Virginia's Largest Water Park: Water Country USA

With 43 acres of pools, water play areas & water rides, Water Country USA is the largest water park the Mid-Atlantic! And it's located in Williamsburg, just about an hour away from RVA!

You’ll find over 40 attractions for all ages and all types of thrill seekers. From Lil Surfer’s Splash Park and Cow-a-Bunga's shallow pool to 1,500 feet of free-floating on Hubba Hubba Highway and jumping waves at Surfer's Bay, there are so many fun ways to stay cool at Water Country USA.

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Here’s what you need to know about visiting Water Country USA with kids.

Opening in 1984, Water Country USA is the biggest water park in Virginia and in the Mid-Atlantic! It is located just 3 miles from Busch Gardens Williamsburg, so you could visit both parks over the weekend.

With a 1950s surf vibe, you will find live entertainment, shops, restaurants with outside seating, lots of water rides, and plenty of family-friendly attractions. Water Country also has Virginia's first water coaster - Cutback Coaster. You can fit up 4 people on a tube, and it takes you down steep drops, around quick turns, and water will blast you up hills!

I really like that it has a lot of family tube rides, so you can fit 3-5 people on a ride together. Check out Big Daddy Falls or Aquazoid Amped if your family loves water slides and would love to enjoy it with more than 2 people. Our favorite activities in Water Country are Hubba Hubba Highway, The Wave Pool, Jet Scream, Cut Back Coaster & Big Daddy Falls. 

Pro Tip: Having a one child to one adult ratio will make your experience much easier at this water park! Think of this water park as a theme park but all water related - there is a lot of walking, and if your kids needs to ride in a tandem water tube, it is much easier to have two adults.

Where is Water Country USA?

Water Country USA is in Williamsburg. The address is 176 Water Country Parkway, Williamsburg, Virginia 23185

It's about 1 hour and 11 minutes from Short Pump, 1 hour 15 minutes from Midlothian and 56 minutes from the City of Richmond.

When is Water Country USA open?

The water park is open every day between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend. The daily hours are usually open on Monday through Thursday from 10:30am to 7pm, and Friday to Sunday from 10am to 8pm.

From the beginning of May to Memorial Day weekend and in September after Labor Day weekend, the water park is open weekends from 11am-4pm.

Water Country USA typically remains open during rain, as long as lifeguards can see the bottom of the pools. It will close when there is thunder, lighting or hail.

When is the best time to visit Water Country USA?

If you can visit between Monday and Thursday, Water Country will have the smallest crowd. Also, visiting on an overcast day or when rain is in the forecast will keep the crowd small.

There’s a CROWD on weekends. The popular water rides had 1-2 hour wait during our visit on a summer Saturday. If visiting on a weekend, get there at opening or stay til closing. The crowd will dissipate by 7pm, so you can jump on any ride with little to no wait.

Below are what a crowd looks like on a beautiful summer Saturday between 1pm-5pm:

How much does Water Country USA cost?

Tickets start at $52.99 per person, and the price increases depending on the date you visit. Saturday tickets are the most expensive, costing around $69.99 per person. Everyone over 2 years old needs a ticket, unless you already secured your 3-5 year old a "Preschool Pass."

Water Country does run sales, and you can usually find a good discount before the season starts or at the end of the season. Right now, Water Country has an "End of the Season" sale going on.

There are a lot of add-ons to your ticket, too. If you are visiting on a Monday through Thursday, you will most likely only want to look into the dinning plan. See more about this below!

Can I bring my own food and drink to Water Country USA?

You can bring in light snacks and refillable water bottles. If you'd like to bring your own food and drinks, you will need to exit the park, and have a picnic in the parking lot area. I did this growing up, and on our recent trip, there were a lot of people on picnic blankets with coolers, enjoying lunch.

If you are interested in eating inside the water park, consider the dining plan and work out the math for your trip. You may have sticker shock while you're purchasing tickets in advance, but you will either break even once you're in the park or you could even spend more.

For example, on our recent trip, we were in the water park from 1 pm to 8 pm. We spent $51 on a side of fries, a chicken nugget meal, two bottles of water and a Bud Light. By the time we added in 2 more bottles of water and 2 ice cream treats, we had spent around $77. If we had opted for a meal plan, the End of Summer Sale had all meal plans for $25.99 per person. Our total would have been $103.96, more than we spent in park that day, but we also left the park at close to purchase dinner on the way home. That meal was more than $28 for all of us! It would have made a more enjoyable experience for us to have used the meal plan on a packed Saturday visit.

What if someone in my party can't swim or isn't a strong swimmer?

Water Country USA has life jackets you can borrow free of charge all over the park. Almost every pool area has its own set of life jackets you can grab. Some of the water activities are actually more fun if you have a life jacket on too - in Hubba Hubba Highway, you can float to a strong current and in Surfer's Bay you can float over waves! Even adults and/or strong swimmers used them in these two areas!

The lifeguards also recommend that anyone under 32 inches tall keeps a life jacket on at all times.

What special features does the water park have?

Water Country USA spans 43 acres with pools, water slides & rides, and splash parks. It has over 40 attractions, and there is something for every age.

If you're visiting Water Country USA with little kids, there is a lot of water play for children 5 years old and younger.

Cow-a-Bunga is a zero entry pool that goes to 3 feet deep. It has three smaller slides that children can climb up the ladder and slide down directly into the pool. It also has a double tube slide, and one of the tubes has a bottom... so it's fun for even the smallest riders. It also has plenty of seating around the pool, and it has a diaper changing station.

The Lil' Surfer's Splash Park is next to Cow-a-Bungo, and it's a large spray park with an ADA surface. It has a lot of sprinklers, a water play table, and features that spin and launch water. My kids love the lily pads that spray water when you jump on them.

If you're visiting Water Country USA with children 8 and younger, check out H2O UFO. It's an activity pool with a treehouse that has all kinds of water features and sprinklers. It is zero entry to 3 feet, so even little ones can enjoy it. It has 2 tube slides that don't require tubes, and it has a swing in the water.

My kids really liked this area too! It has its own seating with giant umbrellas and a diaper change station too.

With big kids who are 5 years old and older: try Surfer’s Bay (it's a wave pool), Hubba Hubba Highway and Rambling River (both of these are lazy rivers), and visit Rock n’ Roll Island. Almost all the  water slides (42”+).

There are also a lot of water slides - body slides, tube slides, a water coaster. Most of the water slides require riders to be 42 inches tall or taller. If you’re a thrill seeker, try Vanish Point. You step into the Skybox & the floor drops out!

Tips on what to bring to Water Country USA with Kids:

1. Swimsuits and clothes cannot have any zippers on them for safety reasons. Make sure your children are in a "basic" swim suit. My daughter usually wears suits like this, and my son usually wears these.

   
   

2. Wear a swimsuit that you are comfortable playing with and walking around in. There is a lot of walking, so you may not have time to stop to grab a cover up or towel, etc. We all wore sunshirts, too. I saw a lot of grownups in workout clothes and sunshirts too. But you will see a wide range of "swimming attire" with you're at the water park.

   
   

3. Pack as lightly as you can & leave your valuables at home. Since this is a theme park, you are constantly moving and walking around. If you are on a ride or in the water, your items will be unattended.

   
   

4. If you need to bring your valuables into the park, you can get a locker rental for about $25 per day. You could also use a dry bag - ours was allowed on all rides. I also wore my belt bag with just my credit card in it - it was fine in the water too.

   
   

5. A waterproof phone case is a must. I have two waterproof phone cases - this one that goes around your neck and this one that is a traditional waterproof case.

   
   

6. If you have little kids, definitely bring a stroller or wagon. Again, this will be unattended while you're playing or on rides, so bring one you wouldn't mind "losing." I always have this umbrella stroller in my car - it's a great price point too.

   
   

7. Wear sungear - it's easier than reapplying sunscreen on the go! My kids wear sunshirts like this one and this one.

   
   

8. Since this is a theme park all about water fun, you may want to wear water shoes. Once we realized shoes were allowed on all attractions, we wore ours. These are the water shoes my kids love! There is a lot of walking, and if you want to grab something to eat or use the restroom, it's really handy to have shoes already on your feet.

Virginia water parks, summer activities, pools in Virginia, things to do with kids around RVA

Looking for more water play around RVA? Check out my 2024 Guide to RVA Splash Parks!

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