South Carolina’s 187 miles of natural Atlantic Ocean coastline make it a popular family vacation destination spot, home to major tourist destinations such as Myrtle Beach, known worldwide for its beautiful 60-mile Grand Strand beach stretch. A number of state recreation centers and nature parks operate seasonal water park facilities featuring high-thrill water slides, giant wave pools, and unique attractions such as wave surfing simulators.
Carolina Harbor Waterpark
Carolina Harbor was originally opened in 1982 as Ocean Island water park before its purchase in 1997 by Paramount Parks, who incorporated it into the nearby Carowinds theme park. Today, both Carowinds and Carolina Harbor are owned and operated by Cedar Fair, with water attractions available for an additional fee with theme park admission. Attractions at the park include the Blackbeard’s Revenge multi-slide complex, the high-thrill Storm Surge body slide complex, and the Surfer’s Swell ocean surfing experience, along with a 600,000-gallon wave pool and several children’s interactive safe play areas. Over at Carowinds, visitors can also enjoy coasters and thrill rides such as the Fury 325 gigacoaster and the Intimidator steel coaster, both designed by famed coaster corporation Bollinger and Mabillard.
Address: Carolina Harbor, 300 Carowinds Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28273, Phone: 704-588-2600, Facebook
Discovery Island
Discovery Island water park is located within Greenville County’s Southside Park recreation complex, which attracts more than 200,000 annual visitors and offers tennis courts, soccer fields, playgrounds, and picnic shelters. The award-winning public water park facility features a variety of high and mild thrill attractions for visitors of all ages, including South Carolina’s only wave-generating boogie boarding ride. Two body and tube slides are offered at lengths of 270 and 185 feet, along with a 270-foot-long lazy river attraction and a giant leisure pool area with varying water depths. Children can enjoy a four-tiered splash-and-play water play area, which is located within the pool’s shallow end. Party huts and cabanas are available for rental, and concessions stands serve American fare.
Address: Discovery Island, 417 Baldwin Road, Simpsonville, SC 29680, Phone: 864-963-4345, Facebook
Dunes Village Resort
Dunes Village Resort is a water park resort and hotel that is located near the famed Myrtle Beach Boardwalk, offering guest rooms, suites, and multi-bedroom condominium rentals with top modern amenities. The resort is the home of Myrtle Beach’s only indoor water park facility, which offers attractions such as a 250-foot lazy river ride, high-speed water slides, and a children’s Silly Submarine Pool area with a giant bucket drop. Three relaxing whirlpool areas are offered for adult visitors, along with a massive oceanfront pool deck and lounge area open during the summer months. Other children’s activities at the resort include a Kid’s Club experience that offers guided pool games, arts and crafts activities, and treasure hunts throughout the resort. Several restaurants are located on site, including a poolside bar and grill and a cabana tiki bar.
Address: Dunes Village Resort, 5200 N Ocean Blvd, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577, Phone: 877-828-2237, FB
Family Kingdom Amusement Park
Family Kingdom Amusement Park has been ranked as one of the top amusement parks in the country outside of the Orlando theme park district by TripAdvisor and has been a Myrtle Beach favorite for more than 40 years. Its main park area is home to more than 37 rides, including the Swamp Fox wooden roller coaster, which has been ranked as one of the most underrated wooden coasters in America by About.com. Its Splashes Oceanfront Water Park was originally opened as Wild Rapids and offers 18 attractions across its two-acre facility, including open and enclosed flume, body, and speed slides and a lazy river attraction. Children’s play areas include several splash pools and eight mild-thrill children’s slides.
Address: Family Kingdom Amusement Park, 300 S Ocean Blvd, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577, Phone: 843-626-3447
Crown Reef Beach Resort and Waterpark, Myrtle Beach
Offering year-round fun in the sun for the whole family, the Crown Reef Beach Resort and Waterpark, Myrtle Beach has been named as one of the top 8 resort Water Parks in the world. That is some claim, but once you have visited the resort you will see why Crown Reef is so popular. The amazing 4-storey water park is enclosed and heated during the coldest months of the year and all the fun and rides are included with your accommodation, making this resort the coolest property to visit with children. The Water Park is usually open from 9am to 9pm daily, although hours can vary according to season. There is a great lazy as well as slides, tubes and rides for all ages.
Address: 2918 S. Ocean Blvd, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577, Phone: 800 291 6598
Great Wolf Lodge Concord
Great Wolf Lodge Concord is the South Carolina location of popular family resort chain Great Wolf Lodge, which operates nearly two dozen resorts throughout the United States. The Concord location is home to an 80,000-square-foot water park facility that is kept at a comfortable 84 degrees year-round, offering opportunities for high and mild water thrills throughout the winter months. Slides, lazy river and wave pool attractions, and children’s play areas are offered, such as the lodge’s signature Howlin’ Tornado racing slides, four-story Alberta Falls tandem tube ride, and Fort Mackenzie interactive treehouse playspace. An outdoor water park area is also offered seasonally, featuring water slides and opportunities for water basketball play. Sauna and hot tub areas are available for older visitors, along with a poolside bar and grill. Other attractions for families staying at the resort include a MagiQuest gaming center, a Howly Wood XD Theater, a Creation Station build-a-stuffed-animal workshop, and a miniature golf course and bowling alley.
Address: Great Wolf Lodge Concord, 10175 Weddington Rd, Concord, NC 28027, Phone: 866-925-9653
Myrtle Waves Water Park
Myrtle Waves Water Park is the largest water park in South Carolina, offering 22 high and mild thrill slides and water attractions that pump a total of 1.2 million gallons of water daily. The park is open May through September and features major attractions such as the Turbo Twisters slide complex, the tallest tubular slide complex in the world, reaching a height of 10 stories. Other attractions include a 20,000-square-foot wave pool, a 1,200-foot-long lazy river attraction, and a 7,000-square-foot leisure pool with a variety of water umbrella and jet features. Children’s play areas include Saturation Station, which highlights a replica volcano, children’s slides, and spraying water attractions.
Address: Myrtle Waves Water Park, 3000 Mr. Joe White Ave, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577, Phone: 843-913-9250
Splash Island Waterpark
Splash Island Waterpark is located within Mount Pleasant’s 943-acre Palmetto Islands County Park, a tropical park area that also offers a 50-foot observation tower, a number of walking and biking nature trails, tidal creek fishing docks, and a large open meadow with sporting and picnic site areas. The seasonal water park is open between May and September, offering attractions such as a 200-foot body flume slide, a cyclone swirling water ride, and a large activity pool for visitors of all ages. Other attractions include a 16-foot otter slide for younger visitors and play areas with water features such as geysers, waterfalls, and spray jets. Private water park rentals are available, including birthday party package rentals. Visitors to the park may also rent pedal boats for use on the park’s lake.
Address: Splash Island Waterpark, 444 Needlerush Pkwy, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464, Phone: 843-795-4386
Waterfall Junction
Waterfall Junction is a recent expansion at Columbia’s Riverbanks Zoo and Botanical Garden, a 170-acre zoo, aquarium, and garden facility located on the banks of the Saluda River. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited facility attracts more than one million annual visitors and is home to more than 2,000 animals in natural habitats, including African elephants, koalas, and gorillas. Waterfall Junction provides a milder water play alternative to larger thrill water parks in the area, offering a tadpole pond play area for young visitors with skipping stones and a splash pad with a 25-foot cascading waterfall. Other dry attractions at the playspace include a life-sized Tyrannosaurus rex replica, a giant tree house, and a rabbit hole climbing and crawling play area.
Address: Waterfall Junction, 500 Wildlife Pkwy, Columbia, SC 29210, Phone: 803-779-8717
Whirlin' Waters Adventure Waterpark
Whirlin' Waters Adventure Waterpark is located within North Charleston’s Wannamaker County Park, a 1,015-acre woodland and wetland nature park that also offers two children’s playgrounds, a nine-hole disc golf course, an off-leash dog park, sand volleyball courts, and more than two miles of paved walking and biking trails. The water park is open to the public between May and September, offering 15 acres of high and mild thrill water attractions, including the Rip Tide Run mat racer, the Tubular Twister multi-slide complex, the 870-foot Rollin’ River lazy river attraction, and the 27,000-square-foot Big Kahuna wave pool. Children’s play areas include the Big Splash Tree House and the Otter Bay children’s pool area, which features a six-lane racer slide and interactive water spray elements.
Address: Whirlin' Waters Adventure Waterpark, 8888 University Blvd, North Charleston, SC 29406, Phone: 843-762-5585
Neptune Island Waterpark, Hartsville
Neptune Island Waterpark is a seasonal, outdoor water park where you and your family can soak up some sun and enjoy hours of fun. There are thrills and splashy spills for all ages starting with the Piratesville Splash Pad for the youngest visitors. Everyone in the family will enjoy catching a wave in the Castaway Bay Wave Pool and older children and adults can enjoy a variety of rides and slides, from meek and mild to thrilling and wild. When you just need to relax for a while you can grab a tube and drift around the quarter-mile Lazy River. If you hire a cabana for the day you can enjoy a personal fridge, locker and food service.
Address: Neptune Island Waterpark, 1109 14th Street, Hartsville, SC 29550, Phone: 843 951 9400
Otter Creek Waterpark, Greenville
Otter Creek Waterpark promises hours of fun in the sun for the whole family. The water park is located at North Side Park, where it is open from early May to early September each year. It is easy to spend an entire day at the water park which has activities to suit all ages. Families with younger children will appreciate the beach-entry pool and the splash pad, while older children will love all the water slides. Visitors are not allowed to bring in food or coolers but there is a concession on site and picnic tables. Season tickets are great value for locals.
Address: Otter Creek Waterpark, 101 W. Darby Rd, Greenville, SC 29609, Phone: 864 834 4108
Richardson’s Lake Water Park, Warrenville
Richardson’s Lake Water Park is an outdoor facility located on Richardson’s Lake in Warrenville. The park has a small section of beach area on the edge of the lake and offers several water slides, diving boards and a large swimming area. You can rent floats, beach chairs and umbrellas, as well as picnic shelters with BBQ grills. There is also beach volley ball and a full food concession where you can buy your lunch and soft drinks. The water park usually opens in late May and season passes are available for individuals and families. Ideal for birthday and other celebrations, the large picnic shelters can be booked in advance.
Address: Richardson’s Lake Water Park, 919 Richardson’s Lake Rd, Warrenville, Phone: 803 663 3600
