Water slides are like active volcanoes—both melt away T-shirts, propel fluids down super-steep slopes, and have a lot of screaming nubile women thrown down them. Leisurely lounge or ride the tidal-waved slides with today's Groupon: for $16, you get one general-admission pass to Splashtown San Antonio (up to a $32.43 value including tax). Children under 2 and adults ages 65 and older are admitted to the park for free. This Groupon can be used to admit children of any size, though the value is based on the adult rate, which includes anybody 48 inches or taller.
Starting April 15, Splashtown San Antonio resumes soaking sunbathers and testing thrill seekers with its 20 landscaped acres of rides and facilities. A wave pool re-creates nautical gales of yore, and the tree-lined Siesta Del Rio lets guests bask in the sunshine as they drift along gently winding waterways. Race gravity to a splashy conclusion on the Head Rush, navigate corkscrew turns and sudden drops atop a five-story tower on The Hydras, and glide down a near-frictionless five-story slide at StarFlight. At a height of seven stories, the Lonestar Luge dominates sight lines and bravery, challenging park-goers with a water-bobsled journey that spans more than 200 yards of track and 15 days.
Splashtown's covered, public picnic areas shelter guests from sunburns and hunger alike, and free life jackets and inner tubes for slides ensure worry- and abrasion-free afternoons. Free parking outside alleviates additional concerns, such as finding a wooded area along a road to hide your car for the day.
Splashtown San Antonio
More than 45 water rides and attractions swerve and spray across the 20 landscaped acres of Splashtown San Antonio. A seven-story triple tube ride sends guests speeding through a series of corkscrew turns and sudden drops, the park's wave pool sends huge swells of water toward bodysurfers, and a pair of enclosed water slides generate part of their thrill from the pitch darkness. Some of these thrills may be a little too thrilling for young ones, but have no fear: as of 2015, Kids Kove has expanded adding the all new Splash Island and kids pool.
The adrenaline-boosting attractions may be attention-grabbing, but it's also easy to just relax in the sun. The park also boasts a tree-lined lazy river, and basketball and sand volleyball encourage fun competitions on dry land. Splashtown San Antonio even rents out shady cabanas for groups with as many as 12 people, giving visitors a private retreat where they can dry off, catch their breath, and finally try to find chlorine on the periodic table of elements.