Splish Splash – Long Island’s Award Winning Waterpark!

Splish Splash

The Mint Chip Mama - Splish Splash

@SplishSplashWP #SplishSplashWP

My husband and I recently got to relive our youth by taking our children to the 96 acre water park Splish Splash – an award winning water park practically in our backyard!

The Mint Chip Mama - Splish Splash

Water Tubes & Twisty Slides

Located on Long Island, only a short distance from where we live, we spent the day shooting around in water tubes, descending down twisty slides, and laughing our soaking wet butts off! (Don’t tell my kids I said butt.)

I remember so vividly when Splish Splash opened in 1991. I was 13 and at the height of my water park obsession. My Dad & I packed up the car and were on our way. My husband had a similar vivid memory, Splish Splash was his first destination after getting his license. Our kids didn’t care about either. Ha!

But we love days like this- where raising our family close to where we grew up both brings up nice memories and let’s us create new ones.

The Mint Chip Mama - Splish Splash

The Long Island Expressway Can Take You Anywhere!

Enough with the nostalgia, let’s get on to the day! Splish Splash is right off the L.I.E about 45 minutes east of where we live. We parked and headed inside. With maps all over and the larger attractions numbered, it was easy to find our way around.

The Mint Chip Mama - Splish Splash

We started on The Abyss riding two at a time. It was great that my three year old could go on a big ride to start the day. I was even happier to find this was the case on most rides!

The Mint Chip Mama - Splish Splash

We continued on to Mammoth River. My kids giggled the entire time down while I smiled that we could all ride together in one raft as a family.

The Mint Chip Mama - Splish Splash

Next, we visited Hollywood Stunt Rider. Another family ride with winding dark tunnels. Equally great about this ride was the view – we were above the trees (a really big deal to my kids) – and could see the whole park.

The Mint Chip Mama - Splish Splash

My daredevil daughter next begged to go on Shotgun Falls, a free-falling drop slide with a five-foot drop into a very deep pool. Luckily her father is a good sport and took her.

The Mint Chip Mama - Splish Splash

Kiddie Area

Realizing height was a bit of a challenge on some rides, my husband offered to take our 38ish” son over to the beautiful and activity filled Kiddie Area while my daughter and I headed to the awesome roller coaster like Bootleggers Run. I should mention, at 5’2”, I’m a pretty lame tall team captain.

Lunch

We met back up at Johnny Rockets for a quick lunch. As a big “bring our own lunch” family this was a big upset for us, but the park doesn’t allow outside food so we gave it a go. We got a chocolate shake. It all worked out.

We continued together looking for family rides and headed towards The Battle of Mutiny Bay (which also happened to be the perfect low key post-lunch digestfest ride). With water cannons coming at you from on-lookers, you had no choice but to attack back! My kids were hysterical! I can see why the Travel Channel voted it one of their 10 favorite water park rides.

Next, we relaxed a bit in the Kahuna Bay Wavepool, one of two wave pools we tried and then on to Dinosaur Falls and Dragon’s Den. The rides were great – not too scary but exciting and thrilling, the perfect combination.

Everyone’s Favorite – The Lazy River

Speaking of perfect – one of our last rides was everyone’s favorite – the Lazy River. I was lucky enough to have a snuggly little boy on my lap who just wanted to cuddle. I could have stayed that way for days.

The Mint Chip Mama - Splish Splash

Our time at Splish Splash was wonderful. The park was clean, there were tons of options for children of all ages and sizes, and there was plenty of shade.

The Mint Chip Mama - Splish Splash

The Mint Chip Mama‘s Splish Splash Tips:

  1. My daughter often suffers from swimmers ear so we got her the EAR BAND-IT Swimming Headband. She loves it and so far so good.
  2. I bought the Travelon Floating Waterproof Smart Phone/Digital Camera Pouch because I realized I had to take pictures! All were taken through the plastic, not so bad, right?
  3. I love individually wrapped Babyganics Alcohol-Free, Hand Sanitizing Wipes and always have one with me. We quickly washed our hands before lunch without walking to a bathroom. Score!
  4. Wear water shoes NOT flip flops, I happen to love these from Keen.
  5. You can never go wrong with a nice long sleeve rash guard.
  6. I found a super cool (not) sunglass cord in a drawer and figured – why not?
  7. We rented a large locker (there are three choices, large fit an over-stuffed beach bag easily) but cubbies were at each ride entrance.

The Mint Chip Mama - Splish Splash

If you live in the area, and have a child over 36”, you should definitely check out Splish Splash. It would be a great destination the week before school starts. The Travel Channel agrees, they voted Splish Splash one of the best water parks in America!

*Get your discount tickets here!*

Or use promo code: MintChipMamaSBlog17 in the top right box on the website!

The Mint Chip Mama - Splish Splash

Don’t forget to check out all the family friendly vacation spots we’ve researched!

Published by Stacey Wallenstein

Stacey Gish Wallenstein created The Mint Chip Mama blog in 2013 to share her love and passion for giving children meaningful life experiences and helping moms like her navigate the challenges and benefits of raising children in the New York metropolitan area. Before becoming a full-time mom in 2010, Stacey spent the better part of the preceding decade as a high-end customer relationship management (CRM) professional for some of the most well-known brands in the hotel, luxury, fashion, and beauty industries, such as Harrah’s Entertainment, Chanel and Christian Dior, Inc. She managed customer loyalty programs for thousands of clients around the country and created social media strategies for a span of industries including healthcare services, restaurants, consumer packaged goods, specialty foods, local attractions and retail locations. After 13 wonderful years in Manhattan (the last three of which spent as a city mom), Stacey and her husband moved to Long Island in 2014, where they now reside with their three children (13, 9, and 6). There, she is a founding member of her local Parenting Center, which provides classes and coordinates events designed to educate and inform parents while fostering an environment of support and friendship within the community. Stacey is also an active PTA member ((including a former & current PTA president) as well as a Girl Scout troop leader. Her musings on motherhood, Manhattan, the suburbs, and more can be found here and on Facebook at The Mint Chip Mama. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Stacey has been active in the New York area alumni organization for nearly twenty years, serving as a board member on the school’s University of Michigan Alumni Club of New York City. She also holds a Masters in Psychology from The New School in New York City. Please check out The Mint Chip Mama in the Press: The New York Post, Psychology Today, NY Metro Parents, New York Family, Parents Magazine, Newsday, News 12, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt: Kids, NerdWallet, Big Apple Kids Guide, and more! The Mint Chip Mama was also nominated as "The Best Blog On Long Island" for 2022 & 2023, one of the Top 20 New York Mom Blogs & Websites, and one of the Top 100 Mom Lifestyle Blogs on the web! For more updates, follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Pinterest.

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