Jun 8th, 2008
Chutes and tubes and a wave of fun
NEW brAUNFELS - “Forget the Alamo!”
That was the response from our 11-year-old son when I suggested a visit to the shrine of Texas independence as a possible destination for a fun family outing.
Such heresy might normally lead to quite a dust-up here in the Lone Star State. But the boy - a newly minted Texan - could be excused when you consider that he has already been to the Alamo numerous times on school trips and with relatives and other assorted out-of-town guests since we moved here 10 months ago.
OK, so enough of the heroic deeds of Travis, Bowie, and Crockett. Where would you like to go?
The response was a single word, given with a smile and without pause: “Schlitterbahn!”
For our kids - raised on Water Wizz, Water Country, and Canobie Lake Park, and their insanely catchy jingles - water parks are an essential part of the summer experience. And Schlitterbahn, located off Interstate 35 between Austin and San Antonio, is the Xanadu of water parks. A truly Texas-sized attraction, the park is all candy colors with water-gushing tubes and towers spread over 65 acres along the banks of the Comal River. Within its borders are more than 40 rides and family activities ranging from the meek to the wild.
“We want to offer a unique family experience that you can really enjoy together,” said Jeffrey Siebert, Schlitterbahn’s director of communications and sales. “It’s all about having fun for all ages.”
All that fun in the hot Texas sun has earned Schlitterbahn its ranking as the world’s most popular water park 10 years in a row, according to Amusement Business magazine. It has 900,000 visitors annually, drawing from all 50 states and many foreign countries - particularly those in Asia, as well as the United Kingdom and Canada.
Tags: country, water