The greatest day ever! All my kids were in the same place at the same time in the middle of summer having a blast!
Before I tell you all about our visit to Wings and Waves in Wilsonville Oregon, I must say that this post was sponsored by Wings and Waves, my words thoughts and opinions however are still my own.
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If you’re heading to the Oregon Coast on Highway 18 on your way to Spirit Mountain, Chinook Winds, Lincoln City, or anywhere else on the Central or Northern Coast you’re probably going to drive right past the Wings and Waves located at the Evergreen Aviation Air Museum there in McMinnville. I’ve been driving by it, meaning to stop for years.
Summer Hours: 10:00 AM- 8:00 PM ~ daily
Winter Hours: Click Here
Admission: $30 over 42″ tall, $25 under 42″ tall, $10 for non-swimmers, Free for 3 & under
Life Jackets: Provided free of charge
Food: For $8 you can buy a refillable beverage for the entire day. There’s also a cafe available with burgers/fries, and other usual cafe fare.
Towels: Bring your own
Bathrooms: Large, clean, plentiful.
Lockers: Available for about $5.
In & Out Privileges: You can come and go all day as you please with a wristband.
I’m a big girl. I’m a big big girl, and I had a BLAST at this waterpark! The slides also scared the bejeezus out of me, but the fear was worth the fun. See when you’re my size, you can’t ride most amusement park rides, so I’m not used to all these G-Forces!
The Water Park itself has a 747 on the roof. Well it’s not actually ON the roof, because although it’s sitting there, right on the roof, you walk through it to get into signs, so it’s really just all intertwined and wrapped right into the water park!
There’s also the entire Evergreen Aviation Museum there on the same property, with neat planes to see both inside and out, in fact there were people climbing on tanks and taking photo’s. Even if you don’t opt for the entire waterpark experience, there’s something to be said for getting your picture taken atop a World War II tank right?
My family wandered about the grounds after our water-park adventure and had a blast during out little impromptu photo shoot, those photo’s, priceless. They’re memories that will last a lifetime, of the whole family as a family.
Back to that plane ON the building… That’s neat in and of itself right? But get this, as I mentioned above.. the water slides are actually IN the plane. So you climb up these steps that lead to the slide you want to visit, make it to the top, and you’re standing inside of a 747 with different slide shoots inside of it!
The Yellow Water Slide: The Sonic Boom
The yellow slide is neat because you can see out of it, in most places the top of the slide is either transparent or open. Most of our group felt as though this was also the fastest slide. The water park’s website says it’s one of the slowest and best for beginners. Perhaps it feels faster because you can see outside?
The Blue Slide – THe Tail Spin
This slide is known for fast drops and ‘figure eights’.
The Green Slide – The Nose Dive
This is totally my favorite. First, my breath was absolutely knocked out of me as I FLEW down the slide. OMG it was so fast. Then I was in this tub that the kids called the toilet bowl doing much slower circles, praying to God and catching my breath, and then… I swirled closer and closer to the drain.
Once down the drain I was at the bottom before you knew it, and ready for a stiff drink. This is if it’s not obvious the first slide I went down. My sister and daughter followed not to far behind me, and brought with them fabulous tales of my ultra-loud prayers and wails for help. What would I do without those giggling hyenas?
The Orange Slide – Mach 1
There are quite a few different slides. The orange slide is the only slide you go down without an inner tube, the inner tubes are free by the way, with the cost of admission. The weight limit on that slide is 300lbs.
Travel Tips:
– – The earlier you visit the better. If you get there just as they open you might just have the place to yourself. Either way, the crowds are super small in the earlier open hours. Right around noon, the place starts filling up.
– – Bring cash for food, or bring lunch. With your bracelet you can come and go as you please, so it’s absolutely acceptable to have a picnic out on the lawns. If you decide to eat on site, just remember this is a tourist location and you’re going to be paying for tourist fare. A burger with fries is about $8 bucks. You can get a beverage with that, or just by an all-day refillable cup. I sprung for the cup, and I was glad that I did.
While I was googling today, I found another similar review. Interested: Click HERE. The author suggests a trip to the town of Carlton, complete with an outdoor pool. I will certainly have to look into adding that into our next year’s itinerary!
