Rapids Water Park in Palm Beach Provides Fun for the Whole Family

Located just off Interstate 95 in West Palm Beach, Florida, Rapids Water Park is a fun family attraction that attracts visitors of all ages during the warmer months of the year. The 22 acre park has been opened for more than 30 years and is one of the premier attractions in the area.

Set amidst lush tropical-themed gardens, this high energy water park features 29 water slides, a lazy river, a wave pool, and other water features suitable for guests of a variety of age ranges.

Slides are generally the main attraction at Rapids Water Park and the park is known for its selection of nail-biting water slides. Guests can choose to ride Big Thunder, which resembles a funnel lying on its side and confronts runners with a long, dark tunnel, forty-five degree drops and a rapid plunge that leaves riders weightless. Or they can opt to ride Black Thunder, where four riders in a large tube travel through pitch black darkness into a funnel and, eventually, drop into a pool below.

Other slides include the Body Blasters body slide, featuring 1,000 feet of darkness, and the Pirate Plunge, another body slide, this one also with a dark tunnel and a 70-foot drop.

Raging Rapids is a family-oriented tube ride that's appropriate for all ages to enjoy together. Though there's one tunnel, most of the ride happens outside in the sunshine where little ones won't be frightened. Also good for families is Riptide Raftin', which features 500 feet of twists and turns and a chance to get soaked by three waterfalls.

Superbowls is a tube-less bowl ride that takes guests on a high-speed ride that ends in a misty bowl, where they go round and round until being flushed into the pool below. The Water Flumes are equally as fun, extending some 1,600 feet and providing twists and turns akin to a bobsled run. Guests can try all four for a different run every time.

Rides other than water slides are also available at the park. The Lazy River is suitable for all ages and whimsical Alligator Alley lets kids cross a pool filled with gators (the plastic kind). Splish-Splash Lagoon, Tadpoles, Little Splash Hill, and the Dancing Fountains are all designed for the use of the park's youngest visitors. All provide life-guarded fun on a scale that's suitable for little bodies who are both swimmers and non-swimmers. In addition, the Big Surf wave pool is safe for the whole family. It measures 25,000 square feet in size and can manufacture waves up to 6 feet tall.

Rapids Water Park offers two full-service snack bars for hungry visitors and plenty of restrooms with changing facilities. The park is least crowded in the off-season, including the late spring and early fall and on weekdays in the summer. Admission rates are for all day but locker rental involves an extra charge.