6 Nearby Water Parks for a Road Trip Dripping With Awesomeness

As the kids get revved up for the end of the school year, the search for beaches and water parks begin!

Many many years ago in the days of old before the invention of CD players, mp3 files, video games, Facebook, and even the internet, my friends and I spent the entire summer outdoors playing baseball, running through the sprinkler in our backyard, and looking for a body of water that we could jump into.

With the summer of 2019 just around the corner, area water parks are gearing up to open their doors to thousands of kids who will be willing to take a break from their video games to cool off and play at their favorite water park. The following are some of the most renowned water parks in Connecticut and New York.

Splashdown Beach (Fishkill, NY) - Opening up on May 25, 2019, Splashdown bills itself as 'America's Biggest Little Waterpark.' Reviewers on Trip Advisor from the summer of 2018 gave it an excellent rating calling it "clean and well run," and "Great place for all ages and lots of fun rides!

Quassy Amusement & Waterpark (Middlebury) - Quassy has already opened for their 16th fun-filled season featuring 15 water slides in their Splashaway Bay waterpark including a Saturation Station and a splash pad for toddlers. Trip Advisor reviewers call it the perfect place to take the younger kids.

Lake Compounce (Bristol, CT) - Lake Compounce opened for the 2019 season on May 4th. Not only is Lake Compounce an award-winning amusement park but their waterpark also gets rave reviews and features Bayou Bay, Tunnel Twisters, and a family raft ride at  Mammoth Falls. Check out all their water rides by clicking this link.

Zoom Flume Water Park (East Durham, NY) - Located off exit 21 of the NYS Thruway, it's an easy 90-minute ride from downtown Danbury. Zoom Flume's summer season kicks off on Father's Day Weekend, June 15th. Some of the comments on the Trip Advisor website included, "great spot for a large group day," "The kids loved the slides and there was very little waiting time," and "super fun time in a beautiful setting!"

Splish Splash (Calverton, NY) - Only 60 miles east of New York City, Splish Splash opens up for weekends on May 25th. This is an outstanding serious waterpark! Water rides include Bombs Away, the Riptide Racer, Shotgun Falls, and the Cliff Diver. There's also an area just for the kiddies. For ticket information, click on splishsplash.com.

Six Flags New England (Agawam, Mass.) - Six Flags is scheduled to open their summer season on Friday, May 17th. This is another legendary amusement/water park with wet and wild rides for any age group. Trip Advisor reviewers recommend that you go during off-hours because of the long lines. You could spend all day at Six Flag's Hurricane Harbor Water Park which includes 17 different rides and features geared towards all different age groups. For ticket information, click on sixflags.com.