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The great thing about living in Southern California is that there are numerous places where you can go to escape the heat.  Some are free like these 75+ Splash Pads in Southern California, while others cost some.  Typically, a water park features a water play area for kids, a variety of water slides to go down depending upon your height, a lazy river and a wave pool.

Here is a list of 20+ Water Parks in Southern California where you can spend the day relaxing with friends and family.  If you know of a place that is truly fun-worthy, please let us know.  We are more than happy to add them to our list of summer destinations!

Water Parks in the Inland Empire

DryTown Water Park, Palmdale

DryTownnis the best place to visit with kids in the Antelope Valley, and the best place to go for wet and wild fun! With six beautifully landscaped acres of attractions, we offer family fun for everyone. Grab a tube and head down Big Rock River, or race for the win on the super-fast Dusty’s Mineshaft Racer. Younger children will have a blast splashing around at Little Miner’s Camp, while thrill seekers and mild riders will enjoy twisting and turning down DryTown’s thrilling slides.

Wet-N-Wild, Palm Springs

From thrill rides — like Tidal Wave Tower — to kids’ and raft rides, Wet ‘n’ Wild Palm Springs has fun at every height and speed for everyone in your family. Get your fill of action in the Riptide Reef wave pool and Kahuna’s four-story Beach House, then fill up on burgers, hot dogs, chicken strips, pizza, sweets and more at one of Wet ‘n’ Wild’s cafes. And during Friday nights in July, you can catch classic kids’ movies — without getting out of the water. Keep cool all day and night all summer long at Wet ‘n’ Wild Palm Springs.

DropZone Waterpark, Perris

DropZone Waterpark is equipped with 2 body flume slides, a mat racing slide, continuous lazy River, flowrider, spring pool, a splash pad, large kiddie area and an Olympic size pool.

Splashtopia at Omni Rancho Las Palmas, Rancho Mirage (hotel reservations required)

Surrounded by a 425-foot lazy river and featuring two 100-foot waterslides, the Splashtopia on-site water park is fun for adults and kids. There is so much to enjoy at this water park, including a cliff-side Jacuzzi, sandy beach and unique water-play zones with fountains and sprinklers for the kids.

Splash Kingdom Waterpark, Redlands

Splash Kingdom Waterpark is the largest water park in the Inland Empire.  The Egyptian-themed Splash Kingdom boasts the world’s tallest enclosed body-flume water slide and the world’s tallest freestanding water slide tower. Whether you’re cruising at a leisurely pace along the Nile River, hurtling down Pharaoh’s Falls or catching some air on Ramses Rocket Speed Slide, with some 20 attractions, you’re bound to have a wild ‘n’ wet good time.

The Cove Waterpark, Jurupa Valley

The Cover offers wade pools, tidal waves, racing slides, a treehouse structure and Adventure River.

Buccaneer at Castle Park, Riverside

Buccaneer Cove features four levels of family water play with dozens of interactive water elements, including 5 colorful water slides, interactive aqua domes, fun spray cannons, spray loops and cylinder spray fountains.

Water Parks in Los Angeles

Raging Waters, San Dimas

Spend a day cooling off at California’s largest water park, Raging Waters Los Angeles. With 50 beautifully landscaped acres of slides, attractions and its own sandy beach, Raging Waters has active entertainment options for everyone. Feel the adrenaline rush on the all new Aqua Rocket, a four-person rocket style raft merging the excitement of a roller coaster and the thrills and spills of a water ride. Face thrillers like the Dr. Von Dark’s Tunnel of Terror, which features both a 40-foot drop and 360-degree spins … in total darkness! Make a splash at Wave Cove, a wave pool that simulates true tidal movements or just kick back and tube the quarter-mile-long lazy river known as Amazon Adventure.

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Did you know that Microsoft retail stores nationwide offer several free technology summer camp for kids called YouthSpark?  YouthSpark Camps get kids of all ages coding, creating games and apps, and having a blast in the process.  Participants learn the latest technology from Microsoft while making new friends, completing creative projects, and gaining new skills that prepare them for the future.

The camps are appropriate for children ages 6 and up.   Each store hosts a different camp depending upon the age and interest level of your child.  Every camp participant under 17 years of age must also provide a signed Participation Agreement and remain in the Microsoft Store for the duration of the event.  Here is a list of YouthSpark Summer Camps for 2019.

2019 Microsoft Summer Camps For Kids

Each camp – from programming robots to speak to filming, editing and premiering a movie – was developed by experts in the field and with input from Microsoft store associates, all dedicated to equipping students with the digital skills they need to succeed when they pursue any career.

Harry Potter Creative Coding Workshops

In this free camp series students learn to make and then hack “spells” with the Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit wand. While they have fun with the wand, they will be exploring coding concepts such as algorithm, loops, and debugging.  Participants work individually and in pairs to prepare for and compete in a group hack-a-thon using the wand, all while learning to define basic coding concepts creatively bug and debug their own coding projects and understand “hacking for good” in coding

• Ages: 6+, 8+
• Duration: 2, 2-hour sessions

Gaming Summer Camp – Grow Your Passion For Gaming and Learn Positive Life Kkills

This free camp offers students lessons in developing positive life skills like teamwork, communication, and resilience via group discussions and unplugged activities.  Each session features a fun competitive gaming team tournament with Rocket League that helps reinforce the camp’s learning objectives and puts gaming skills to the test.  By the end of this camp, participants will have learned to develop and apply life skills to gaming and their day-to-day, discussed tips and created goals for developing healthy lifestyle habits and celebrated the gaming tournament winners.

• Ages: 8+
• Duration: 4, 2-hour sessions

Create Your Own Video Game with MakeCode

In this free workshop students use block coding to create a video game with MakeCode Arcade. Students learn fundamental game and coding concepts—like sprites, variables, and coordinates—and use their new skills to create and customize a playable game.  By the end of the workshop, students will have learned and used key game design and coding concepts, shared their games with a partner for inspiration and published their game via URL so they can continue to play and develop it after the workshop.

• Ages: 8+
• Duration: 1, 2-hour session or 4, 2-hour sessions (depends upon location)

Get Creative with 3D in Windows 10 Camp, ages 8+

Get Creative with Ohbot The Talking Robot

• Ages: 8+
• Duration: 2, 2-hour sessions

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