All Wet: 7 Top U.S. Water Parks

Info: 973-827-2000, www.mountaincreekwaterpark.com.

Noah's Ark (Wisconsin Dells, Wis.)

Why it's special: Seventy acres, 36 slides, four kiddie areas, two wave pools and two lazy rivers add up to one heck of a large water park.

What's there: About 2.5 million visitors head here each summer to take the Plunge (the only major headfirst slide in the Midwest), face a 10-story drop on the Point of No Return slide and experience a Flash Flood aboard a boat whose 50-foot drop creates a 40-foot tidal wave. Mini-golf and Noah's Incredible Adventure (a 10-minute ride tracing the whole two-by-two story) offer a chance to drip dry.

What's nearby: The Wisconsin Dells, about 50 miles north of Madison, Wis., is also home to the country's largest indoor water park, Kalahari Resort, as well as more than a dozen others . . . Hike and fish in Rocky Arbor and Mirror Lake state parks . . . Race around Mount Olympus Theme Park (the world's largest Go-Kart complex) . . . See the remains of the Ringling Bros. Circus Winter Quarters in nearby Baraboo, Wis., where the Circus World Museum just celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Cost: $28.99 (3 and up), $23.20 (47 inches and under), ages 2 and under free.

Info: 608-254-6351, www.noahsarkwaterpark.com.

Raging Waters (San Dimas, Calif.)

Why it's special: California's largest water park was the setting for "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure." It's also the only Southern California park with Dragon's Den, a two-person slide with a 45-foot drop and a mist-spewing dragon.

What's there: High Extreme -- a 10-story flume that scoots riders along at up to 35 mph -- is the signature thrill among the 36 attractions at this 50-acre park. Splash Island Adventure has water cannons, tunnels and a giant bucket that tips 1,000 gallons of water. Amazon Adventure, an 18-foot-wide waterway, can hold up to 600 raft riders at a time.

What's nearby: Hiking trails lead from the San Dimas Canyon Nature Center . . . Head about 20 miles west to San Marino for art at the Huntington Library, or to Pasadena (slightly farther west) for one of the country's largest private art collections at the Norton Simon Museum . . . Another 10 miles and you're in downtown L.A.

Cost: $27.99 (over 48 inches), $16.99 (under 48 inches), under age 2 free.