This Ohio Water Park Was Just Named the Best in the U.S.

Summer is just around the corner, which has us thinking of one thing and one thing only: which water park we want to hit up ASAP. And SwimOutlet is here to help us — and you – discover the best ones. 

The swimwear retailer shared its list of the best waterparks in the U.S. It created its list based on its performance across review websites like Google and Tripadvisor, along with other key metrics like its number of rides, facilities, ticket prices, and national interest. (It determined the latter by looking at monthly Google searches.) These factors were combined and each spot was given a normalized score of 1 to 10. After looking at all this information, the team named Cedar Point Shores in Sandusky, Ohio, the winner.

“The top scorer is Cedar Point Shores, with a score of 9.2 out of 10 – which is 80 percent above the average score across the top five parks (5.1),” the team shared with Travel + Leisure via email. “The park reports a huge 68 rides for visitors to enjoy, compared to the average of 19.” 

The findings also noted that this is bound to be a popular spot come summer, as it also saw the highest levels of visitor interest with 518,817 monthly Google searches.  

Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, came in second with a score of 4.7 out of 10, snagging the second spot thanks to its high visitor rating (despite being 35 percent more expensive than the average cost of the other parks).  

These two parks were joined by Schlitterbahn Waterpark New Braunfels in New Braunfels, Texas, in third with a score of 4.1, followed by Aquatica Orlando in Orange County, Florida, and Water Country USA in York County, Virginia, in the fourth and fifth spots.  

But these are far from the only parks worth visiting around the U.S. this summer. There’s also the Boardwalk at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania; Noah’s Ark Waterpark in Lake Delton, Wisconsin; Knott’s Soak City in Buena Park, California; Cowabunga Bay Water Park in Clark County, Nevada; and many more. (At the time of publishing, Noah’s Ark Waterpark and Cowabunga Bay Water Park are temporarily closed.)

Curious to see our picks for the best of the best? See our take on the 18 Best Water Parks in the U.S. and start plotting your slash-filled trip now.