A Fun Visit To Splashway Waterpark & Campground

It was 100 degrees and the 5 grand kids we were babysitting were getting a little antsy! Which meant it was time to get out of town and do something fun and cool. A little research and I discovered Splashway Waterpark & Campground – perfect for what we were looking for because it is located in Sheridan which is only an couple hours from Austin (a scenic drive through the countryside), had cabins and a campground, prices looked reasonable, and the rides and amenities looked like they would be thrilling and fun.

When we told the grand kids, ages 5 to 10, our plans there was hopping and hollering and lots of “let’s do it!” I’ve never seen them move so fast – within 10 minutes they had stuffed a bathing suit, a change of clothes, swim goggles, a toothbrush, and a pillow (plus one blankie and a cute stuffed animal) in their bags and taken them out to the car! Impressive!

Within 5 minutes after checking into our Splashway Campground cabin, the grand kids had put their bags away and changed into bathing suits and stood panting at the door ready to go have some fun in the waterpark – they ran the 800 yards to the entrance to the waterpark and then had to stand there waiting patiently for money bags to catch up.

First stop once they were in the Splashway Waterpark was the wave pool which also happened to be closest to the entrance. This 30,000 gallon wave pool is one of the best we’ve experienced – Splashway claims it’s the largest wave pool beach in Texas and the waves come frequently and they seem gigantic – I haven’t experienced waves that big since Hawaii! ,

While the kids were enjoying the wave pool – I thought that they would never get out – the wife and I relaxed in our cabana which was on the edge of the wave pool. Cabanas are the way to go on a hot day – the shade is a welcome relief. Our cabana had a table and 4 chairs, 4 beach lounge chairs, a safe with a key which was a nice touch, wait service, and a phone to order food and drinks. The wait service was excellent – seemed like every five minutes someone would stop by and check on us with a “having fun? Anything you need?” And once we ordered food, it was delivered to our cabana very quickly.

I was just starting to doze off when I heard “ok, let’s go down some slides” and we all took off. I decided it was best to start on the smaller slides and then work our way up to the more thrilling slides. That way the youngest granddaughter (and me) could build some confidence before hitting the big boys. Little did I know that we were headed to Toddler Bay which caters to the first-time waterpark adventure seekers under 36 inches tall and includes colorful characters like Tommy the Turtle, Crabby the Crab and Felicia the Fish. I was too embarrassed to go down the slide but all the grand kids enjoyed them including the adjoining Costa del Ray area which has 3 levels of fun with 14 watersides and a plush toddler area. By now I’ve got my confidence and the youngest grand kids is in heaven and all smiles but the 4 other grand kids are ready for a bigger, faster, and more exciting thrill.

So the kids ran and I meandered over to Hurricane Hill – a 20′ winding slide that dumps you in the lazy river – which is a warm up slide for the bigger kids. I slide down the side and into the lazy river ready to spend the rest of the day on a casual float – but no, the grand kids threatened to punch a hole in my tube, dunk me, and other nasty things! With reluctance I climbed the stairs for the two side-by-side dragon tail slides at Jet Stream where the old man (thanks to my weight) beat each of the grand kids in a side-by-side race. Now I starting to have some fun.

Even though I wanted to try it, I was too big and old for the Criss-N-Cross where you hop from floating lilly pads and logs holding on to cargo net above your head. I don’t think I could have beat my oldest granddaughters time to get across.

By now we’re getting a little hungry, at least I was – they wanted to keep going. So it was back to the cabana were we ordered enough food (pizza, hamburgers, fries, hot dogs, drinks, and more) to feed half of the waterpark attendees. As we waited for the food the kids played in the wave pool. The food was quickly devoured and we set off for some of the bigger rides.

Next up was a race down Tropical Storm which has 2 fully enclosed extreme body slides that send you spiraling down either a bright orange tube or a completely dark slide – thrilling.

Since I beat them on the Jet Stream slides they challenged me to a ride down Ray’s Racers – 4 parallel lanes down the tallest mat racer slide in Texas. The view from the top is intimidating but the fast roller coaster ride down is a blast – not only did I get some air but I won two out of three races. Where is my trophy? Turns out the match was protested because I was in the wrong age and weight bracket.

I was saddened from my loss but one of the three mascots that meander thorough the park waiting to give you a high five, dance with you on the beach, or just pose for a picture ask me what was wrong, I told him the story and I got a big hug.

After huffing and puffing up to the top of the slides (the grand kids ran up the stairs) with my matt I was ready for something more relaxing like a few laps in the lazy river and a soak in the Lagoon Pool and a short nap in one of the poolside lounge chairs. But I was forced to try a couple more before retiring to the pool – some of the other rides included:

• Midnight Storm – a fast ride down a totally enclosed twisting and turning tube that ends in a breath taking plunge
• Slippery Twister – another 45 foot high side that twists and turns as you zoom down hill
• Minnow Pond – a toddler area with octopus, sea turtle, and tug boat attraction with small water features
• Pirates of Kiddy Cove – kids can slide and spray friends from the deck of a pirate ship, stand under the dumping bucket, or try the 3 mini-speed racers on Rock Mountain
• Pirates Plunge – when the grand kids found me and begged me to try this 45 foot high free fall into a plunge of water, I tried several excuses to try and get out of it, none of which worked – and that wasn’t me that was screaming
• Tubular Tornado – this is a fun one that uses a double or single inner tube to send you from a 42 foot tall tower through a combo of dark and translucent tunnels and then into a giant funnel which spins your around and around before finally flushing you down its spout

The newest attraction to Splashway is the Dueling Splash Blasters attraction. This ride is the only one in the world and was recognized worldwide for it’s innovation last year. Splashway Waterpark has the first and currently the only Dueling Splash Blasters which really elevates their waterpark from a typical park to a world-class destination.

After a couple more slides, I snuck off for a few laps in an inner tube around the park in the Lazy River, a cool dip in the Lagoon Pool, and some relaxing time in a lounge chair by the wave pool.

In addition to all the rides and things to do, Splashway Waterpark has a gift shop, lots of cabanas for rent, and hundreds of picnic tables or tables with chairs and umbrellas for picnics in the shade. They also rent BBQ grills and have three different places to relax and enjoy some food and drinks – Ray’s Cafe, Beachside Pizzeria, and Splash Burger.

Author: Mike Sharp

I have a passion for travel and outdoor activities, and now I'm enjoying retired life. I will continue my traveling, golfing, boating, and enjoying life all across the great state of Texas.