Disclaimer: We were provided tickets in exchange for sharing our experience, but all thoughts and opinions are our own.
We moved from Brooklyn to Hudson Valley a year ago, but last summer was pretty much a wash for any kind of theme park experiences. Thankfully everything is opened back up now and we are HERE. FOR. IT!!! Yesterday we ventured half an hour up to Fishkill, NY to spend the day at SplashDown Beach Water Park and had the best day everrrrrr!!! Be sure to watch our highlights video here, and read on for details!!
We arrived at 11AM, got our bags checked, tickets scanned, rented our locker for the day (you get a handy wrist band you simply scan to open the locker), and rented our Cabana, which is an extra splurge but I highly recommend it - it was so nice to have a quiet shaded spot to come back to for a break. There's a buzzer so you can easily call your waiter and order food and drinks to be brought to you. You need a special wrist band to enter the private cabana area, so we felt safe leaving our clothes and water bottles and sunblock and other non-valuables there with no worries, just putting wallets and keys in a locker (in another area). We had a cheese pizza delivered for lunch and it was delicious!!!!
Those 48" and above can do all the rides, though 42" and above can do pretty much do everything, sometimes solo and sometimes needing to pair up with an adult. There are some HUGE and terrifying slides (like Humunga Halfpipe and Megalodon), some medium thrill ones (like Bullet Bowl and Arctic Plunge), and some super chill ones safe for babies and babies at heart (like the lazy river, regular pool, and wave pool), and even some areas just for smaller kids.
One of our 5 year old twins was too scared to do a solo ride at the start of the day, but after doing several rides with a partner she was ready to try again at the end of the day and SUCCESS! She loved it and begged to ride again and again!!! So, my tip, if you have a more nervous kid like her, do parter or group rides first to get their confidence up a bit, and avoid any potential tears and inner conflict!
They have complimentary coastguard certified lifejackets available throughout the park - for adults (over 90 pounds), youth (55-88 pounds), child (33-55 pounds), and infant. Our kids can't swim yet so having them wear these helped me feel more reassured.
I was really impressed with the lifeguards, too. At the pool, you can see them scanning in very strict grid patterns - each line up and down the pool from one side to the other, the perimeter, and back to start - they obviously have very detailed training and when one of my kids had trouble exiting from a water slide at one point that lifeguard did not hesitate to blow her whistle, jump in, and rescue my little one who had been sucked back to the corner by the current (you can see the action in our video). While she luckily hadn't been in any real danger, it was amazing to see how confident the lifeguards are in knowing exactly what to do. So so so important at any water park, and this was the first time I ever got to see their training in action!
They have changing rooms, bathrooms, lots of dining options inside and outside. We left when they closed at 6pm, after a full 7 hours there, and honestly, still hadn't had enough LMAO!!! It is a SUPER FUN day out and I can't recommend it highly enough!!
LOCATION: 16 Old Route 9 W, Fishkill, NY
TICKETS: from $29.99 - $49.99 per day (half day, weekday, weekend/holiday rates vary), infants 2 and under free (but first visit you must purchase their reusable swim diaper cover for $9.99), $129.99 season's pass.
TICKETS: from $29.99 - $49.99 per day (half day, weekday, weekend/holiday rates vary), infants 2 and under free (but first visit you must purchase their reusable swim diaper cover for $9.99), $129.99 season's pass.
Quick shoutout to some items that made our day in the sun even better:
(affiliate links):
(affiliate links):
- CaliCase floating waterproof phone cases (review coming soon)
- UV Skinz UPF 50+ rash guard shirts (my kids always wear, but it was my first time and WOW it was such a relief not to have to worry about my shoulders and chest/back burning!!!)
- Contigo Insulated Spill-Proof Water Bottles - kept our water ice cold all day!
- ThinkSport SPF50+ Water Resistant Mineral Sunblock - we applied at 11am and 2pm and were in the sun and water for 7 hours. Our twins got a tiny "sunkiss" on their cheeks but no one got burned - this stuff is amazing!
For more NY / NJ area reviews and recommendations, be sure to check out our roundups:
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