WE LOVE WATER PARKS

The ultimate guide to Houston's best water parks for splashy summer fun

Seth Livingston
Craig D. Lindsey
Aug 1, 2018, 4:07 pm
There's major bounce for the ounce at Altitude H20. Altitude H2O/Facebook

This article originally appeared on CultureMap.

When beating the summertime heat, few excursions are more enjoyable than diving into a big, welcoming water park. Americans so love these aquatic adventures that theres's even a National Waterpark Day.

Fortunately, as the temperatures rise (and you and the kids need a day-long activity), Houston offers several options that are well worth the drive. We've rounded up a list of water parks that'll have you swimming, slipping, and sliding away the Houston sultriness. 

Altitude H2O
Located off Highway 288 and CR 418 in Rosharon, Altitude H20 is a new and wildly popular floating water park. Here, guests can bounce around on a 25,000-square-foot, inflatable aqua park and obstacle course. Expect obstacles such as a balance beam, wiggle bridge, monkey bars, trampolines, and half-pipe. Each 45-minute session costs $20. Noon-5 pm.

Moody Gardens
The everything-but-the-kitchen-sink amusement complex in Galveston also has its own water park hangout, known as Palm Beach. That's where you'll find its Lazy River attraction, its 18-foot tower slides and, of course, the wave pool. Tickets are $23.95 ($18.95 kids and seniors; free for children 3 and under). 9 am-7 pm. (9 am-10 pm Friday-Saturday)

Pirates Bay
This Baytown park has all the required attractions: wave pool, lazy river, slides, and play structures. But the complex also has such amusingly named, high-speed rides as the Flowrider, the Space Bowl, and the Boomerango. Anyone taller than 48 inches pays $20, while people below four feet pay $15. ($5 more Friday-Sunday) 11 am-7 pm. (10 am-7 pm Friday-Sunday)

Continue reading on CultureMap.

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BIG GIFT FOR THE BAY

Galveston Bay rises with $2 million gift to protect ecosystem

Local wildlife still faces challenges in Galveston Bay. Photo by Andrew Hancock

This article originally appeared on CultureMap.

Lovers of Galveston Bay know that the ecosystem has been beset by challenges, after being ravaged by Hurricane Harvey and the Deepwater Horizon spill, and last year, receiving a C grade for its overall wellness.

Even more challenging, Galveston Bay has lost more than 35,000 acres of intertidal wetlands since the 1950s.

But now, hope floats, with the news that the Galveston Bay Foundation has received a $2.3 million award to continue to restore and create marsh habitat in the Dollar Bay/Moses Lake complex in Galveston Bay. The gift comes courtesy of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), with funding through the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, a funding source created from Deepwater Horizon oil spill penalties.

The area has already seen restoration work in the same area, including a 1,600-foot section of rock breakwater structures constructed in 2002, a 2,400-foot section constructed in 2012, and 1.3-mile section completed in 2018. Galveston Bay Foundation volunteers have planted smooth cordgrass to reestablish fringing marsh and will continue to do so in this next phase, according to the foundation.

Continue reading on CultureMap to learn about the breakwaters that will be constructed.

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