Water Country USA is a companion park to Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia. These parks are a couple of miles apart and are usually combined on trips when people visit the area.
Water Country is the largest water park in Virginia and a perfect way to cool off in the summer months. Here are some tips to help you get the most of your trip!
Water Country Discount Tickets
If you are looking to save some money on Water Country tickets, you have a few options. First, if you are combining this with several days between here and Busch Gardens, you could purchase a membership.
Depending on the length of your stay, this could be the best option. It comes with discounts on food, free parking, free tickets and other perks.
You could also purchase a Fun Card for admission all season for the cost of one day or there are multi day tickets. Decide how long you will visit to figure out what works best for you.
Make sure you DO NOT buy tickets at the gate! They are the most expensive this way and it wastes time when you get there.
Get there early
During those hot summer days, it’s really nice to get to the park before it gets too hot. Parking lot lines are let in 15-30 minutes before the park opens.
If you get there early, you will be one of the first ones in and will have less wait times on the rides. You can also get rides in and leave before it gets unbearably hot.
Water Country USA Parking Discounts
Parking is not cheap at Water Country, but you do have some options. If you purchase the membership, even just one person in your group, you have free parking.
There is also the Multi-Day Parking Pass that allows you to park for 7 consecutive days at Water Country and Busch Gardens for less than 3 days of parking.
Bonus tip
Make sure you get your hotel room as soon as you know you are planning to go. Use a site like booking.com or expedia where you can compare hotels and decide what is the best with for your traveling group.
Get the refillable popcorn bucket
We love our refillable popcorn bucket because it’s a convenient snack and we can all share. The bucket is a little costly at first but the refills are cheap. There are several stands throughout Water Country where they will fill up your bucket and it works at Busch Gardens, too.
Use the Water County Souvenir Cup
The Water Country Souvenir cup is just like the popcorn bucket. This is a great deal where you pay a little more to get it, but the refills are much cheaper! This is great if you want something other than water (which is free!) or an Icee.
You don’t need to bring life jackets
Water Country has life jackets everywhere! Don’t bring one from home unless you like carrying more things.
Bring Strap on Sandals
I have found that wearing sandals with a strap or water shoes really helps at Water Country. The ground is cement and it gets so hot! Strap on sandals can be worn on some attractions and they will stay on. These would be perfect!
Water Country food (snack now, meals later)
In contrast to Busch Gardens, Water Country food is just okay. We have found it is basically burgers, fries, hot dogs and fried chicken. There are a couple salads, fruit options, burrito bowls and sandwiches but not much else.
It seems more beneficial to just have a few snacks throughout the day and then get takeout at a local restaurant to take back to the hotel when we leave.
If kids’ area is crowded, try out one of the other three
Water Country has three fun kid centered parts of the park, but they can get crowded. Lil’ Surfer’s Splash Pad is for the smallest kids with a slide, many fountains and spray cannons. The bright colors will attract the kids and they will love exploring all the spray options.
Cow-a-Bunga is a large splash pad like area with a water slide that kids can do with their parents and there is also a slide area and basically water being sprayed all over.
Water Country has so much for little and big kids
H2O UFO is the largest area and would be best for bigger kids. There is a large water play structure with slides and there are large slides that kids can do with other people. The water is a little deeper here.
Rock ‘N’ Roll Island is the last area and it is for your bigger kids. There are corkscrew slides, log cross and activity pool and a lazy river. With so much variety, the kids won’t run out of things to do!
Rain at Water Country while you’re there? Wait it out!
Last summer, the one day we planned on being at Water Country, there was a thunderstorm. They shut the whole park down for a couple of hours. Most of the people left but we hung out for a while and made the best of it.
By the time the storm stopped, there were no lines for anything! We walked right on Big Daddy Falls and the kids liked it so much, we did it three times, waiting 5 minutes tops.
Don’t miss Hubba Hubba Highway
This is one of our family’s favorites and if we missed it the kids would never forgive us. Imagine a lazy river that goes really fast with jets propelling you forward and that’s how it works!
Guests will put on a life jacket and float around the obstacles, spray cannons and fun theming of an older road with attractions.
Other links you might enjoy:
Busch Gardens Williamsburg Tips for Kids
How to Save Money at Busch Gardens
Enjoy the Magic of Busch Gardens Christmas Town
Family Tested Williamsburg Restaurants
How to Enjoy Richmond in Two Days