When the summer gets hot, there are few better ways to cool off than a day at a water park. According to the World Waterpark Association, there are more than 1,200 water parks in the United States, and 10Best set out to find the best.
For the past four weeks, our readers have been voting daily for their favorite American outdoor water parks from a pool of 20 nominees. The results are in!
The top 10 winners in the category Best Outdoor Water Park are as follows:
- Splashin' Safari - Santa Claus, Ind.
- Lost Island Waterpark - Waterloo, Iowa
- Hurricane Harbor - Atlanta
- Carolina Harbor - Charlotte
- Noah's Ark - Wisconsin Dells, Wis.
- Schlitterbahn - New Braunfels, Texas
- Water World - Denver
- Dollywood’s Splash Country - Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
- Knott's Soak City - Buena Park, Calif.
- LEGOLAND Florida Water Park - Winter Haven, Fla.
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to picked the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Jacqui Boland (Red Tricycle) and Mommy Nearest (mommynearest.com) were chosen based on their knowledge and experience of family travel in the U.S.
Congratulations to all 10 of these winning outdoor water parks!
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The Experts
Jacqui Boland
Jacqui Boland is the founder of Red Tricycle, one... Read More
Jacqui Boland is the founder of Red Tricycle, one of America’s best-loved parenting brands. With extraordinary rates of consumer engagement, Red Tricycle provides ideas and inspiration to over 40 million parents every month to fuel their busy family lives.
Jacqui Boland

Jacqui Boland is the founder of Red Tricycle, one of America’s best-loved parenting brands. With extraordinary rates of consumer engagement, Red Tricycle provides ideas and inspiration to over 40 million parents every month to fuel their busy family lives.
Mommy Nearest
Mommy Nearest is an award-winning, tech-enabled... Read More
Mommy Nearest is an award-winning, tech-enabled media company for millennial parents. The company is the most trusted and widely-used geo-based app for discovering family-friendly places nationwide, and the website, mommynearest.com, has quickly become the leading site for parenting content.
Mommy Nearest

Mommy Nearest is an award-winning, tech-enabled media company for millennial parents. The company is the most trusted and widely-used geo-based app for discovering family-friendly places nationwide, and the website, mommynearest.com, has quickly become the leading site for parenting content.
10Best Editors
10Best.com provides users with original, unbiased... Read More
10Best.com provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
10Best Editors

10Best.com provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.