As Mother to an (almost) 13 year old, I am in a precarious predicament this summer. My son is young enough that I still want to keep a watchful eye on him, but old enough that he's yearning to stretch his wings and test his independence. Hawaiian Falls Waterpark provides the perfect venue to please us both. These "micro-parks" average about 8 acres in size - small enough that older kids can roam free and feel on their own, but small enough that it doesn't ever take me more than 10 minuets to find him if I need to. I was invited out Monday to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Garland location and spent a lovely afternoon camped out in a cabana while my son and a friend ran amuck.
Like water parks everywhere, Hawaiian Falls has relatively calm water rides such as slides and wave pools, and it has others that ramp up the adrenaline factor. The Torpedo provides thrills and chills when you are dropped through a trap door from a four-story height. "The launch is sudden, the acceleration is intense, the landing is explosive," the park says of this ride. If sudden, intense, and explosive isn't your kind of ride, you can ride the Pineapple Express, which is a four-lane head-first racing slide, or Kona Kooler, "a continuous river with waterfalls, waves, beach and islands," or the Waikiki Wipeout, a body slide featuring a free-fall drop of 65 feet. Other watery rides at Hawaiian Falls include the Hightide Whirlpool, where riders "whirl and twirl your way around the bowl and get flushed out the bottom," and the Hawaiian Half Pipe, a two-person inner tube ride that goes straight up, then backwards. The newest ride is called The Rush, a really fun tube slide that’s pitch black inside with strobes, music, misters, etc. - a total sensory experience. You even get to choose your song to ride on!
For $10, visitors to Hawaiian Falls can bring a cooler of any size, with food and drinks and have a picnic. Lockers are available for rent; inner tubes are available for free on a first-come, first served basis, as are life jackets (you can bring your own life jacket as long as it's coast guard approved). Cabanas can be reserved for $125 with 24-hour advance notice, and may include such things as wait service, a refrigerator, private areas, and chairs and tables. If you're looking for a way to spend a day having fun and beating the Texas heat, Hawaiian Falls Waterparks may be just what you're looking for. Check online for prices, specials, events, and a complete description of the park you're planning to visit.
Hawaiian Falls Waterpark is open from Memorial Day through Labor Day. For more info, visit http://www.hfalls.com
Hawaiian Falls Mansfield, 490 Heritage Pkwy S, 817-853-0050
Hawaiian Falls Garland, 4550 N Garland Ave, 972-675-8888
Hawaiian Falls The Colony, 4400 Paige Rd., 972-370-437
Hawaiian Falls Roanoke, 290 W Byron Nelson Blvd., 817-853-0099
