Planning on docking at Hurricane Harbor, Six Flags Over Georgia’s new water park within the theme park?
Don’t put on the trunks just yet. Recent downpours caused delays in the final touches, but Six Flags officials promise the official grand opening will be May 30. Those who can’t wait should check the park’s website for possible sneak-peek opportunities.
Hurricane Harbor, the largest expansion in the park’s history, builds upon the water slide-laden, family splash zone formerly known as Skull Island. Rechristened Paradise Island, it serves as an element of Hurricane Harbor, which occupies the expanse where the Southern Star Amphitheater once stood.
You’ll find the Calypso Bay wave pool and its 4-foot swells, a multi-slide complex dubbed Bonzai Pipelines and the more daring Tsunami Surge. Six Flags bills the latter as the world’s first hybrid zero-gravity slide. The payoff comes at the ride’s end when the four-person raft gets shot perpendicular to the ground, giving the quick sensation of zero gravity.
Six Flags admission includes Hurricane Harbor, but the new addition will keep different hours than the rest of the park. Typically, guests will be able to splash and slide from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.
Call or check website for operating schedule and park hours. $59.99; $39.99 for those 48 inches and shorter; free for ages 2 and younger. Discounts available on the park’s website. 275 Riverside Parkway S.W. Austell. 770-739-3400, sixflags.com/overgeorgia.
Here are some other options for waterlogged entertainment:
LanierWorld
Just off the shore of Lake Lanier sits the evolving LanierWorld at Lake Lanier Islands Resort. The entertainment district’s 2014 season came to life earlier this month and offers its sun-soaked amenities through Labor Day weekend.
Consisting of Family Fun Park, Big Beach and Sunset Cove, LanierWorld allows visitors a place to splash, relax and stay dry, or find a happy medium.
More than a dozen water attractions beckon. Guests float and bob in WildWaves, a sprawling wave pool. The smaller set explore the more benign Wiggle Waves. Adrenaline junkies catch air on Triple Threat, a body slide with a trio of drops. Fun Dunker Drop simulates what it might feel like swirling down into a giant drain.
Some simply opt to sink their feet in the sand while laying out on Big Beach or cool off in the lake. Strap on a life jacket and climb and bounce on Aquatic Adventure, a floating inflatable attraction in the lake.
At dusk on select nights, the Beach Flicks series plays host to special screenings, including “Monsters University” (June 6), “Brave” (June 20), “Captain America: The First Avenger” (July 5) and “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” (July 26).
You can snag a bird’s-eye view of everything from the Lakeside Ferris Wheel. Other carnival rides, including a Tilt-A-Whirl, operate nearby. The rides and attractions ticket allows you to experience everything. Fork over an extra $19.99 for a fast pass and skip the lines.
Those who’d rather pass on the water park can go for the scaled-down beach ticket ($10). It includes beach access, mini golf and select carnival rides.
Casual grub runs the gamut from the barbecue at Fire & Ice to the Tex-Mex at Sunset Cantina. SweetWater Shrimp Shack debuts this season, offering fried shrimp by the half-pound and suds created by Atlanta-based SweetWater Brewing Co.
The full-service Sunset Cove Beach Cafe & Club vows to keep customers out of the rain with its new retractable enclosure. The eatery drops special events throughout the week; think low country boils, volleyball and more. They’re adding Ladies Night on Wednesdays, offering women free beach admission and drink specials. The new trivia competition on Thursday nights awards restaurant gift certificates to winners. The monthly Full Moon Parties at Sunset Cove ($15 per person) bring live bands to the stage and fireworks to the sky as guests rub elbows with street musicians such as fire breathers and magicians.
Call or check website for operating schedule and hours. $26.99-$36.99 for those 42 inches and taller; $16.99-$26.99 ages 55 and older, active military and those 41 inches and shorter; $10 beach access only; $10 parking. 7000 Lanier Islands Parkway, Buford. 770-945-8787, lanierworld.com.
Geyser Towers at Stone Mountain Park
Although Stone Mountain Park’s water slides may be a distant memory, a different type of cool-down attraction lives in the Crossroads section of the park. Having debuted in 2012, the looming Geyser Towers invites kids 32 inches and taller, as well as adults, to brave its multiple levels.
Unleash your inner Spider-Man by climbing the woven netting, bounding across rope bridges and exploring the net tunnels. As you make your way through the course and onto various elevated platforms, the man-made geyser periodically gushes water as high as 35 feet in the air. While some submit to the soak, others navigate the climb attempting to stay dry. Talk about a challenge.
The geyser isn’t the only water feature, as other unpredictable bursts come from different directions. Cue the yelps and laughter. Kids often congregate at the base of Geyser Towers, especially on scorching afternoons, basking underneath umbrellas of spouting water. (Incidentally, the treated, potable H2O comes from Stone Mountain Lake.)
Those making the climb should wear closed-toed shoes and a shirt or bathing suit top. Kids between 32 inches and 40 inches tall need a climbing buddy age 16 or older. Those too tiny to scale Geyser Towers can splash in the adjacent prefab creek.
It costs $14 for those 3 and older, but many opt for the Adventure Pass, which includes Geyser Towers and nine other Stone Mountain attractions. Save a few bucks by buying Adventure Passes online.
10:30 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. Adventure Pass: $29.95; $24.95 ages 3-11. $10 parking per vehicle. 1000 Robert E. Lee Blvd., Stone Mountain. 770-498-5690, stonemountainpark.com.
Six Flags White Water
Sure, its amusement park sibling may be getting all of that Hurricane Harbor attention, but White Water has size on its side. The dedicated water park has been flowing since 1984, and today more than 20 attractions with 50 slides spread across 69 acres. Call it a collection of white-knuckle thrills, lesser intense family-friendly slides and kiddie splash.
Typhoon Twister, the park’s latest heart-pounder, arrived last year. Riders climb in a four-person raft and cruise down an enclosed five-story drop, out into a giant bowl, through a corkscrew drop chute, with a big finish in the landing pool. The Cliffhanger and its 90-foot drop remain popular.
Prefer lower-throttle relaxation? Some kick back while floating along the Little Hooch, the lazy river looping the park’s grounds. Parents can be seen sinking into lounge chairs while their offspring enter the colossal Atlanta Ocean Wave Pool, its 700,000 gallons of water ebbing and flowing periodically.
Multiple play areas gurgle with kid appeal, including Tree House Island, a climbing attraction with a giant bucket that dumps 5,000 gallons of water on those below.
This season White Water expands its Dive-In Movies series, complete with a new dedicated stage at Atlanta Ocean Wave Pool. At 7 p.m. each Thursday from mid-June through July, the staff projects movies while swimmers float and others settle in pool chairs. The series kicks off June 12 with “Frozen.” Other flicks on the calendar include 1978’s “Superman” (June 19) and “The Lego Movie” (July 31).
Recharge with casual bites such as pizza, Chinese and burgers. Don’t miss the discount tickets available on the park’s website.
Call or check website for operating schedule and hours. $39.99; $34.99 for those 48 inches and shorter; free ages 2 and younger. 250 Cobb Parkway North, Marietta. 770-739-3400, sixflags.com/whitewater.
