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The United States has more water parks than any other country in the world. It currently has thousands and every year dozens more open up all over the country. Every state has at least one water park. So are they really that popular? And why do people go to them?

In the summertime, when the air is hot and sticky and the kids are out of school, it can be difficult to find an activity that can be fun for the entire family. Water parks can be a source of family entertainment that is both inexpensive and convenient since they are so easily available. In the list below, we will examine the top 6 reasons why people enjoy going to water parks.

1) Water parks are easy on the pocket. They can cost anything from $10 to $30, which is still cheaper than the average vacation that a family would take. Visiting a water park is not only inexpensive, but a good way to spend quality time with your family without breaking your wallet.

2) Water parks also offer activities that can be done as an individual, and not just as a group, which differentiates them from traditional amusement parks. Although there are generally some attractions that you can enjoy as a unit, you can also grab an inner tube and float serenely down the lazy river by yourself if you so desire. If the other people that you’re with don’t want to do that with you, they can splash along in the wave pool.

3) In the summertime, water parks are a great way to relax and have fun while staying cool from the heat. You certainly don’t visit a water park to stay dry.

4) For people that don’t live near any large bodies of water, water parks can present fun opportunities to play in an aquatic setting. They offer a little more than a regular swimming pool does, as well. Ironically, although water parks are filled with water, very little swimming actually goes on.

5) You get the added benefit of an adrenalin rush. Like roller coasters, steep water slides can offer thrills and excitement. People like to be scared and to be challenged and water parks offer this on a safe level.

6) Even at the small parks, there is generally something for everyone. Most offer small wading pools for the tiny visitors, as well as large tube slides for the bigger ones. At Disneyworld, you can even visit Typhoon Lagoon and snorkel with sharks.

In short, water parks are fun and stimulating. They are an inexpensive alternative to traditional vacations and you can go for one day, or purchase a pass and go several times in a season. In the summertime, when the sun is high and the hot and the family is restless, there are few things as invigorating as spending a day playing around in the water.

The summer, with its warm air and plentiful sunshine, virtually screams invitations to theme parks. Going on a family trip to a place with water rides, roller coasters and sweet sugar filled treats is a unique and exciting experience. But this type of memory can cost a lot of money. Most theme parks have a discount system and vouchers can be found to allow cheaper entry. But where are they?

First, start with the park’s website address itself. You might find that they offer web only deals similar in pricing to those tickets that the parks sell to discount vendors. Sometimes, buying directly from the website can save as much as $10 off the price of general admission.

Credit Unions are also a good place to look. Many credit unions offer their members discounted theme park tickets for local parks. The Health and Education Credit Union, for example, offers its members half-priced King’s Island tickets.

There are also several name brand products that offer coupons for theme parks. Check your Coca Cola and Pepsi cans before throwing them in the garbage. In the summertime, they often contain discounted coupons for theme parks. The usually offer around $5 off per ticket. You want to be sure that you read the fine print, however, because you might need more than one can to get everyone in your group a discount.

Grocers can also be a place to look for discounted tickets. Meijer, as well as Kroger, has offered discounts to their customers in the past.

If it’s at all feasible, try putting together a group of people in order to get the group rate. A group is usually defined as 15 people, but might vary depending on the park. The group rate could be as much as $15 off the general admission ticket price.

Make sure to check with any groups you may belong to like AAA to see if they are offering any discounts. Organization like AAA often provide discounted tickets to its members, and they are currently offering good deals on visits to Disneyworld.

Be careful when you are looking for tickets on discount websites. While there are a lot of honest deals to be made there are also a lot of scams and phony websites. Try to check them out with the Better Business Bureau before purchasing anything. There, you can check out their reputations from previous customers.

Timeshare offers are very common in places where a lot of tourism takes place. If you have spent any time on vacation you have probably been approached by one of their representatives that stand around looking to offer people timeshare deals from their small booths. There is meant to be no commitment to buy, but that is not always the way it feels. Still, if you are able to take a little pressure and a few hours of listening about timeshares, then you can often pick up great tickets for nothing but the cost of your time.

Season Passes are also a good deal if you plan on going more than once that summer. They are actually not priced that badly and after two trips you have generally paid for the pass.

Craigslist and Ebay have also been good places for some people to find discounted tickets. Like purchasing them from the discount websites, be cautious. You might find them for a good price but you don’t want to arrive at the park, only to find that you can’t use the tickets.

Not matter how little these saving might sem, the cost really does mount up in a party of people and you could find that $5 off per person is enough to bring your vacation within your budget.

The summer is the season for families and friends across America to pack up the car and head off to the fun filled world of a theme park. People enjoy the thrill of roller coasters, treat themselves to the summer sensation of polish sausage, and let the new summer sunbathe and bake their skin as travelers of all ages enjoy the thrills and adventures of summer theme parks.

But what attracts so many people to visit theme parks? One of the best benefits to a theme park vacation is the quantity of entertainment for one easily budgeted price. People are able to do a lot in only one day and even if the meals and trinkets from the souvenirs stands might be a little expensive the overall value of the experience balances out to much less then spending a few nights in a hotel or restore and works out as much cheaper vacation, with the same amount of fun.

Theme parks can also offer adventure and excitement. As human beings, we naturally seek thrill-inducing activities. That’s why we like watching horror movies and going into haunted houses at Halloween. Exciting activities get our blood pumping and create a rush of adrenalin, which can be stimulating.

And let’s face it. Nothing can be as exciting as a free fall from the top of a roller coaster hill. The entire roller coaster ride itself can be exciting; from the slow tension building beginning to the dramatic upside down loops. Some roller coasters even take off immediately, going 0 to 60 MPH in less than 3 seconds.

Even though some of the scariest and most popular rides only last for a few minutes they last a lifetime in the memories of adults and children alike. They cerate moments of excitement and daring for us all to remember and are made only sweeter by the anticipation of having to wait in line to get on.

Sometimes, theme parks can help fulfill our need for fancy. A visit to Epcot Center can send visitors on an adventure into the future. Disney World offers visitors a chance to meet their favorite characters up close and personal, not to mention seeing a fairytale castle in the flesh. There are even theme parks dedicated to Sesame Street characters and Hershey chocolate bars.

There are some theme parks that offer more than thrill rides and fantasies. Dollywood, located in the Smoke Mountains of Eastern Tennessee, has its own fair share of rides and attractions, but also plays an important part in the Appalachian heritage. Traditional Appalachian folk crafts and food items are brought to life in the park. You can also find a wide variety of country music shows by headliners throughout the summer.

Another reason behind the popularity of theme parks is that adults are invited to once again remember what it was like to be a child. It’s not often in the day-to-day life of a hard working person that they are allowed to scream and cheer as they live out the new inventions of the same childhood dreams of thrill, adventure and amazement.

Lastly, theme parks are a good way to bond with family and friends. It’s just plain outright fun to ride the water flume together, to dare one another to ride the largest roller coaster, and to share funnel cakes. In our busy lives, where multi-tasking is encouraged, it’s rare to find time to create positive family interactions. But at theme parks, at least for a day, everyone can be together.