Ohio’s abundance of water parks makes it easy to melt away your cares

Pack carefully

Here are a few items to check off your list before heading out to a water park. Be sure to consult the rules of the water park before heading out. Many are the same, but some can be different depending on the location.

Water parks sprinkled across Ohio offer guests a thrill-filled getaway that can transport them to exotic spots and beat the heat.

What follows is a list of 15 of the best spots in the state to relish in spills and splashes.

Most of the water parks in Ohio open on Memorial Day weekend.

Castaway Bay

2001 Cleveland Road, Sandusky

(419) 627-2106

Cost: This indoor water park resort is connected to a 237-room hotel. Entry to Castaway Bay is open to registered hotel guests. Rates vary depending on the season and day of the week. Call to inquire about current rates. Day passes are available at the front desk of the hotel for $29 (subject to availability). Cedar Fair Platinum pass holders receive a special rate of $15 per person.

Amenities: This 38,000-square-foot indoor park offers a variety of water activities for all ages including an indoor uphill water coaster (Rendezvous Run), 12 zippy water slides, a wave pool, a play area for small children (Lookout Lagoon Funhouse), an indoor/outdoor whirlpool in the Grotto, a 6,000-square-foot arcade, three restaurants — including a T.G.I. Fridays — and more. Open to guests until 10 p.m., the hotel resort is a short drive to Cedar Point and an ideal place to cool off after a day of roller coasters and sun in the summer. In colder months, it serves as a retreat that will allow you to leave plummeting temperatures at the door.

CoCo Key Indoor Water Park Resort at Cherry Valley Lodge

2299 Cherry Valley Road, Newark

(740) 788-1330 or (800) 788-8008

Cost: A variety of packages are available at this resort located 35 minutes from Columbus, including a CoCo's Family Road trip package starting at $209 that includes overnight stay, four passes to CoCo Key Water Resort that are good for two days and one $25 gas card. Rates start at $139 and go up from there. Annual passes are available for purchase. Day passes can be purchased based on availability.

Amenities: The 50,000-square-foot indoor Key West themed water park offers an area for the kiddies (Parrot's Perch), an adventure river, a grotto, activity pool, three 40-foot slides, an arcade and the opportunity to rent private pool-side cabanas for those requiring a little alone time. There's an onsite snack-bar, restaurant and pub indoors and an arboretum and botanical garden outdoors. CoCo Key Newark location is attached to Cherry Valley Lodge, a 200-room hotel that offers a full-service spa, fitness center and meeting rooms.

CoCo Key Water Resort at Crowne Plaza Cincinnati North

11320 Chester Road, Cincinnati

(513) 771-2080

Cost: A number of rooms and rates are available at this 257-room hotel. Most of the rates start at $149 a night. Annual passes are $69.95, day passes are $19.99. The hotel offers a Cincinnati Museum Center package and a Newport Aquarium package for families that will plan on spending some time in Cincinnati.

Amenities: Like its Newport sister site, this 50,000-square-foot indoor water park offers a similar set-up at a year-round 84 degrees: an area for the kiddies (Parrot's Perch), an adventure river, a grotto, activity pool, slides, an arcade ... you get the idea.

Coney Island

6201 Kellogg Ave., Anderson Twp., east of Cincinnati

(513) 232-8230

Cost: Season passes for ages five and older are $89.95, Junior Passes (ages 2-4) are $39.95; an upgrade to a platinum pass is $39.95, which includes free parking and 20 percent discounts on food, beverage, merchandise and cabana rentals. Combo tickets purchased online for the water park and classic rides are $17.95 for ages 5 and older, $8.95 ages 2-4. It will cost you more to buy at the gate, so plan ahead.

Amenities: Coney Island's famed Sunlite Pool, built in 1925, measures 200 feet wide and 401 feet long. With more than three million gallons of water it is the world's largest flat surfaced recirculating pool. The Twister — a jumbo slide with four chutes — is the newest feature standing tall at 45 feet and more than a quarter of a mile long. The park, which celebrated its 125th anniversary last year, serves as the location for several large festivals including the Summerfair Arts Festival (June 1-3).

Fort Rapids Indoor Waterpark Resort

4560 Hilton Corporate Drive, Columbus

(877) 33-SPLASH (77527)

Cost: This indoor water park is connected to a hotel that offers 277 rooms and 60 deluxe suites. Rates vary depending on the season and day of the week. Call to inquire about current rates. A limited number of day passes are available for purchase after 10 a.m. depending on availability. Passes for Saturday or Sunday are $29.95 per person; Passes to visit Monday through Friday are $23.95 per person. Entry after 4 p.m. is $21.95 per person.

Amenities: This 60,000 square-foot indoor water park offers a Rascal Roundup interactive play area for kids, a lazy river, a large activity pool and four waterslides including a massive Black Out Pass bowl ride. Other amenities include an arcade, restaurant and meeting spaces.

Great Wolf Lodge — Sandusky

4600 Milan Road, Sandusky

(419) 609-6000

Cost: This indoor water park is open to Great Wolf Lodge resort guests. Rates for rooms vary depending on the season and day of the week. Call to inquire about pricing.

Amenities: Attractions include a splashy tree house, activity pool, jumbo whirlpools, a lazy river, an outdoor pool and several large slide rides. A sweet shop, cafe, restaurant and kids spa, fitness center and swim shop are also available to guests.

Great Wolf Lodge — Mason

2501 Great Wolf Drive, Mason

(513) 459-8885

Cost: This indoor water park located near Kings Island is open to Great Wolf Lodge resort guests. Rates for rooms vary depending on the season and day of the week. Call to inquire about pricing.

Amenities: One highlight at this Great Wolf Lodge location is the Hydro Plunge uphill water coaster, which uses a motorized track to send riders zooming around. Other attractions at the 78,000-square-foot park include a wave pool, a family raft ride, jumbo whirlpools, an outdoor pool and several other large slide rides. A cafe, restaurant, Aveda spa, fitness center and store are also available to guests.

Kalahari Ohio

7000 Kalahari Drive, Sandusky

(877) 525-2427

Cost: Measuring a whopping 173,000 square feet, this water park is one of the world's largest indoor water parks. Open to resort guests, daily rates on rooms vary depending on the season and day of the week. Call to inquire about pricing. There are water park day passes that can be purchased online. Rates vary, but are generally in the range of $45-49 per person for all day admission.

Amenities: This African-themed resort offers guests both an indoor and outdoor water park with plenty of slides, a surfing simulator, an uphill Zip Coaster, a lazy river and plenty of kid friendly attractions. An arcade, indoor mini-golf, a pottery-making shop, day spa, restaurant and fitness room are also available to hotel guests.

Monsoon Lagoon Water park

1530 N. Danbury Road, Port Clinton

(419) 732-6671

Cost: Season passes are $70-$85 per person, daily passes are $17 or $10 after 3 p.m.

Amenities: Monsoon Lagoon is a small outdoor water park located near Sandusky Bay offering inner tube rides, a few slides and an activity pool. Other attractions include miniature golf, an arcade and go-karts.

Pioneer Waterland & Dry Fun Park

10661 Kile Road, Chardon

(440) 285-5200

Cost: Discounted tickets can be purchased online at least one day in advance for $14.95. Season passes are $55.

Amenities: Pioneer Waterland features four six-story high waterslides including The Black Hole Enclosed Dark Slide, a three-acre activity pool, lazy river and paddleboats on a six-acre natural lake. The park also offers miniature golf, driving range cages, pitching cages, a basketball course, arcade and go-karts.

Soak City at Cedar Point

1 Cedar Point Road, Sandusky

(419) 627-2350

Cost: Because Soak City is a separate admission from Cedar Point, it's best to go with a Platinum Pass to get unlimited visits, free parking and early admission to all Cedar Fair parks (including Kings Island). Platinum season passes are $179. Single-day adult tickets are $32.99 online — more if you purchase at the gate; $18.99 for children and seniors.

Amenities: This 18-acre water park features 14 slides, including Eerie Falls — a maze of slides that put adventurous riders in total darkness. There are plenty of kid friendly rides, as well. The newest addition to the park is Dragster H2O — a mat racer ride that you can race friends on.

Soak City at Kings Island

6300 Kings Island Drive, Mason

(513) 754-5700

Cost: Unlike its sister park, Soak City entry is covered with your Kings Island admission. Single-day adult tickets are $36.99 online, $53.99 at the gate; $32.99 for children and seniors. Like Cedar Point, a platinum pass is worth looking into if you plan to try and visit both Kings Island and Cedar Point this summer.

Amenities: Kings Island's Soak City Water park opens this season after a massive $10 million expansion of the former Boomerang Bay park. It has more than doubled in size from 15 to 33 acres, with more than 50 water attractions. Some of the new attractions include Tidal Wave Bay, a 39,000-square-foot wave pool, a new action river, entrance and more places to lounge and relax thanks to more space and more than 1,000 additional lounge chairs. The expansion represents a more than 650,000 gallon addition of water for guests to chill out in.

Splash Bay Indoor Water Park

1705 Tollgate Drive, Maumee

(419) 482-7777

Cost: This indoor water park is connected to a Holiday Inn. Rates vary depending on the season and day of the week. Call to inquire about current rates. A limited number of day passes are available for purchase depending on availability. Passes start at $19.95 per person.

Amenities: This 30,000 square-foot water park near Toledo has several slides, a lazy river and an activity pool.

Wildwater Kingdom at Geauga Lake

1100 Squires Road, Aurora

(330) 562-8303

Cost: Single-day adult tickets are $30.46, $15.22 for children and seniors. Buy four or more tickets and the price drops to $25.38 each. Season passes are $59.99 for adults, $49.99 for children and seniors. A Platinum season pass ($179 for adults, $96 for children and seniors) will get you in to all Cedar Fair-owned parks, including Cedar Point and Kings Island.

Amenities: Attractions at this 17-acre park include an interactive water play area, a lazy river, a water slide tower and a 30,000-square-foot wave pool.

Zoombezi Bay

4850 W. Powell Road, Powell

645-3465 or (800) MONKEYS (666-5397)

Cost: This large outdoor water park, part of the Columbus Zoo, offers guest admission to the zoo on the day of the visit. General admission tickets are $32.99 ages 10-59 and $24.99 for children and seniors. Parking is $7. Two-day tickets are $43.99 ages 10 and older, $31.99 for children and seniors. Season passes start at $79.99.

Amenities: This 22-acre park features 17 water slides, a 544,500 gallon wave pool, lazy river, action river, kids area and more. A new ZOOMPASS feature allows riders to bypass lines. The most popular ride in the park is probably the Cyclone, which plunges daring riders 55-feet down to reach speeds up to 20 mph into a large funnel tunnel.