The Best Family-Friendly Water Parks In Florida, According To The Internet

With hundreds of miles of glittering gold beaches and more sunshine than you could ever want, Florida is one of the best destinations for family vacations in the United States, if not the world. And that's to say nothing of the Sunshine State's many amusement and water parks. When school's out for the summer and vacation season is in full swing, my family of five loves little more than that sweet smell of summer chlorine gently wafting on the breeze as we zoom down the flumes or bounce around the wave pool. 

Almost boasting too many flume slides and lazy rivers to count, Florida's top-notch selection of kid-friendly water parks makes it the perfect destination for summertime splashing. The best family-friendly water parks offer plenty of activities for everyone, from babies to teens, without being a drag for their folks. Factor in plenty of great food options and loads of safety features, and you've got a recipe for a perfect summertime family outing. Unsurprisingly, Florida does not disappoint.

To determine which of the Sunshine State's many water parks are the best for the whole crew, we consulted the good people of message boards like Reddit and Tripadvisor, combed through online reviews and family-friendly Facebook travel groups, and even skimmed through the comments sections on YouTube and TikTok. Grab your sunscreen and water wings as we take a look at the Sunshine State's very best family-friendly water parks (according to the internet).

If you love the idea of a family water park adventure that gets your crew a little closer to nature and away from the massively commercial theme park atmosphere that tends to dominate Florida destinations, Buccaneer Bay is a smaller (and decidedly retro) water park that offers the best of both worlds. The water park is part of Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, a 27-acre state park that's been hosting an underwater mermaid show since 1947. Everyone loves an underwater mermaid show, right?

At Buccaneer Bay, you won't find loads of death-defying waterslides with impossibly long lines full of teenagers or heavy crowds to potentially lose your kids in. Instead, you'll find Florida's only spring-fed water park, a lovely little watering hole with dazzling clear blue water surrounded by a white sand beach and mature trees. It's also very likely the only waterpark around where guests share the water with tiny fish. For the thrill-seekers, the park features a diving area and two waterslides: the Cannonball and the Pirate's Revenge. There's even a lazy river to chillax in, and paddleboats and kayaks are available for rental. There are plenty of food and drink options to choose from, including a tiki bar offering grilled items and adult beverages.

The park has a reputation for taking safety very seriously. According to the park's Google reviews, Buccaneer Bay has a cheap entry fee and allows guests to bring their own food, which means you'll have more cash left over for Floridian fun. You can even rent a little cabana tent so your kids have a shady retreat — just get there early, as they tend to go quickly. And don't forget to make time for that real-life mermaid encounter while you're there!

One of Florida's best-kept travel secrets is that some of the best water parks in the Sunshine State can be found on resort property. Better yet, you don't need to book a room, as many offer day passes for guests who just want to pop in for an afternoon of family fun in the sun. One such spot is Surfari Water Park at The Grove Orlando, a hidden gem water park close to the Disney Parks that's perfect for families who need a little break from the big mouse energy.

The park features a zero-entry heated pool lined with plenty of first-come, first-served lounge chairs. It's perfect for those cooler days when the water might otherwise be just a little too frosty for sensitive little ones. As one guest shared on Google, "The water temperature is great. All the pools were heated to 83 degrees."

Surfari is also big enough that it doesn't tend to feel packed, even on busy days, but remains small enough that it's easy to keep track of your crew. Older kids and teens will love the twin yellow and green flumes, and there's a family fun arcade on-site with plenty of games, prizes, and glow golf. There's a fantastic kids' activity pool and splash pad zone for the younglings, and park guests can even access the resort's free Wi-Fi in case your iPad baby needs a break (we're not judging). And you don't even have to pay for parking, which can be a massive relief after a week's worth of bloated theme park parking fees. The best part? If you decide to book a room there, using the water park is free for the duration of your trip.

If you're looking for something bigger with a healthy combo of thrills for big kids and a little kid-friendly entertainment, you can't go wrong with Adventure Island, a super fun 30-acre water park just up the way from Busch Gardens with a little something for everybody. The big kids and thrill-seeking grown-ups in your crew will love the selection of high-octane slides and attractions. There's the Solar Vortex, a high-speed, high-banking dual-tailspin raft ride that hits speeds up to 20 mph. Kids can race against their parents on the four-lane Riptide slide, where park guests ride face-first on a mat. There's also a free-fall plunge slide with a whopping 70-foot drop and a fairly decent selection of thrilling flumes.

There's also plenty of fun to be had for your extra-mini family members at Castaway Falls, an interactive water play area full of hoses, spray jets, and loads of other water play features for the whole family to enjoy together. Alternatively, check out Shaka-Laka Shores, the interactive splash pad play area that's made especially with the littlest littles in mind. There's even a lazy river, a wave pool, and a relaxing pool with a climbing net. Adventure Island also features a handful of dining options and a few bar selections to choose from.

It tends to be much less crowded than some other Florida water parks, and Adventure Island fans appreciate the attention to detail the park puts into both its service and overall atmosphere. As one Google reviewer put it, "[E]verything felt safe and well-managed. Great spot to cool off and unwind without the chaos of bigger parks."

If you're looking for water park adventure on a relaxing, underrated Florida beach and you've got a wide range of kids in your crew, Splash Harbour has got you covered. Costing less than $30 for an adult ticket, Splash Harbour is one of the most wallet-friendly water parks in the area. It's also another great destination where you'll find plenty of entertainment for the whole family without having to contend with serious crowds.

The park features a couple of big kid-friendly water slides, including the 42-foot Smugglers Run and Pirates Plunge. The Great White Lazy River is the park's 600-foot meandering waterway, filled with mists, sprays, and waterfalls, perfect for helping you stay cool in the Florida heat. There's also an extra large deck area with plenty of seating, so you can chill out after the kids have run you absolutely ragged. It's also a great spot for the younger folks in your party, who will absolutely love the Treasure Cove Splash Zone and Blue Lagoon Pool. The park also features an arcade, mini golf, and a fun kids' mining attraction.

Parents love the price point and the fact that the park is small enough to actually chill out while the kids play within visual range. As one mom wrote in her Google review, "What a great place to spend the day with your children of any age. Small enough to feel safe to let your kids roam around and have fun but big enough to have fun all day!!"

Legoland is an absolutely magical theme park situated between Orlando and Tampa in Winter Haven. Not unlike a smaller Disney-style resort with its own hotels and two theme parks, the resort is designed to be fun for everyone but is especially geared toward kids aged 2 through 12 years old. Much like California's imaginative and interactive Legoland, the Florida version has its own water park, complete with a pool where oversized LEGO bricks causally float around.

Several of the attractions here are meant to inspire creative play, such as the Creative Cove, where guests can build their own boat and then test its seaworthiness. Or they can build their own raft to float around the Lazy River while admiring all the local LEGO foliage. For the middle littles, there's the Joker Soaker, an interactive play zone full of splashy fun, climbing areas, and slides. Kids 6 and under will have a blast in the DUPLO Splash Safari water play area.

The park also features a handful of bigger slides for the big kids and grown-ups in your crew and a wave pool designed to be friendly for all ages. As one happy LEGO mom wrote in her Google review, "The wave pool is awesome with fake islands to sit on and the waves are small so don't worry about the kids. Lazy river is nice and they have a few slide options for the bigs and Littles to use."

For the past few years, Orlando's Aquatica has won a host of awards and accolades, including a handful of USA Today Reader's Choice Awards for things like Best Wave Pool, Best Lazy River, and Best Outdoor Water Park. For the teens, tweens, and grown-ups, the sprawling water park has a ton of thrilling rides and slides, including a terrifying free-fall, raft rides, flumes, racers, and more. There is also loads of cool stuff for younger kids and older folks who don't like to feel their hearts in their throats. There's Walkabout Waters, one of the coolest water play areas you'll find at a water park. Designed for the entire family to enjoy together, Walkabout Waters is a 15,000-square-foot, 60-foot-tall play fortress full of splash zones and water features. There's also Turi's Kid Cove, which actually has kid-sized slides and loads of fun additions, including spray jets and tipping buckets.

The park also features a fairly thorough sensory guide for each attraction on the website, something I especially appreciate as the mom of three neurospicy kids (including an autistic teen). Aquatica even has a mobile app that you can download featuring a map of the park — a major plus for anyone who has ever desperately searched for a bathroom to avert a family water park emergency.

Ever since I first visited as a teen in the 1990s, Disney's Typhoon Lagoon has been one of my personal favorite water parks — even if I'm still not over the trauma of the park's five-story freefall slide, which made me realize that kind of ride might not be for me. Typhoon Lagoon is themed around a shipwreck in the middle of a tropical lagoon, apparently the result of its titular typhoon, and like everything Disney does, the theming and attention to detail are impeccable.

The park's freefall slide — the Humunga Kowabunga — sends thrill-seekers shooting down through the dark only to emerge near the bottom. Luckily, there are also plenty of less terrifying entertainment options available, including the Castaway Creek lazy river and a handful of other fun slides. For the younger kiddos, the park also has Ketchakiddee Creek, a kid-friendly fun zone where the little guys will have a blast splashing around.

While this might not be the best water park if you're traveling with younger kids only, it's a great spot to visit with school kids, tweens, and teens. Recalling their recent trip with elementary school-aged kids, one Tripadvisor user reported, "The wave pool and lazy river were our favorites. The slides were also a hit and the lines were not too long."

The sister park of Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach is Disney's other Orlando water park. It also happens to be the favorite of many parents with younger kids for a whole range of reasons. Like Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach has that whole Imagineer spirit infused in every little detail of the park, which is themed as a ski resort that seems to have melted into a water park. The park is roughly the same size as Typhoon Lagoon and, aside from the racing toboggan slides, mostly features parallel versions of its attractions, including a wave pool, a lazy river, and freefall slides. However, there seems to be much more for younger kids to do here, and the adorable snow theme adds to the fun.

Smaller kiddos also tend to absolutely go wild for Tike's Peak, the "Frozen"-themed play area surrounded by a soft sandy beach where they can actually build sandcastles. Here, they can go wild playing with water jets on Anna and Elsa's igloo fortress or slide down little kid-sized chutes, slides, and an innertube ride. Breaking down the differences between Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon in the Walt Disney World Tips and Tricks Facebook Group, one user wrote, "Blizzard Beach has a much better and bigger play area for kids ... My daughter loved it. There are also some fun family raft rides at Blizzard Beach."

If you're looking for a water park with enough all-around entertainment to keep your wild and woolly crew engaged all day long, Shipwreck Island is a great spot to add to your Florida itinerary. Located near one of Florida's most gorgeous beaches, Shipwreck Island has a similar theme to Typhoon Lagoon without the Disney price tag. With a handful of exhilarating waterslides like the Tree Trop Drop and Pirates Plunge Racing Slide or raft and tube rides like the Raging Rapids and White Knuckle River on deck, this park is an absolute dream if you've got adventurous big kids in your crew. There's also a massive 500,000-gallon wave pool and an all-ages fun zone called Skull Island, where moms, dads, and all of their kiddos can have a blast splashing around together. 

The park also features Tadpole Hole, a huge play area where the little guys can get in on the fun with adorably themed slides designed especially for them. Here, they can let their imaginations run wild as they play with a castle, a pirate ship, and a handful of friendly animal slides. "I've been going to Shipwreck since I was a little kid," one Reddit user wrote on r/panamacitybeach. "I'm 37 now, and I still love going, especially now that I get to take my kids and they always have a blast." 

As someone who loves water parks, I love the razzle and dazzle of a sprawling space full of colorful, splashy flumes and thrill slides. But as a mom, I also know that what makes a good water park for families is about so much more than massive drop slides and thrilling raft rides. As parents, there's always a complicated calculus that goes into choosing the best destinations to take our kiddos — one that involves things like overall safety, budget-friendliness, and whether our chicken nugget kid will actually eat anything when it's time to grub out. 

I embarked on my research journey with my own experience as the mom of three kiddos in mind, considering all of the needs we've had during every stage of their lives so far and the kinds of things that make a day at the water park fun for all of us. After creating a comprehensive list of Florida water parks, I looked every park up on Reddit, Tripadvisor, Google, and Facebook to see what parents were saying and which parks were the most highly rated across multiple platforms. I then looked for recommendations for family-friendly Florida waterparks to see which came up the most. 

What I loved most about the recommendations that the process yielded was how much the diversity of water parks on my final list reflects the different types of experiences parents look for when they're vacationing. We ended up with a vintage charmer of a spot for families looking to get close to nature, a couple of budget-friendly spots, parks with huge toddler play areas, smaller parks that pack a huge punch, and even a couple of big brother and sister-friendly spots. In other words, a little something for everyone.