Fort Rapids Waterpark in Columbus Ohio – Our Review

Last month our family loaded up in the van, picked up three friends and hit the road for a trip for Fort Rapids Waterpark in Columbus, Ohio. It was only about a 3 hour trip (including bathroom breaks) from Akron, Ohio which was not bad at all.

Three adults, and four kids traveling together made for a fun getaway. My kids didn’t know we were going until two days before and they got to break the news to their two friends when we picked them up. We arrived at Fort Rapids early Saturday afternoon and left late Sunday evening. Those days were packed full of excitement!

Our Suite

All seven of us stayed together in the Havazu Canyon Villa. Upon entering, to the right was our kitchenette – mini fridge, microwave, coffee pot, shelving, bar seating, and a mini dryer. Having a dryer in our room was AMAZING. With seven of us we had plenty of wet things that we wanted dry the next day. So we got everything dry after the kids were in bed and we had nice dry swimwear to start the day off with.

Going straight from the door was the dining and living room space. To add to the seating at the bar, there was a small kitchen table. There was a couch, chair, fireplace and flat screen TV. This suite had two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The bedrooms were side by side – one had two queen size beds and the other had a king size bed. Both had dressers and flat screen TV’s. The first bathroom had a bathtub, toilet, and sinks. The other had shower and toilet. This bathroom had two sinks outside the door. This was the area we used when we needed to wash dishes or get water for making hot chocolate and meals.

When the four kids were in bed, us adults hung out in the living room for a couple of hours. We watched some TV, talked, and just had a nice time visiting together. It was relaxing and just so nice to even have the living room space where we could have this time together without tiptoeing around the four sleeping kids.

The Water Park

The water park itself is full of fun. My favorite area for family fun is Cowboy Creek, the lazy river. They have double tubes so you can go around together. There are small water falls throughout the river and you can take a special route through an area with buckets dumping water on you. We didn’t get to experience that part of it since it was shut down during our two days there but it looked fun!

Another favorite area of mine, and any mom with little ones, was the Kiddie Korral. This is the little ones can run around safely. I’m not sure how deep the water is, but it’s not much. There are two entries to this toddler area. As you enter from near the snack bar, there are baby swings for your little ones. Our two year LOVED it and it helped him get warmed up to the idea of being in the water our first night there. There are also two slides that go right into the water. Continuing on you’ll see a waterfall area, a basketball hoop, two more slides, and buckets dumping water. It is very easy to spend hours in this area so there is no need to worry about having enough to do with little ones!

The Rascal Round Up is the probably the first thing you’ll notice when walking in the doors. This is a 40 foot tall interactive playground, as I call it. There are four slides, many opportunities to spray water at the people below you, and many waterfalls to run through (or dodge if it’s my kids!). Beware, this is where the 1,000 gallon bucket of water is located. If you are anywhere nearby once it’s filled up, you WILL get soaked.

Of course, what’s a water park without slides? I am personally not a fan of them but our friends enjoyed them! You have take a 40 foot walk to get up to the slides, but it’s worth it! Here are some details on your choices of slides, straight from their website:

Ambush Alley & Raging Bull

Tube slides poke out the side of the building and back in, dipping and looping then landing in a splash of water.

Black Out Pass

It will have your head spinning! Enter this slide at the top of the tower, pop outside for a quick turn then enter into the funnel – spinning ’round and ’round until you are shot out into the lazy river.

Shoot Out Racer

Race your friends to victory! Grab your mat, lay down on your stomach, and away you go, face first. Your ride will take you outside the building for a second and back in, gaining speed for your race downhill. Did you win?

I have to say, the Shoot Out Racer caught my attention a few times on our last day at the park. Unfortunately I don’t know that I’d ever have the courage to go on a water slide. I guess I didn’t spend enough time in the water as I was growing up. 🙂

There is also a normal sized Activity Pool area that has basketball hoops for older visitors. It does get rowdy in this area so it is not for the little ones to just hang around in.   Also for the grown ups, there is a very nice hot tub with plenty of room. If you’re visiting with other families, take turns watching the kids so the adults all get a chance to relax in the very hot hot tub.

Dining & Extra’s

Inside the waterpark area, you will find a snack bar – D.B. Sidewinders Cafe. You can buy various foods here such as pizza, nachos, pop, etc. This is a good place to go when you don’t want to venture out to grab lunch or supper.

There are other restaurant choices at Fort Rapids as well. There is the Branding Iron Grille, Copper Star Saloon, and Canyon Cafe. The Branding Iron serves three meals a day  and has an outdoor patio for when the weather is nice. Copper Star Saloon is a sports bar and the Canyon Cafe has coffee and other specialty drinks. You can see more details and menus here.

If you need a break from the water, you can check out a few extra activity areas. Right outside of the water park area, is an arcade. The games range in costs from 1 to 5 tokens each and they have prizes that are similar to what you would find at Chuck E. Cheese.

There is also an area to go mining for gemstones and fossils and an Old Thyme Photography area.

I have to say, we didn’t venture out much, other than to go to the arcade. We signed all the kids up for the Kid’s Club before we went, and they each received a voucher for some free tokens. So we used that as a way to get them out of the water on Sunday before heading home.

Another extra thing I enjoyed, was story time.  On Saturday night at 9pm, we joined other guests in the main lobby. We sat around the fireplace and enjoyed some cookies and milk while listening to a story. I think this was a wonderful way to help the kids wind down before bed that night.

The water park overall was very nice. The decor was very clean and inviting; just very well taken care of. Bathrooms of course are a concern for me as a mom with two little ones. It’s one thing if I have to suffer through a dirty bathroom but another with children. The bathrooms, locker rooms, and the family rooms were kept nice and clean during our stay. I have to say I was very happy to see family rooms. I liked that the four of us were able to go in this room together when we were ready to head home. Dave and I were able to work as a team getting the kids and ourselves changed and ready to head home. Sure we could have split up and each taken a kid but it’s always nicer when we can just be together and get it done that way.

The seven of us ranged in age from 2 up to about 30. Every single one of us had a great time and overall would have loved another day or two to enjoy the park.

Taking a trip to Columbus, Ohio to visit Fort Rapids Water Park was just what our family and friends needed. It wasn’t a huge vacation far from home, but it was the perfect little getaway on a weekend in January. It was a nice escape from our stressful weeks, and the snow outside. I cannot wait until we get to go on another little getaway. The kids are already asking to go back.

Last month our family loaded up in the van, picked up three friends and hit the road for a trip for Fort Rapids Waterpark in Columbus, Ohio. It was only about a 3 hour trip (including bathroom breaks) from Akron, Ohio which was not bad at all.

Three adults, and four kids traveling together made for a fun getaway. My kids didn’t know we were going until two days before and they got to break the news to their two friends when we picked them up. We arrived at Fort Rapids early Saturday afternoon and left late Sunday evening. Those days were packed full of excitement!

Our Suite

All seven of us stayed together in the Havazu Canyon Villa. Upon entering, to the right was our kitchenette – mini fridge, microwave, coffee pot, shelving, bar seating, and a mini dryer. Having a dryer in our room was AMAZING. With seven of us we had plenty of wet things that we wanted dry the next day. So we got everything dry after the kids were in bed and we had nice dry swimwear to start the day off with.

Going straight from the door was the dining and living room space. To add to the seating at the bar, there was a small kitchen table. There was a couch, chair, fireplace and flat screen TV. This suite had two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The bedrooms were side by side – one had two queen size beds and the other had a king size bed. Both had dressers and flat screen TV’s. The first bathroom had a bathtub, toilet, and sinks. The other had shower and toilet. This bathroom had two sinks outside the door. This was the area we used when we needed to wash dishes or get water for making hot chocolate and meals.

When the four kids were in bed, us adults hung out in the living room for a couple of hours. We watched some TV, talked, and just had a nice time visiting together. It was relaxing and just so nice to even have the living room space where we could have this time together without tiptoeing around the four sleeping kids.

The Water Park

The water park itself is full of fun. My favorite area for family fun is Cowboy Creek, the lazy river. They have double tubes so you can go around together. There are small water falls throughout the river and you can take a special route through an area with buckets dumping water on you. We didn’t get to experience that part of it since it was shut down during our two days there but it looked fun!

Another favorite area of mine, and any mom with little ones, was the Kiddie Korral. This is the little ones can run around safely. I’m not sure how deep the water is, but it’s not much. There are two entries to this toddler area. As you enter from near the snack bar, there are baby swings for your little ones. Our two year LOVED it and it helped him get warmed up to the idea of being in the water our first night there. There are also two slides that go right into the water. Continuing on you’ll see a waterfall area, a basketball hoop, two more slides, and buckets dumping water. It is very easy to spend hours in this area so there is no need to worry about having enough to do with little ones!

The Rascal Round Up is the probably the first thing you’ll notice when walking in the doors. This is a 40 foot tall interactive playground, as I call it. There are four slides, many opportunities to spray water at the people below you, and many waterfalls to run through (or dodge if it’s my kids!). Beware, this is where the 1,000 gallon bucket of water is located. If you are anywhere nearby once it’s filled up, you WILL get soaked.

Of course, what’s a water park without slides? I am personally not a fan of them but our friends enjoyed them! You have take a 40 foot walk to get up to the slides, but it’s worth it! Here are some details on your choices of slides, straight from their website:

Ambush Alley & Raging Bull

Tube slides poke out the side of the building and back in, dipping and looping then landing in a splash of water.

Black Out Pass

It will have your head spinning! Enter this slide at the top of the tower, pop outside for a quick turn then enter into the funnel – spinning ’round and ’round until you are shot out into the lazy river.

Shoot Out Racer

Race your friends to victory! Grab your mat, lay down on your stomach, and away you go, face first. Your ride will take you outside the building for a second and back in, gaining speed for your race downhill. Did you win?

I have to say, the Shoot Out Racer caught my attention a few times on our last day at the park. Unfortunately I don’t know that I’d ever have the courage to go on a water slide. I guess I didn’t spend enough time in the water as I was growing up. 🙂

There is also a normal sized Activity Pool area that has basketball hoops for older visitors. It does get rowdy in this area so it is not for the little ones to just hang around in.   Also for the grown ups, there is a very nice hot tub with plenty of room. If you’re visiting with other families, take turns watching the kids so the adults all get a chance to relax in the very hot hot tub.

Dining & Extra’s

Inside the waterpark area, you will find a snack bar – D.B. Sidewinders Cafe. You can buy various foods here such as pizza, nachos, pop, etc. This is a good place to go when you don’t want to venture out to grab lunch or supper.

There are other restaurant choices at Fort Rapids as well. There is the Branding Iron Grille, Copper Star Saloon, and Canyon Cafe. The Branding Iron serves three meals a day  and has an outdoor patio for when the weather is nice. Copper Star Saloon is a sports bar and the Canyon Cafe has coffee and other specialty drinks. You can see more details and menus here.

If you need a break from the water, you can check out a few extra activity areas. Right outside of the water park area, is an arcade. The games range in costs from 1 to 5 tokens each and they have prizes that are similar to what you would find at Chuck E. Cheese.

There is also an area to go mining for gemstones and fossils and an Old Thyme Photography area.

I have to say, we didn’t venture out much, other than to go to the arcade. We signed all the kids up for the Kid’s Club before we went, and they each received a voucher for some free tokens. So we used that as a way to get them out of the water on Sunday before heading home.

Another extra thing I enjoyed, was story time.  On Saturday night at 9pm, we joined other guests in the main lobby. We sat around the fireplace and enjoyed some cookies and milk while listening to a story. I think this was a wonderful way to help the kids wind down before bed that night.

The water park overall was very nice. The decor was very clean and inviting; just very well taken care of. Bathrooms of course are a concern for me as a mom with two little ones. It’s one thing if I have to suffer through a dirty bathroom but another with children. The bathrooms, locker rooms, and the family rooms were kept nice and clean during our stay. I have to say I was very happy to see family rooms. I liked that the four of us were able to go in this room together when we were ready to head home. Dave and I were able to work as a team getting the kids and ourselves changed and ready to head home. Sure we could have split up and each taken a kid but it’s always nicer when we can just be together and get it done that way.

The seven of us ranged in age from 2 up to about 30. Every single one of us had a great time and overall would have loved another day or two to enjoy the park.

Taking a trip to Columbus, Ohio to visit Fort Rapids Water Park was just what our family and friends needed. It wasn’t a huge vacation far from home, but it was the perfect little getaway on a weekend in January. It was a nice escape from our stressful weeks, and the snow outside. I cannot wait until we get to go on another little getaway. The kids are already asking to go back!

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