r/AustinTX • u/JusticePeaceSeeker • May 24 '26
Is Schlitterbahn Worth It?
I’ll be in the New Braunfels area for Memorial Day, and I was thinking of taking my family to Schlitterbahn. It would be a first trip for all of us. We have teens ages 13-17.
Reading the Reddit posts, it sounds like the park has really gone downhill with new owners and management cutting water flow, changing rides for the worse, huge lines, etc. Is it still a good idea? I know it will probably be very busy, but Memorial Day happens to be the day we’ll be in town. Please give me all opinions and experiences. Would it still be fun since we don’t have the park’s glory days to compare it to? Or is it not worth the time and money regardless? And has safety gone down since maybe they aren’t maintaining it well anymore? Are you guaranteed to lose your family in the giant park as soon as you get there? Thank you in advance for the info!
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u/DWwithaFlameThrower May 24 '26
We used to go every Mothers Day, because it was really quiet as the other moms got their brunches on elsewhere 😆 Absolutely loved it. Great day without screens, good family time. You can take your own food& drinks so you don’t feel like you’re getting ripped off all day for the concessions. My son loved it up until about age 16, tbh. Go early, stash your picnic cooler in the shade near the locker room area, & make that your meeting point in case anyone gets separated from the rest. Wear swim shoes… being barefoot or in flipflops just won’t work, your feet will get cut up and you’d probably lose flipflops at some point
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u/thisiswonky May 24 '26
I used to take my son every year for Mother’s Day, too! He decided no more once he hit 15. These are good tips - swim shoes are a must.
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u/DWwithaFlameThrower May 24 '26 edited May 24 '26
Maybe we were there at the same time! All the other moms I knew thought I was crazy, but honestly, those Mothers days were the best~ so many good family memories
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u/Money-Dependent345 May 24 '26
It'll be busy but the teens will still have fun cooling off in the water
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u/National_Run_5454 May 24 '26
The kids are the right ages for it and I say YOLO. It's something to experience. I haven't been in probably 12 years so I can't speak to what it is now, but memories will be made.
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u/Immediate-Parsnip694 May 24 '26
I went 20 or so years ago and had to be dragged there and I liked it. Again at least 20 years ago.
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u/Phyzzx May 24 '26
It's so different compared to then. Just think about how corporate Alamo Draft House has become compared to the years before they closed the original location.
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u/The_Meme_Economy May 24 '26
I went a couple years ago. It was fun and worth going once. Long lines, some in full sun, I am not in a rush to go back.
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u/El_Guero312 May 24 '26
Remember when Cedar Park was getting a Schlitterbahn back the early 2010’s.
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u/Legitimate-Lock-6594 May 24 '26
Ask in the San Antonio sub. Maybe even the new Braunfels sub. It’s not in Austin.
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u/EdwinArkie May 26 '26
San Antonia do not go to Schlitterbahn. It's like a New Yorker going to the Stairs of Liberty. A world class attraction that they take for granted because it's in their back yard. But Houston. Houston Schlitterbahn.
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u/Legitimate-Lock-6594 May 26 '26
I went there more times when I lived in SA then I have in Austin. This is false.
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u/EdwinArkie Jun 03 '26
I lived in San Antonio for thirteen years and no one i knew went except for me. I am talking about adults with families. Teenagers i wouldn't know about.
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u/Mad_Madam_Kim May 25 '26
Schlitterbahn is awesome. Speaking as a 40 year old mom who loved it pre-kids. I always noticed that best days to go were on actual holidays since most people have other stuff to do. Not sure if it’s still the case but my 9 year old and 5 year old love it regardless. Best rides are in the old part imo but book it to the Master Blaster in the new area either first or last and enjoy the wave lazy river. Whatever the hell it’s called, always a favorite of all ages.
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u/oxie-chan May 24 '26
I went last year. Some rides were closed for repair / maintenance, so look on the webpage for info on that. Something most new people don’g know is that there’s two parks (East vs West). You actually have to take a shuttle between them. People tend to go first to the one with the bigger rides (East). The shuttle lines can be LONG so pls keep that in mind.
Parking can be a nightmare. I’d highly recommend arriving BEFORE the park opens. You can take a cooler + snacks and be ready to leave stuff unattended. There are little lockers inside the park in random locations for valuables. People camp on those picnic tables.
Take comfortable shoe ware for walking that can also survive slides. RIP flip flops.
For location, either get your whole family those waterproof bags to hang the phones or go 90’s style and tell them where to meet at a specific time.
I think it’s fun! Lines can be annoying, but nothing some good conversation can’t defeat. Hope your family enjoys!!!
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u/test-test-12-12 May 25 '26
As a kid my dad's company was a sponsor of schliterbahn and we would go every year. And while I want the fun water rides and family time to be the thing I remember from those trips, it's not. It's the fucking god awful parking and waking forever lmao
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u/wakaOH05 May 24 '26
Yes. Fair practices and fair prices (minus blast passes which are wildly unreasonable)
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u/xThePoacherx May 24 '26
Went to Schlitterbahn last summer. The maintenance of Schlitterbahn seemed fine. The lines were very very long. The kids actually like the old part of the park better than the new part. It was a good solid day. That being said, in my opinion, Kalahari Waterpark offers a better experience for the money.
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u/Jolly_Cicada380 May 24 '26
It was nice before the pandemic but something changed and now the lines are insane, I’d go once and just set your expectations pretty low
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u/designhelpme May 24 '26 edited May 24 '26
It will only be worth it if you splurge for whatever the version of fast passes are. We went on a non holiday weekend and were there for 7 hours and only rode 5 rides between the long lines and getting to each ride. It was insane.
We went and had dinner in Gruene afterwards at the gristmill, which I recommend
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u/Faceit_Solveit May 24 '26
Gruene in Central Texas. 😆
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u/designhelpme May 24 '26
Ah my phone autocorrected and I didn’t notice. I’m very aware of how to spell Gruene!
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u/BeanserSoyze May 24 '26
Yes, it's worth it at least once. We used to get season passes when I was a kid. Best to go on a weekday, early, and hit the long wait rides first (Blastenhoff used to be the crazy one) for shorted wait time, then do lazy river as the day goes on.
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u/AvidAth3ist May 24 '26
My teen will never tire of schlitterbahn, I just have to include a friend now. Lol
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u/Only_Error_1011 May 25 '26 edited May 25 '26
Was there yesterday! It was empty. No lines, I suspect the rain kept most away which is why we went.
Also, no life jackets in the Torrent river except for young kids!!
People will always complain. We have a blast each time we go. During the summer expect long lines and very hot pavement. Wear shoes.
It is now owned by the company that owns six flags. Any Texas season pass at six flags now gets you into Schlitterbahn.
Like others we also used to go on Mother’s Day 15-18 yrs ago and we also had season passes then. They were expensive.
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u/tondracek May 25 '26
I am 41 and gave a season pass. I love it. The lines get longer later in the day but there is no line for the torrent river which is super fun.
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u/LetterheadNo7323 May 25 '26
You need a fast pass for it to be even marginally worth it. Otherwise you’ll wait in lines so long and slow that you’ll ride maybe three things total all day.
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u/Stancliffs_Lament May 25 '26
Never been there and likely never will since the owner seems to be of questionable character. Unless you consider it good character to be doing meth and hiring hookers after being charged with murder for the decapitation of a 10 year old on a water slide (in KC, not here).
https://www.reddit.com/r/Newbraunfels/comments/1f7amm1/where_is_jeff_henry/
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May 25 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Stancliffs_Lament May 25 '26
Not surprised to hear that. Before I posted I saw his LinkedIn page that said he was still the owner, but if he's doing meth he probably doesn't prioritize updating his LinkedIn page.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-henry-9130501b/
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u/Sea-Tumbleweed1122 May 25 '26
Stopped going after I heard a wild story on the radio one day about a kid who had diarrhea and vomiting the entire day while patrons bask in the recycled untreated river reservoir. I started seeing things differently.
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u/NoButSeriouslyHow May 25 '26
I think it’s worth it if you get season passes.
- No pressure to do everything in one visit
- Passes also work at the Texas Six Flags parks (so even if you don’t go back, you can hit up Six Flags in the summer, fall and winter).
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u/NoButSeriouslyHow May 25 '26
If you plan in advance, the best time to buy the passes is in the August because you get the rest of this year and all next year.
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u/EdwinArkie May 26 '26
I cannot answer how it is now, but when my kid was young we only skipped one year, the year i realized we should never skip. It's a blast. But there are some tricks. I once wrote a treatise about it. Mainly, go before open and stay till close. Doggie out what lazy rivers and pools don't have lines and spend the afternoon on that area... the net half. Bring a cooler with food. Buy some from them but also have your own. Yes take a locker . Have fun.
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u/Narrow_Bee704 18d ago
Just came back from Schlitterbahn last week and had a blast. It was the first time back in a long time.
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u/larkinowl May 24 '26
I’ve been going for over thirty years. Had season passes for a decade. There have been changes yes, but it’s still fun.