It is hot as Hades these days in Central Texas! With lifeguard shortages and high prices, it has been a little tougher this summer to stay cool. Since I have never taken the kids to a water park, and after checking the absurd pricing at several other water parks in the area, we decided on Rock ‘N River Water Park!
The water park is located in Old Settler’s Park. It was pretty easy to find with the GPS. We went during a weekday and were able to park very easily. I imagine on the weekends it can get a little more complicated to find parking. Even on a Friday there was a line to get into the water park.
The water park itself was exactly what you would want for the ten and under age group! The eight-year-old was able to do almost every single waterslide, and the five-year-old was able to do the majority of the water slides. There are two large baby pools, one has a large shaded canopy over it. There is a large splash pad area with a climbing structure, slides, and a huge spilling bucket! There are two separate pools near the back that have a basketball hoop and a swim up snack bar! And of course, there is a lazy river!
Because we were lucky enough to go on a weekday, we were able to find two nice chairs under an umbrella. There are a lot of beautiful seating areas. They have cabanas, loungers, pavilions, and umbrellas but unfortunately, they have to be rented. Once all the rental spaces are gone, there aren’t a lot of places to sit in the shade. There is a large grassy area with several trees. But if you don’t plan on renting a seating area, your best bet is to bring your own picnic blanket. If we are ever to go back on a busy weekend, renting a seating area is a must!
Once we had saved our seats, the kids were able to run wild! It can be hard to keep track of the kids, but the water park is small enough it is easy to find them. Despite the shortage, there were a lot of lifeguards and I felt like the kids were being watched. The only area that was cause for concern was the lazy river. It is very small, but between all the tubes, the people, and how fast the lazy river moves, I would only have child in their unsupervised if they are able to stand with their heads above the water. I can very easily see a little one getting stuck underneath the water and not being seen.
There are big bathrooms on either side of the park including several family bathrooms. The bathrooms are your standard pool bathrooms. There is a really cool swim up snack bar! I’d recommend bringing some quarters for kids to get snacks. A credit card or cash in that area would be asking for disaster. There are several food trucks also available. We decided to bring in some Chik-Fil-A for ourselves, but we did enjoy some snow cones before we left!
The kids had a blast! My favorite thing about water parks are how tired kids are at the end of the day. They climbed, slid, splashed and swam around until they were completely pooped! We really enjoyed the whole day! If there is one negative thing about the water park it is the noise! Not only is there the noise of splashing water and screaming children, but they play music over loud speakers. It is impossible for the kids to hear you unless they are standing next to you. Make sure you have a good meeting spot!
I cannot recommend this water park enough. It is perfect for the younger crowd. We did see some teenagers and middle schoolers there as well. They looked like they were having a really fun time, but this place is tailored to the younger kids! Book a cabana, grab some coins, the sunscreen and enjoy!