Wild Island Family Adventure Park - Sparks, Nevada - Water Park, Bowling Alley, Mini-Golf and a Mini-Racing Course All in One

After a few days of sightseeing and gambling in Reno, NV, it's hard to see how you could go wrong taking the kids for an afternoon to Wild Island Family Adventure Park in nearby Sparks. A water park! Bowling! Billiards! Mini-golf! Mini-racing! For a thirteen-year-old weary of television and Nintendo and panoramas of the Sierras, what's not to like about all that?

Wild Island, which opened in 1989, has more than two acres of the stuff: Body flumes, tube slides, and speed slides; a kids' pool, with nice cabanas for parents to view their children from the shade. There's a wave pool and a lazy river. There are water rides with names like The Scorpion, The Black Widow, and The Red Viper; Hurricane Cove; Tortuga; The Eye of the Dragon, and The Dragon's Tail. For the grownups there's an outdoor spa with a Jacuzzi.

And that's just the water. There are two go-kart tracks at Wild Island, featuring both sprint and Indy cars, where you can test your skills against a backdrop mural of wild animals in the jungle; and 40 lanes in the bowling alley (not to mention glow bowling 7 nights a week); 36 holes of mini-golf complete with miniature Victorian houses and castles and waterfalls (as well as night golfing if you want). You can jump into bumper cars or toss a few ringers in the horse shoe pit. Indeed, you can blow quite a wad on those thirteen-year-olds, in the gift shop or at the largest redemption arcade in Northern Nevada, or on the food, because hot dog stands find a place at Wild Island, and snack bars and cafes and a banquet room for birthday parties.

You can also blow a wad on yourself. In addition to its Jacuzzi, Wild Island has kept the money-spenders in mind with three over-21 venues for drinking beer, wine, and tropical cocktails.

As fun parks go, Wild Island is immaculately kept, with fresh paint, manicured lawns and blooming gardens, lovely trees, and pretty fountains. The rides are in top shape. The cabana area has been upgraded. New rides have been installed.

As with most businesses in a sluggish economy, it's possible for patrons to take advantage of new promotions - in the case of Wild Island, with better deals on season passes that include discounts on mini-golf, go-karts, and bowling, as well as priority for cabana use and birthday party bookings.

Reviews of Wild Island are, of course, all over the map, from "absolutely loved it,'' and "really enjoyed our visit,'' to big disappointments at finding the park closed for a private party'' and "WON'T be going back.''

In the end though, what does it matter? What else are you going to do with your child after three days in Reno?