Catch a Wave

Best Dallas waterparks to keep you cool during summer 2025

Fireside Surf

If anything is guaranteed in Dallas, it's that summer will be hot. Maybe that's why waterparks and other splashy entertainment venues are so massively popular here. Just say the word water, and step aside for the throngs.

Fortunately, Dallas has it all: from glitzy indoor waterparks to wave machines to municipal parks adding slides and other amenities to get in on the fun, there are plenty of options for those looking to splash around — some of which are opening for the season this Memorial Day weekend.

Here's our list of the great waterpark options available in Dallas during the summer of 2025.

Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark
Not only does Epic Waters in Grand Prairie offer some of the best waterpark options in the area, it's also one of the few indoor venues, allowing visitors to avoid UV rays while having fun. It boasts a bunch of slides with a range of thrills, a large lazy river, a FlowRider surf machine, an outdoor wave pool, and more. And unlike outdoor waterparks, it is open year-round, letting visitors splash around whenever they want. Open daily at 10 am; closing time varies by day. Tickets range from $34-$54; annual passes available for $199.

Get Your Surf On
Two venues offer the opportunity to get on an actual surfboard and tackle waves as high as six feet: Both Goodsurf Beach Club in Deep Ellum and Fireside Surf in The Colony have a Citywave surf machine that allows visitors to show off their surfing skills on a never-ending wave. Both offer surfing lessons for the inexperienced. If you'd rather watch, both have cabanas, bars, and restaurants to sit back and watch others hang ten or wipe out. Goodsurf Beach Club is open 10 am-10 pm on Sunday and Tuesday-Thursday, 8 am-midnight on Friday and Saturday. Surfing starts at $45 per person. Fireside Surf opens for the season on June 1. It will be open 11 am-7 pm daily. Prices TBD.

Six Flags Hurricane Harbor
The biggest waterpark in Dallas-Fort Worth, located in Arlington, features 12 thrill rides, most notably Der Stuka, a free fall slide that's not for the faint of heart. New for the 2025 season is Splash Island, a multi-level interactive play structure with a 1,000-gallon tipping bucket, colorful water slides, cabanas, and more for families to enjoy. With a lazy river, Surf Lagoon, multiple other slides for less adventurous people, and more, there are plenty of options to keep visitors busy all day long. Opens for the season on May 24; season runs through September 1. Open daily at 11 am; closing time varies by day. $20 and up for daily passes when purchased online; season passes start at $65.

WorldSprings
Not a waterpark in the regular definition, WorldSprings at Grandscape in The Colony features more than 40 mineral hot springs with temperatures ranging from the mid 80s to the low 100s, as well as cold plunges at 55 degrees. One is called Dead Sea, a hypersaline pool that allows guests to float effortlessly. Visitors can also enjoy saunas, fire pits, a cafe and bar, and poolside drink service. Most of the areas are for adults only, but those under 18 are welcome at the Globe Pool in the South Pacific Region. Open 10 am-9 pm Sunday-Thursday, 9 am-10 pm Friday and Saturday. $49-$85 for adults, $24-$29 for kids under 18.

Hawaiian Waters
While not as big as Hurricane Harbor, the two Hawaiian Waters locations in Garland and The Colony offer plenty of amenities that make them great waterparks. They each feature thrill rides like Waikiki Wipeout & The Flyin' Hawaiian, the Oahu Bay wave pool, the family-friendly Keiki Kove, the Kona Kooler lazy river, and more. Open daily from May 24-August 9, Saturday and Sunday only August 16-September 27 (September 20 in Garland). Opens 10:30 am most days; closing time varies by day. $24.99 and up for daily pass; $39.99 for season pass.

Great Wolf Lodge Water Park
More indoor waterpark fun can be found in Grapevine at Great Wolf Lodge. And their version tries to offer a little bit of everything, with options including thrill rides like Coyote Cannon and Howlin' Tornado, family-friendly areas like Fort Mackenzie and the Crooked Creek lazy river, an outdoor lagoon, and two hot springs - one for adults and one for families. Open 10 am-8 pm Monday-Friday, 9 am-8 pm Saturday and Sunday. $35 and up for day pass; $29.75 and up for half-day pass.

The Cove at the Lakefront
What, yet another inside waterpark? Little Elm gets in on the action with The Cove at The Lakefront. Though not as big as the other versions on this list, it still features the Tower Slides that take visitors on a twisty ride in and out of the facility, another slide above the lazy river, a FlowRider, The Dock play pool and Spray Ground for the younger set, and even rock climbing. Open 4-8 pm on Monday, Thursday, and Friday; 10 am-6 pm on Saturday; and 12-6 pm on Sunday. $11-$18 for day passes.

City waterparks
In addition to the standard swimming pools at city recreation centers, many cities in area have smaller waterpark options that include slides, lazy rivers, splash areas, and more. Among the options are Bahama Beach in Dallas, Jack Carter Pool in Plano, Frisco Water Park, West Irving Aquatic Center, and Rowlett Wet Zone.

kids families waterparks

Movie Review

Shaun the Sheep gets PG-spooky in new movie for the Halloween season

Photo courtesy of Aardman / Sky UK LTD / StudioCanal 2026

Shaun the Sheep in Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.

Since his introduction over 30 years ago, the Aardman Animations character Shaun the Sheep has been almost as popular as the studio’s flagship characters, Wallace and Gromit. There is never a shortage of trouble Shaun can get into as he leads his flock and proves to be a thorn in the side of his farmer and Bitzer, the farmer’s loyal sheepdog.

His antics lead everyone down some slightly spooky roads in the new film, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom. At first, things are only slightly awry as Shaun and the flock are growing a secret pumpkin patch to have their own jack-o-lanterns. But when the farmer accidentally destroys the pumpkin patch, Shaun tries to regrow it quickly with a Frankenstein-esque experiment.

However, disaster looms when Shaun uses an old bottle of Hair-Gro as the container for the serum he creates. Naturally, the balding farmer uses it on his head, and everyone soon discovers how truly successful it is, with pumpkins growing out of control and the farmer sprouting hair all over his body. Through a series of mishaps, the farmer becomes the titular beast, creating mayhem while Shaun and others try to stop him.

Directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, and written by Mark Burton and Giles Pilbrow, the film goes down just as easy as every other Aardman project has. They get the Halloween vibes started from the opening credits, with things like the sheep doing the “Thriller” dance, and continue the fun throughout, referencing everything from Psycho to Friday the 13th in a nice, PG way.

With no script — every character is mute save for reaction noises — the movie relies on sight gags for its humor, and the Aardman team is endlessly inventive in that respect. Sometimes it’s small things like a sheep using toilet paper rolls as binoculars, and sometimes it’s something like forcing the Bigfoot-like farmer to be shaped into a rectangle as he escapes through a window. But there’s a never-ending stream of such moments, so even if one doesn’t tickle your funny bone, chances are the next one will.

The biggest benefit of the characters not talking is that there’s no need for deep character development. The filmmakers do a great job of giving the basic traits of each character, and then use those attributes to color everyone’s actions for the rest of the film. Shaun is the troublemaker, the farmer is a bumbling fool, Bitzer is preternaturally smart, and the town’s vet is empathetic, and the combination of those characters and others makes for a highly entertaining blend.

Like all Aardman creations, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is a fun lark that doesn’t make its audience think too hard. With just enough references to keep viewers engaged but not so many as to be overbearing, the film puts its well-worn characters to good use once again, delivering a Halloween season story that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

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Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is now playing in theaters.

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Movie Review

Shaun the Sheep gets PG-spooky in new movie for the Halloween season