A water park is an amusement park that features waterplay areas, such as water slides, splash pads, spraygrounds (water playgrounds), lazy rivers, or other recreational bathing environments. Water parks in more current states of development may also be equipped with some type of artificial surfing or bodyboarding environment such as a wave pool or a FlowRider .

Evolution of waterparks from spas

Some waterparks are more spa-oriented, e.g. Schwaben Quellen, a member of European Waterparks Association (EWA) has no water slides, but instead has lots of saunas, steam rooms, "adventure showers", and relaxation-oriented waterplay areas. In fact, the very idea for a water park may have been inspired by a Hungarian spa.

List of water parks

Notable water parks include:

• Netherlands
  • Tikibad in Wassenaar

• Russia
  • Transvaal Park in Moscow - in 2004 27 people were killed when a roof collapsed

• United Arab Emirates
  • Wild Wadi Water Park in Jumeirah

• United States
  • Noah's Ark in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin (the largest in the United States)
  • Raging Waters in San Dimas, California and San Jose, California
  • Water World in Federal Heights, Colorado (in the Denver metropolitan area)
  • Water Mania in Kissimmee, Florida
  • Schlitterbahns, located in New Braunfels, Texas, and South Padre Island, Texas
  • Wet 'n Wild , located in Orlando, Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Greensboro, North Carolina. Owned by Universal Studios.
  • Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, located at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida
  • Valleyfair in Shakopee, Minnesota - not wholly a waterpark, but includes a waterpark (Whitewater Country) and several of its most prominent rides are water rides, including a log flume ride.

• Germany
  • Schwaben Quellen ("Schwabia Sources" in English), a member of European Waterparks Association (EWA).

• Canada
  • Wild Water Kingdom
  • Ontario Place (not wholly a waterpark, but has a waterpark as part of the space).

External links

• Wisconsin Dells - RainTree Resort

Water park-like spaces

Spaces that are similar to waterparks include spas (a continuum from the original evolution of waterparks from spas), urban beaches, and splash pads, as well as smaller waterplay areas such as waterslides in many hotels and public pools. For example, the Delta Chelsea hotel in Toronto features a four storey waterslide called the "corkscrew".