Adventure Island (water park) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Adventure Island
Location	Tampa, Florida, United States
Coordinates	28°2′30″N 82°24′47″W / 28.04167°N 82.41306°W / 28.04167; -82.41306
Owner	United Parks & Resorts
Opened	June 7, 1980; 45 years ago (1980-06-07)
Status	{{{status}}}
Area	30 acres (12 ha)
Pools	2 pools
Water slides	10 water slides
Children's areas	3 children's areas

Adventure Island is a super fun water park in Tampa, Florida. It's right across from Busch Gardens Tampa Bay! This park has 30 acres (about 12 hectares) of exciting water rides, yummy food, and other cool things to do. It first opened its doors on June 7, 1980, and is now part of United Parks & Resorts.

Thrilling Water Rides at Adventure Island

Adventure Island is packed with amazing water slides and attractions. Get ready for a splash!

Exciting Slides to Try

• Aruba Tuba
• Calypso Coaster
• Caribbean Corkscrew
• Colossal Curl — A huge raft slide that opened in 2015.
• Rapids Racer — This is a dueling slide where you race against friends. It has the world's first dueling saucer sections!
• Riptide — Four separate slides for different kinds of fun.
• Solar Vortex — A cool new slide that opened in 2020.
• Vanish Point — This ride has three individual slides. Two of them have a trap door that drops you straight down!
• Wahoo Remix — This slide used to be called Wahoo Run. It's a ProSlide Mammoth River ride with dark tunnels. Now, it's lit up with colorful LED lights and has awesome sound effects!
• Water Moccasin — Three enclosed tube slides that twist and turn.

Relaxing Pools and Play Areas

When you need a break from the slides, Adventure Island has several pools and areas to chill out or play.

• Endless Surf — A wave pool where you can ride the waves.
• Fabian's Fun Port — A special play area just for younger kids.
• Paradise Lagoon — A large pool perfect for swimming and relaxing.
• Rambling Bayou — A lazy river where you can float along in a tube.
• Splash Attack — A fun water playground with sprays and tipping buckets.

Past Rides and Attractions

Over the years, Adventure Island has changed and added new rides. Here are some of the rides that used to be at the park.

Remembering Old Favorites

• Tampa Typhoon — This tall water slide closed in 2005. It was almost 70 feet (21 meters) high, like a seven-story building! From the top, you could see for miles, even the nearby MOSI museum.
• Gulf Scream — Built in 1980, this was one of the park's first rides. It was taken down in 2014 to make space for the Colossal Curl.
• Barratuba — This ride from the mid-1980s was similar to Calypso Coaster. Riders used a tube to go down a hill. It ended with a short drop into a splash pool. Parts of this ride can still be seen today, used as decorations near the exit of Wahoo Remix.
• Everglides — A unique slide where riders went down on flat plastic toboggans. The toboggans would skip across the splash pool at the bottom. This ride was removed between 2017 and 2018 to create a new beach and sitting area.
• Key West Rapids — This was a 700-foot-long (213 meters) tube slide. Riders would float through pools and water features. The park announced its closure in 2017, and it was replaced by Solar Vortex in 2020.
• Runaway Rapids — This was one of the park's original attractions. It had five body slides winding through a rocky structure. Some slides were for kids, and others were for adults. The ride was removed in 2021 and replaced by Rapids Racer.
• Hydra Tubes — These were two pink body slides that dropped into 10 feet (3 meters) of water in Paradise Lagoon. Riders had to be at least 42 inches (107 cm) tall. They were removed in 2017 and were not replaced by a new slide.

Places to Eat at Adventure Island

All that splashing around can make you hungry! Adventure Island has many places to grab a bite.

Tasty Food Options

• Surfside Cafe — A great spot for a meal.
• Mango Joe's — Offers delicious food with a tropical twist.
• Surfside Ice Cream — Perfect for a cool treat on a hot day.
• Colossal Snacks — Quick bites to keep you energized.
• Bayou Beach Club — Another place to enjoy some food and relax.
• Island Taco Truck — Grab some tasty tacos on the go.
• Snack Attack — More quick and easy snacks.