Summer is finally on the horizon, and we’ve got yet another way to cool off from the warmer temperatures! If rooftop and hotel pools may not be your thing, or want to go a little bigger than NYC’s free public pools, we’ve got a solution for you: water parks!! Full of lazy rivers, slides, and wave pools, these attractions just outside of NYC are the perfect thing to do with kids or just have a day of summer fun! Check out our favorite water parks near NYC below and plan a day trip to one of them this summer!
1. DreamWorks Water Park
Located in the American Dream Mall (where the Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park also resides), this water park is themed after DreamWorks movies and is one of the largest in North America! You can slide down all sorts of rides that take inspiration from the likes of Shrek and Madagascar, plus many more! Plus, there’s also kiddie rides, a lazy river, and many other things to do in American Dream afterwards (See ice skating)
🌊 Buy tickets to DreamWorks Water Park here!
Where: 1 American Dream Wy, East Rutherford, NJ
Distance from NYC: 30 minutes
2. The Kartrite Resort & Indoor Water Park
This massive two-acre indoor water park is open year-round in the Catskill region, that also doubles as a resort! The park features 11 water rides and slides (like the Krakken, the Nor’easter, and the Jiggerty-Jaggerty), a lazy river, plus over 100 water adventures and a massive dump bucket. If you want a weekend getaway, you can stay at the resort and enjoy the park plus its restaurants and activities, or you can go for a daily and grab a “Splash Pass.”
Where:Â 555 Resorts World Dr, Monticello, NY
Distance from NYC: 1 hr, 30 mins
3. Splish Slash Water Park
Escape to Long Island’s family water park, where you’ll find 96 acres of fun at Splish Splash! This park has over 20 water slides, rides, and attractions, including two wave pools, a large Kiddie Area, a lazy river, and their newest additions, Hyperlight, Bombs Away and Riptide Racer! They have park passes available for $50 and even offer season passes if you want to frequent the park this summer!
Where: 2549 Splish Splash Dr, Calverton, NY
Distance from NYC: 1 hr, 30 minutes
4. Island Waterpark
Island Waterpark at Showboat is officially the largest beachfront water park in the world. The 120,000-square-foot water park headed to Atlantic City is set to feature more than a dozen slides, a 6,500 square-foot lazy river, and more, making it one of the most exciting attractions on the boardwalk. Ride highlights include a 40-foot-tall “Indoor Tree House” and 1,000-foot Coconut Coaster, plus more.
Where: 801 Boardwalk Atlantic City, NJ
Distance from NYC: 2 hrs
5. Runaway Rapids Water Park
Perfect for all ages, Runaway Rapids Water Park has an assortment of slides, rides, and kiddie options that is perfect for a day of water fun. Ride on tube slides like the Mountain Blast and VooDoo Encounter, or relax in style in the Lazy River or Lost Lagoon. There’s so many options to pick from and it’s only a little over an hour outside of NYC! Plus, there’s an adjacent amusement park with dry rides, plus batting cages, arcades, and more!
Where: 275 Beachway Ave, Keansburg, NJ
Distance from NYC: 1 hr, 30 minutes
6. SplashDown Beach
Only two hours away from NYC is SplashDown Beach, aka “America’s Biggest Little Water Park!TM” Ride highlights include the brand new The Megalodon, the six story tall and 600 feet long Arctic Mammoth, plus many many more. This park proudly boasts some of the largest slides in the Northeast, as well as great food options to munch on between rides. It’s getting ready to open for the season on May 27!
Where: 16 Old Rte 9 W, Fishkill, NY
Distance from NYC: 2 hrs
7. Quassy Amusement & Water Park
This water park has been around for over 110 years, so it’s no wonder why it’s one of our favorites. It’s home to lots of water attractions, including the Rocket Rapids Water Coaster, Saturation Station (water-tipping bucket), BulletBowl, and even a Fish Pond for the kiddies. The Splash Away Bay Water Park sits in the larger Quassy Amusement Park, meaning it also has a corresponding area with dry rides, swings, and their famous Wooden Warrior coaster.
Where: 2132 Middlebury Rd, Middlebury, CT
Distance from NYC: 3 hrs
8. Land of Make Believe
Land of Make Believe has been open since 1954, and they’re getting ready to open for the 2023 season on May 27! Their rides are some of the most unique compared to other parks on this list, like the Pirate’s Escape & Pirate’s Revenge (a dual ride where you can 1v1 “race” down a slide), the Cannonball (360 toilet bowl-esque ride), and the Sidewinder (classic water thrill slide). There’s day passes and season passes available here!
Where: 354 Great Meadows Rd, Hope, NJ
Distance from NYC: 2 hrs
9. The Boardwalk at Hersheypark
Surely Hersheypark isn’t all about the chocolate, but they have their own 11-acre water park too! The Boardwalk, which is open Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day weekend, features all sorts of rides like the Coastline Plunge Surge, Tidal Force and many others. Plus, their East Coast Waterworks attraction alone has 7 slides, 2 crawl tunnels, a 1,000-gallon tipping bucket, nearly 600 interactive water toys, and more than 54,000 gallons of splashing fun.
Where: 100 Hersheypark Dr, Hershey, PA
Distance from NYC: 3 hours