Hurricane Harbor Photo by Leora (http://www.leoraw.com/blog)
Update 8/26/2009-Â Take a look at some great reviews of waterparks to look at after you see pricing spreadsheet below, pricing isn’t everything and these mom blog posts, may help you make the decision:
Sesame Place– A link to a review posted by a Mom in Philly, with kids ranging from little to 9y I’ll be contributing to our own njplaygrounds post on this park when I get a chance as well, twilight is about $30/ea and worth it!
Land of Make Believe– Great guest post from my friend Sue M. with 2 girls under 5y.
Sahara Sams– Mommypoppins travels to Jersey and reviews this one on her NYC blog.
Do you have feedback? If so, comment below!!!
It’s officially August 2009, and since we are a bit late in reviewing water parks, I thought I would aggregate… So much info on the web scattered, you know the deal if you’ve had to research vacations, places to eat in unfamiliar territory. Same with water parks, the biggest ones get the most attention, whoever markets best gets more “eyeballs” as @Garyvee would say.
Thinking price is one of the strong considerations in these hard economic times, we thought we’d include a quick summary of some popular NJ water parks.
Disclaimer: Water Parks are unique, some may fit your children more than others. For example Land of Make Believe is awesome for younger kids, (like 5y and under as one parent suggested to me) someone with older kids would probably opt for Dorney or Six Flags. Some of course have a lot more than others, and the 2-day values can be incredibly more cheaper such as Sesame Place and Hershey Park.
If you have a water park we haven’t covered, comment below! Thanks to Leora for her great picture of Hurricane Harbor, in Jackson, NJ. Check out her post and great photos on her blog: “Here in HP (Highland Park)”
For keeping it simple we only made it one day trip.
Family of 3 is 2 adults 1 child.
Family of 4 is 2 adults 2 children.
7% sales tax in NJ
6% sales tax in PA.
Prices are what was researched via official websites on August 2, 2009 for weekends. Prices are subject to change. Look for twilight hours, weekday discounts, and coupons included in KidStuff books. Online discounts can also save you money!
| Water Park | Location | Adult Price | Child Price | What’s a Child | Family of 3 Price w/ tax | Family of 4 Price w/tax | Comment | Link to Admission Prices |
| Land of Make Believe | Hope, NJ | $21.00 | $23.00 | 2yr-17y | $ 69.55 | $ 94.16 | for younger kids; accepts Kid Stuff Coupon | Official Website |
| Sahara Sams | West Berlin, NJ | $29.95 | $22.95 | Under 48″ | $ 88.65 | $ 113.21 | Check out link for $3 off | Official Website |
| Hurricane Harbor (6 Flags) | Jackson, NJ | $34.99 | $24.99 | Under 54″ | $ 101.62 | $ 128.36 | SAVE ONLINE | Official Website |
| Dorney Park (Wildwater Kingdom) | Allentown, PA | $40.99 | $20.99 | 3y+ and under 48″ | $ 109.15 | $ 131.40 | SAVE ONLINE $4/ off adult and $1/ off child | Official Website |
| Hershey Park | Hershey, PA | $52.95 | $31.95 | 3y-8y | $ 146.12 | $ 179.99 | GO 2-DAY, much better value!!! | Official Website |
| Sesame Place | Langhorne, PA | $50.95 | $50.95 | 2yr+ | $ 162.02 | $ 216.03 | 2-DAY is same price (any 2 days, so go 2x in the summer) | Official Website |
We may do a 2-day spreadsheet in the future, if we get feedback that it would be useful.
We like to get a family perspective on these parks not just the website. So you’ll see that the links for each place on the first column go to a real review. For reviews on NJ places, besides our little site, we are big fans of Mommy Poppins who is based in NYC but graces us with some awesome reviews. Also Hoboken Metro Mom who is always getting the best places that you don’t normally hear about.
Have a great blog post about one of these water parks? Missing a great water park? Tell us by commenting below:
Glad you liked my photo and post! We’ve been to Land of Make Believe several times. The waterpark is small, but it’s a great trip combined with the rides and the show. Last year my husband, daughter and I were all in the show; my husband played the dragon. (Members of the audience get to act in the play).
There’s also a little waterpark in East Brunswick at Crystal Springs. But I don’t want everyone to go because then it will get too crowded!
breakwater beach waterpark in seaside nj is my son’s favorite waterpark in the area. He will be two in october. this is the second year we are taking him to this water park. It’s 19.95 per adult, under 2 is free. It has a great toddler play area that the whole family can play with thier toddler. We took him to Seasame place and he actually enjoyed breakwater beach better.
I really enjoyed your post that shares the importance of water parks in the New Jersey area. I feel that I should share another great water park that is located in the Poconos. Great Wolf Lodge is about a hour and forty five minute drive from cherry hill. They also have Parks in Charlotte NC, Michigan, and many other locations around the US. I love this place because it is indoors. However, when I want to have a great time and tan, I take my family in the car to Jackson for Hurricane Harbor. Is Hurricane Harbor owned by Six Flags or do they rent the space from them? Thanks for sharing. Great Post!
do you have pricing for raging waters in wildwood new jersy?