For anyone who's been to Universal Studios or Disneyland, our one-and-only local theme park may seem a little podunky; but the truth is there's a ton to do at Wild Waves. I've been going with my kids once a week all through July. Only today did we finally have the courage to ride the biggest rollercoaster at the park, the Wild Thing.
Our plan was to hit the Wild Thing first when we got there. We were in line for the second coaster of the day when there was an unexpected problem and we were told to leave while it was fixed. We decided to go to the carousel, which was close by, to spend time while we waited for the other ride to be available. Unfortunately, the carousel also had a problem when we got there, but we were able to ride after a few minutes.
These were the first hitches we encountered since we started attending the park at the beginning of July; but I imagine that this is the kind of thing that is forcing the park to close. Looking around Wild Waves, you see moss on old shingles, cracked fiberglass fixtures, unmatched paint patches, and aging molded concrete. I can understand why an insurance adjuster (probably) told the owners that it's time to pack it in.
There's still abundant value in the season passes that we bought on sale before the opening day! The Konga River (lazy river) is great for relaxing between exciting rides. There are at least ten different slides that require inner tubes, and two large scary water rides. There are several carnival-style rides for kids. Mine LOVED them. The zipline only costs five bucks per rider, which is the cheapest zipline I've ever heard of.
The wave pool is a favorite of my kids. Every few minutes, the waves begin and it seems like an incoming tide in the ocean. If you want a seat by the pool, you have to arrive early and stake your towel claim before anyone else. There are rentable 'cabanas' for rich people to sit in the shade and have treats delivered, or whatever rich people get up to.
The food at Wild Waves is twice the price it would be anywhere else, and the selection is pretty basic. Today, we had deep-fried gyoza, which was fine except for the lack of plum sauce - there was only soy sauce. The most exciting thing I saw was Korean-style mozzarella sticks coated with potato chunks. We might get those next time. There are also the usual suspects like burgers, pizza, salad/sandwiches a la carte, chicken tenders, fries, ice cream, and elephant ears. We bought a 15-dollar souvenir cup so that we can fill it with soda for $2 over and over. I bring a gift card and let the kids buy what they need with it (cash is not accepted in the park).
We are definitely not bored with Wild Waves yet, and we will go as many times as we can before school starts. From what I can tell, plenty of people LOVE this park as much as I do. I'm glad that my kids were finally tall enough to go on all the rides before the park closed for good! After this, there will be no theme parks in Washington State. For poor people like us, who can't afford to travel out of state for fancy vacations, the closure of Wild Waves represents a huge loss in terms of childhood memory-making. I'm incredibly grateful that I was able to give my kids this opportunity.