Taking the Plunge Close to Home

Cost: $43.99 (7 and up), $29.99 (3-6), 2 and under free.

WHAT' THERE

19 acres, 19 slides. Get soaked in Big Wave Bay, a 650,000-gallon pool that serves up four-foot waves; Surf City Splash House, a water-filled funhouse with a swinging bridge; the Spiral Chute, with two enclosed, intertwining tubes; and the Lazy Rider rafting river. The Lil' Barefoot Beach is just right for tykes.

THE BIG SPLASH

Thrill-seekers flock to Pipeline Peak. The attraction consists of four slides, including Night Slider, the world's tallest enclosed tube -- which zips riders down 77 feet in complete darkness.

NOTES

Park is inside King's Dominion (included in ticket price; check Web site for major discounts) . . . Parking is $8.

Wildwater Kingdom Allentown, Pa.

610-395-3724

www.dorneypark .com

VITALS

Drive time: About 3 hours 15 minutes (180 miles).

Cost: $35.75 (over 48 inches), $16 (3 and older and under 48 inches), 2 and under free.

WHAT' THERE

30 acres, 18 slides. The park was refurbished in 2003, with 10 new slides. At 70 feet tall and 700 feet long, Aquablast is one of the world's longest elevated raft rides. Get clean in Kid Wash, a carwash-theme attraction; tube your way down Runaway River, a 1,600-foot-long winding river; and surf in the 560,000-gallon Wave Pool.

THE BIG SPLASH

Patriot's Plunge has three slides (red, white and blue, of course) leading from a 52-foot-tall tower. Following the theory that bigger is wetter, four other slides at the 40-foot level let riders access the Wildwater Rapids.

NOTES

Admission includes all of the rides and other amusements at the on-site Dorney Park theme park . . . Parking is $7.