Splish, splash, and ride your way into summer! Wild Waves Theme & Water Park will open on May 24, 2025 (through November 2, 2025), and it’s the perfect place to spend a sunny day. Our family recently made the trek from Seattle, about 25 miles south, to Federal Way, and it took about an hour in traffic.
Don’t let the distance scare you. When I asked my toddler if she had fun, she said it was the “best day ever.” Read on for tips and tricks to plan a trip that will make lasting memories for your family – and hopefully, mitigate the meltdowns.
“Worth it”! (Image: Kathryn Mueller)
What’s it all about
The theme park is an all-in-one destination for family fun. Wild Waves is expansive, offering 70 acres of classic amusement park rides and an outdoor water park to please every age. With a variety of unique finger foods to choose from when cravings call, sweet treats to satisfy tiny tummies, and rides to entertain both adventurous adrenaline junkies and mild flyers, you can find something for everyone.
Granted, there will be times when you have to explain the importance of patience to a toddler waiting in a queue, but take it from this mom: You’ll remember the smiles on their faces and not the tantrums. Be warned: You will probably hear “waiting is boring” or “How much longer?” during your visit (I have the receipts to prove it).
Dress code
Dress appropriately for each side of the park. There are ample areas for changing into swimwear. You must wear shirts, shoes and pants to ride the thrill rides on the dry side, so plan to use the changing areas before you make your way to the other side of the park.
Take it from me, waiting in lines to get to the rides was the hardest part! (Image: Kathryn Mueller)
Recommendations
We recommend hitting the dry rides first. Since you must wear shirts, pants, and shoes to ride the rides on the dry side of the park, head to the kid zone for action-packed attractions and let your little mermaids cool off in the wave pool or Hook’s Lagoon later. This way, you won’t waste time drying off and changing before hopping lines for roller coasters and other exciting rides.
Looking for a little more privacy? Wild Waves is also home to 22 private cabanas. You can rent the cabanas online, which may be worth it if you don’t mind a splurge. When we went, the lounge chairs were a hot commodity and hard to come by. Seeing families lounging in private cabanas lining the wave pool gave me a pang of envy. Having a ‘home base’ for a family wanting to go in every direction seemed like a good idea. It’s hard to track roving little ones eager to see every inch of Wild Waves.
Living it up in a cabana
Cabana reservations are available on a first-come, first-served basis online only with a 48-hour notice. Packages are $375 per cabana and accommodate four people. Have a larger group? Two additional guests can be added for $40 each if you have a bigger party. The cabanas also come with cabana menu meal deals, food and beverage wait service, a complimentary locker, a bottle of sunscreen, tube rental, and water. Sit back, relax, and soak in the lap of luxury. Note: Cabanas usually book up fast, so if you want to guarantee one, check 1 week before your visit to be extra safe.
Safety first
Life jackets are also provided throughout the water park. We brought our own, but you can leave your life vests at home if you want to save space in your bag. Please note that if you bring your own, they must be Coast Guard-approved. Check the tag on your personal flotation device before bringing it to make sure it’s approved for use in the park.
The Timberhawk. (Image: Kathryn Mueller)
Must-see attractions:
Wild Waves offers 30 rides and slides, including the 75-foot-tall Timberhawk: Ride of Prey wooden coaster. The legendary coaster is seven and a half stories tall and hits a breathtaking 50 mph.
(Image: Kathryn Mueller)
Dry Rides
You’ll need to be at least 48 inches tall for the looping, high-flying thrill rides. Kiddos under 48 inches will still find plenty to do, but many rides require an adult to accompany little riders. A list of attractions and height requirements is on the website.
My little tikes lapped the Kiddie Coaster and Kang-A-Bounce. We couldn’t get enough of the small coaster and bouncing ride.
For bigger attractions, requiring riders to be at least 48 inches tall, check out TimberHawk: Ride of Prey, The Wild Thing, or Brain Drain. The Wild Thing was the park’s first coaster and Brain Drain is a gut-dropping 85-foot-tall tower that plunges riders straight toward the ground. Hold on, and get ready to scream with excitement!
Water rides
Our favorite place in the park (and where we spent most of our time) was Hook’s Lagoon. The three-story treehouse is a water-filled playground. Climb the structure to the many water slides descending into the shallow pool below, soak bystanders with buckets of water, spray the water cannons, and watch out for the pirates. Ahoy matey! Children under 36″ must be accompanied by an adult; slides must be at least 42″ and 54″ in height maximum.
Wave pools & water slides
The Wave Pool is 500,000 gallons of wavey fun. High-energy music and videos on the big screen make it feel like a party as waves crash over you. It gets pretty packed, though, and it’s easy to lose sight of little swimmers. It’s a good thing they have diligent lifeguards posted all around the park for safety.
Most of the park’s water slides require sliders to be at least 42 inches tall, with the exception of the Riptide and the Activity Pool, which require sliders to be 48 inches tall.
(Photo courtesy Wild Waves)
Online tickets
Children under 3 years old are free; children under 48 inches tall are $39.99. Single-day tickets for adults are $62.99. Seniors 65 years old and older are $39.99.
If you plan to go more than once, a season pass is a good way to save money and get a few extra perks. Season passes are $74.99 if you buy online. You can save big earlier in the summer, with season passes costing a little more than half the regular price. There may also be deals halfway through the summer, so keep an eye out.
Saving time in line
If you don’t want to fight for tubes, you can rent tubes. Tube rentals are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Go to Tube Rentals to snag a single or double tube in the Water Park on the right side of the Wave Pool.
We found plenty of tubes lying around, but if you want to go directly to the line without waiting, a rental can help. The prices for the tubes are: Single Tube: $12; Double Tube: $15
Can’t miss food
If you plan to eat in the park, there are lots of delicious options. The savory hot dogs at Seoul Hotdog are so good; they are Korean-style hot dogs! Most other offerings include classic American-style fare and are located around the park. The Wharf and Lumberjack offer chicken fingers, burgers, and fries. We recommend visiting Sharkey’s in the water park just past the wave pool.
(Image: Kathryn Mueller)
Have a sweet tooth? There are many places in the park to satisfy a craving. The Candy Factory is between the dry and wet rides and the carnival games. We love fudge, and it did not disappoint. For cold treats, check out Dippin’ Dots, Konga Ice Cream or Mix-It-Up for slushies.
Outside food and beverages are prohibited except for a few items, including baby food and formula. You can pack a lunch to eat in your vehicle. The park allows re-entry, meaning you can eat in the parking lot and return afterward.
Know before you go:
- Wild Waves location: 36201 Enchanted Pkwy S, Federal Way, WA 98003
- Hours: Open from May 24 to November 2. Wild Waves opens at 11 a.m. Closing times vary throughout the months. Check their hours of operation webpage before you hit the road.
- Parking will cost you. It’s $25 per car to park daily. Wild Waves is cashless, so leave your dollar bills at home.
- If you don’t like standing in lines, buy tickets online. Purchasing tickets online isn’t only more cost-effective, but you will beat the lines at the gates, make your way through security, and straight into the park.
- As we mentioned, Wild Waves is large, so if you have a wagon, we recommend packing it. It’ll save you the hassle of lugging beach bags and tired toddlers over your shoulders between the water park and dry rides. If you want to save room in your car, they also have rentals available.
- The two parks are split. You can go from the water park to the dry rides by strolling up and down a small corridor of paved sidewalks around the small manmade lake in the middle of the park.
- Accommodations in the park to stash your gear include lockers just to the right after entry (which go fast, so get one as soon as you arrive). If they are sold out, more lockers are located by the lazy river, so don’t fret. Visit the self-automated locker kiosk inside the main entry gate to rent a locker. There are three sizes available: Standard: $16; fits one large school bag; Large: $22; fits two to three school bags; Jumbo: $27; fits three to five school bags
