Fort Rapids Indoor Water Park Review in Columbus, Ohio

The Fort Rapids indoor water park in Columbus, Ohio provides a weatherproof day of fun for the entire family. Increasing popularity of indoor water parks, combined with a full service hotel, is prompting the addition of water slides and lazy river pools around the Midwest.

Fort Rapids was the first indoor water park developed in Ohio, and features a "Wild West" motif. Twelve water slides, a lazy river pool, indoor hot tub, and young children's water area are housed inside of a warm and enclosed environment.

Visitors to Fort Rapids can acquire water park passes with a standard hotel stay at the attached Hilton Hotel, or purchase day pass wristbands. Weddings, birthday, and group package deals are available.

This Columbus indoor water park isn't as spacious as the nearby Newark, CoCo Key facility, but does offer incredible value for the price. Day passes are commonly less than $20 per person, with special deals including pizza and pop beginning at $80 per four packs.

The black funnel slide is one of the favorite slides for teens and older children. Sliders use one of the free water floats to travel through a pitch-black slide, which opens into a circular funnel shaped opening. Sliders are then are pushed through a black drop tube into the lazy river pool.

A racer slide, which allows four sliders to enter separate tubes and spurt out onto an attached four-way track to see who the fastest water slider, is. While this ride provides a lot of smiles and splashy good fun, the approximately twelve feet a slider must walk along the open tube, and waterway does cause many sliders to fall. Lifeguards are very accessible at the Fort Rapids indoor water park, but do not stand on the racer slide to help those who are exiting the slide.

Food prices are economical; with traditional concession stand style fare available seven days a week. A bar area is located along the hallway to the water park. Over 60,000 square feet of Water Park offer something for children of all ages and physical abilities to enjoy. Parents can rest assured the area is self-contained, and safe for little ones to walk around and enjoy.

While I would recommend this facility for an enjoyable birthday party or family fun experience, it is less aesthetically pleasing and spacious as the CoCo Key indoor water park just outside of Columbus in Newark, Ohio. Fort Rapids indoor water park is located at 4560 Hilton Corporate Drive in Columbus, Ohio.