splashdown water park

It does get a little crowded, but it is a great place to take your kids and enjoy the water during those hit summer days.

Splashdown is a lot of fun for all ages. Small children love the zero degree pool, while everyone else enjoys the water slide and lazy river. No other water parks around that compare.

We visited Splashdown this week. It had been at least 8 years since my last visit. It hasn't changed much other than the entrance. I was with my 7 year old and my 14 year old. I was looking forward to the lazy river while my older son was anxious to try out the water slide. My younger boy had never been on a big water slide before so he was a little nervous and decided to play on the playground area for awhile. We arrived a half hour after opening and was disappointed and frustrated trying to find a spot to land. Every chair in the place was taken. I was considering locking all our items up in the oversized lockers in the locker room ($.25 each time you open the locker...great deal!) when I noticed ONE lone chair with nothing on it. I made a beeline for it thrilled that I would have a good view of the playground my younger boy was interested in. I asked the woman sitting next to if it was free (4 family members, four chairs and only one in use) and she offered it to me. Score! Things are looking up! My little one played for a bit on the playground then my older son came over to ask if he was ready to ride the big slide. A nervous "yep" and away they went. The beauty of this slide is that you can use a two seat float and it isn't real steep. You don't catch a lot of air on this ride so it was perfect for my timid first time rafter. It was a hit. They went again right away on single tubes! Did I say right away? The line was long and slow moving. The guards are very cautious (love it!) so they made sure everyone was clear before letting the next person come down the slide. Great for safety but not so much for getting to ride quickly. Ride down by themselves another hit! Huge downer that there is only one slide and it isn't that exciting so my teen wasn't real impressed. Onto mom's favorite thing...the lazy river. Ok, I admit it, I could float around that thing all day long turning crisp like a piece of bacon. Long line for tubes (no extra charge for tubes or life vests!) but once you are on they don't make you exit until you are ready. Lots of options for tubes....small, medium, large single tubes or the double tube then the rare triple tube. Really? How cool is that? A triple tube would have been great fun for me but I was there with my teen and let's face it he doesn't want anyone to know he is there with his MOM so we all got single tubes. LOTS of guards supervising this area. I was really impressed by how alert and ready the life guards were throughout the park. I felt that when they corrected the guests (you need to be IN your tube) they were very courteous but firm. By the time we exited the lazy river (I stopped at 2 rounds, thank you very much) the park had become very busy! My boys took a dunk in the pool but it was nothing but knees and elbows so that didn't last long. They went back to the slide but the line was crazy long. (Did I mention there is only one slide and the pace is very slow?) The line for the lazy river was pretty bad too. (I wonder how many moms were just sunning and not giving up their tubes? Yep, I was jealous.) So that left a bored teen and a happy 7 year old running around the playground. The kids got snow-cones and we called it a day much earlier than I anticipated. Due to the very reasonable cost ($7.25 for people over 3 and just $3 for spectators) I felt like we got plenty of value for our money. TIPS: If you want a chair get there at opening! We left our swim bag at the chair unattended (nothing of any value in there anyway) and no one messed with it.There is a concession stand but we didn't visit it so I don't have any information on menu or cost.There is a snow-cone cart which is a wonderful treat in the heat.There is a zero depth playground for the little children and it is fenced off so it helps corral the kids and keep the older kids from traipsing through their area.You can bring plastic water bottles in but no food.You are given a wristband that lets you enter and exit the park so you could picnic at your car!DON'T forget the sunscreen! What are you waiting for? Go take a spin or two around the lazy river for me!

Its a great place to take your small children. The life guards are on duty. Everytime I have taken my family there (Ages 11 months to 13 years) I have been impressed with how courteous and deligent the life guards are as they walk or sit their post. No chit chat going on just eagle eyes... Also there is a friendly police presents. The place is clean and they even provide life jackets that are in great condition.

It's easy to get to no matter where you are in the Peoria area. Fun for adults and children (even babies). Water is Warm and very clean. Most of all, Once you pay the reasonable fee to get in, everything else is free and you can stay until it closes. Swim, lay in the sun on lawn chairs, sail down the lazy river on a inner tube, dare to take the challenge of going down the slide, or for even more of a challenge, dare to stand under the barrel filled with water when it tips off.You do have to pay for refreshments, but they are not expensive.Who needs Disneyland when we are fortunate enough to have Splashdown Water Park?