags Great America's Hurricane Harbor in Gurnee brings on the thrills with the Mega Wedgie body slide. If you muster the courage to step inside the launching capsule five stories above the ground, brace yourself. Once the floor drops beneath you, you'll shoot down a near-vertical drop at 40 miles per hour that will get your heart racing.
Hurricane Harbor also boasts an authentic surfing experience with Surf Rider, an interactive water playground perfect for the little ones, a wave pool, slides of all sorts and many more ways to take a dip and cool off.
• At the Otter Cove Aquatic Park in St. Charles, you don't even have to get in the water to catch a break from the sun.
In the interactive splash park, the water comes to you splashing from all over with its water play features.
When it's time to get in the water, though, the orange and yellow Salamander Slides are the most scenic routes to get into the Frog Bog swimming pool and the Turtle Creek lazy river. The slides exit into the other attractions, which both have a zero-depth entrance as well.
Otter Cove also has a toddler pool, Dragonfly Den, specifically geared for children 5 and younger.
• Splash Country Water Park in Aurora is home to the second-largest lazy river in Illinois where guests can relax, but the river itself is anything but lazy. Grab a raft and wind through 1,100 feet of river with dumping buckets, jets, sprayers and bubbling rapids.
The park is a family-friendly aquatic center with a six-lane, zero-depth entry pool that has children's play features, plus an open and enclosed tube/flume slide.
Note: Each water park's website has a list of features and amenities. Other policies to check are weather, height requirements, flotation device and life jacket regulations, plus swim masks, swim diapers, coolers and outside food and drink.
Suburban water parks
Suburban water parks
• Coco Key Water Resort
Where: The Clock Tower Resort, 7801 E. State St., Rockford, (800) 358-7666, (815) 398-6000 or <a href="http://cocokeyrockford.com/">cocokeyrockford.com/</a>
Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed Tuesday
Admission: $10
• Cypress Cove Family Aquatic Park
Where: 8301 S. Janes Ave., Woodridge, (630) 985-5620 or <a href="http://www.cypresscove.org">cypresscove.org</a>
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Admission: Resident $8 daily, nonresident $14 daily
Passes: Resident starts at $133 for an individual, package deals available; nonresident starts at $160 for an individual, package deals available
• Hurricane Harbor at Six Flags Great America
Where: 1 Great America Pkwy, Gurnee, (847) 249-4636 or <a href="">www.sixflags.com</a>
Hours: 11:15 a.m. to 6 p.m. (hours near the end of the season vary)
Admission: General admission to Six Flags Great America $64.99; children under 48 inches $44.99; kids 2 and younger admitted free (discounted tickets are available on the website). Hurricane Harbor is an additional $5.
Passes: $154.99 (package deals are available); Hurricane Harbor admission included with a season pass
• Otter Cove Aquatic Park
Where: 3615 Campton Hills Road, St. Charles, (630) 513-4377 or <a href="http://www.ottercove.org/index.htm">www.ottercove.org</a>
Hours: Vary monthly and by day
Admission: Open swim resident $9 daily, nonresident $13 daily; group rates (11 or more guests): residents $7, nonresidents $11
Passes: 10-visit pass for residents $72, nonresidents $104
• Raging Waves Waterpark
Where: 4000 N. Bridge St., Yorkville, (630) 882-6575, <a href="http://www.ragingwaves.com/">www.ragingwaves.com</a>
Hours: Vary monthly between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Admission: $19.99-$29; 3 p.m. discount available; package deals available
Passes: Resident $77.97, nonresident $129.99
• Splash Country Water Park
Where: 195 S. Barnes Road, Aurora, (630) 906-7981 or <a href="">www.foxvalleyparkdistrict.org</a>
Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Admission: Resident $5-$9, nonresident $7-$13, children younger than 2 admitted free
Passes: Resident $49-$79, nonresident $65-$95, children younger than 2 admitted free