A Mom’s Guide to Alabama Splash Adventure

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Mom's Guide to Alabama Adventure

We are so excited to share our *newly updated*, A Mom’s Guide to Alabama Adventure in 2023! In this guide you will find everything you need to know, bring, do and see, at Alabama Adventure and Splash Adventure

Alabama Adventure & Splash Adventure

Alabama Adventure and Splash Adventure is a family-owned and operated Amusement and Water Park just outside Birmingham, Alabama. With over 26 attractions (all for one low price!) they know they will have something for you to enjoy. Whether you like to Ride, Slide, or Relax Alabama Adventure is the place for you and your family!

4599 Splash Adventure Pkwy

Bessemer, AL 35022

I’ll never forget reading about Alabama Splash Adventure on my good friend’s Instagram account:

“Such a fun day at the water park! I have to say, since I grew up in Orlando around many water parks, including Disney ones, that I set my expectations pretty low for this one. But, it did not disappoint! My kids had a BLAST and are already asking when we can go back!”

She had me at Disney. And her kids are the exact same ages as mine, so naturally, I was intrigued, and we took our kids for the first time shortly thereafter. Fast forward to today, we took our kids back for the fifth time, and I must say, it gets even better each visit! So here’s a Mom’s Guide to Alabama Adventure…

 

Mom's Guide to Alabama Adventure
BMC Contributor Team Day in May 2023

Main Street

We arrived right when the gates opened (10:30 a.m.) and proceeded into the park. We were greeted with a fun, colorful “Main Street” of shops and restaurants as we made our way to the water park portion of Alabama Splash Adventure. We got a locker (which, might I add, blew my mind)! The lockers open when you scan your wristband barcode. How amazing is that? No need to keep up with a locker key or remember a combination code. Then we were off to play!

Mom's Guide to Alabama Adventure
Get a funnel cake on main street!

Salamander Bay, Splash Island, and All American Dive Show

We started our adventure in Splash Island, which is perfect for preschoolers to tweens. I LOVE that Alabama Splash Adventure lets us parents go down the slides with our kids until they feel comfortable going without us. Splash Island offers rows and rows of deck chairs and umbrellas for parents (and anyone) to sit and relax while the kids explore the eight slides suited just for them. Just off Splash Island, you’ll find the All American Dive Show (with several shows daily) where acrobats put on a swashbuckling jumping and diving show for the kids, complete with pyrotechnics!

We also enjoyed the Rocket Racer, a multi-person slide that opened in 2021! Our kids love racing each other to see who wins. 

Mom's Guide to Alabama Adventure

After Splash Island, we headed to Salamander Bay, a toddler/preschooler-friendly play area complete with slides, sprinklers, climbing toys, and a water see-saw. Surrounding the pool play area were deck chairs covered by large shady umbrellas.

Wave Pool, Lazy River, and Cocoa Island

After that, we headed to the Kahuna Waves wave pool (while my husband and I each took turns going down the nearby Upsurge Slide) before heading to the Warrior River lazy river for some rest and relaxation.

By this point, we’d all worked up an appetite, so we headed over to the new and improved Island Pizza. My kids love their pizza and talk about it year-round. We even saw a sign that Alabama Splash Adventure’s pizza won a statewide theme park pizza award. So they felt completely validated in their expert pizza opinion!

With renewed strength, we headed to the new Cocoa Island (which just replaced Castaway Island if you remember that from last year). Cocoa Island has even more fun slides and activities for mid-elementary ages and up, but it’s also extremely fun for preschoolers. I love the height of the activities in Cocoa Island better than Castaway Island. I can keep an eye on my kids a bit easier. 

Mom's Guide to Alabama Adventure
Cocoa Island

FREE! FREE! FREE!

There are self-serve fountain drink stations throughout the park that you can walk up to at any time during the day and get yourself any ice-cold Pepsi beverage, lemonade, Gatorade, or water—absolutely FREE! What? Yes.

While I’m on the topic of FREE, I must also point out that the park has various FREE sunscreen (SPF 30) stations (one less thing to lug around)—how fantastic is that? They have FREE life jackets available in all sizes as well. And . . . drum roll . . . that is not all! The park also offers FREE Wi-Fi. All you work-from-home parents now have no excuse not to take your kids to a day at the water park! Ha!

Adult Slides

While I have mentioned kid-friendly attractions, I’ll now point out the slides that are appropriate for older children to adults: the Freefall slide, Neptune’s Plunge, and Upsurge are all well worth the tall climb to the top and will have you wanting to get back in line as soon as you splash down after each turn. Be sure to also check out the Aqua Life-Size Maze and Twister slide (my personal favorite).

Mom's Guide to Alabama Adventure
Free Fall

Cabanas

Did you know that Alabama Splash Adventure rents private, shaded cabanas so you and your family can take a break from the sun, take cat-naps, watch t.v. (yes!), charge your phones, cool off with a fan, or take a work conference call (remember the FREE Wi-Fi?)! It is such a genius idea—every theme park should have private cabanas!

And That’s Not All . . .

Did you know Alabama Splash Adventure also has a completely separate amusement park section? We loved the Dropzone freefall ride and Yo-Yo flying swings best this year, and we also enjoyed the Little Harbor boat ride, Centispeed (a roller-coaster for children), Splash Express Train, and Jump Around frog ride. There are so many fun age-appropriate rides for kids, so make sure to make time for them!

Mom's Guide to Alabama Adventure
Dropzone Freefall

Older kids and adults, don’t miss the Rampage roller coaster or the newly-opened in 2022, Cheddar Chase roller coaster!

Mom's Guide to Alabama Adventure
Rampage Roller Coaster

A Few Tips/Ideas:

  1. Bring a towel.
  2. Bring pool shoes because the summer sun, hot cement, and bare feet don’t mix.
  3. Bring a puddle-jumper if your toddler is attached to his or hers; otherwise, you can use the park’s FREE life jackets (all sizes). Kids can even wear puddle-jumpers and life jackets on the slides.
  4. Buy tickets online to make your check-in even quicker, and to get the lowest price. When you buy tickets online, everyone gets the kid price! Military and healthcare workers receive a discount, so be sure to bring your ID with you to the admissions booth. There’s also a season pass option. 
  5. You can leave and come back. If your toddler is pitching a fit and is cranky because it’s nap-time; go home, let him nap, then come back refreshed and ready to play the rest of the day. Just ask for the hand stamp as you leave the park.
  6. Bring a shirt, shorts, and shoes if you intend to go to the amusement park section. You will not be allowed into the amusement park simply wearing your swimsuit and bare feet from the water park section. We wore swimsuit cover-ups and flip flops.
  7. As mentioned above, no need to pack sunscreen, ice, cups, or drinks–all are provided FREE in the park. You can bring a water bottle if you like! 
  8. Did you know Alabama Splash Adventure offers birthday parties?

Where Am I?

I still can’t believe all this is in Birmingham’s backyard! We felt like we were on vacation (or a daycation–whatever you want to call it), so much so that after the first time we went, when we pulled off at our exit to go home, our oldest asked, “Are we back in Birmingham now?” Ha! Bravo, Alabama Splash Adventure. Bravo, Birmingham. We’re definitely adding this to our list of Birmingham must-see attractions.

All in the Family

Alabama Splash Adventure - Julie with the Kochs
Birmingham Mom Collective co-founder, Julie Sasse, with Alabama Splash Adventure owners Pat Koch and Dan Koch

The Alabama Splash Adventure owners—Dan Koch and his 90 year old mother (I know–wow!), Pat, aka “the General”—have 60-plus years of experience in the water park and amusement park industry. When they purchased Alabama Splash Adventure in recent years, they renovated, renewed, and re-visioned this theme park from the ground up, and their work ethic can be seen in the park each day.  

You will often see the Kochs are at the park from open ’til close each day personally greeting guests, cleaning the park themselves, and even making the funnel cakes.

Their strong leadership is evidenced in the cleanliness of the park as well as the extreme attentiveness, politeness, and professionalism exhibited by all the lifeguards and park employees. Trust me, you’ll be blown away at how well this park is run. My husband remarked on the way out how impressed he was with the lifeguards: none of them were socializing with one another or playing on their cellphones. Each lifeguard was incredibly attentive to his or her station, and we felt our children’s safety was in great hands. 

Our kids are already asking when we can go back, and we’ve only been home one hour! You should definitely add this place to your Summer Bucket List

Want more information? Watch this video…

Have you had a family adventure at Alabama Splash Adventure yet? What’s your favorite attraction?

This content is sponsored by Alabama Splash Adventure, but we 100% had a blast and are sharing our true opinions (and our kids')!

3 COMMENTS

  1. The newest attraction, Cocoa Island was a BIG hit with my 2 youngest. I could sit back and watch them play while my older 2 did the other attractions my littles couldn’t do! We bring a wagon to pull our stuff in and just incase one of my littles needs to rest. We visit 2 to 4 days a week and love it!

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