Saving Money: Think County!

My husband was on vacation (stay*cation that is) This week & we wanted to take our kids to have some fun.   We decided a water park (indoor) would be a blast.  So I started looking at Great Wolf Lodge.  My sister had just been and raved about how fun it was.  But the price tag was a sticking point for me!

First- it’s about an hour drive.  So gas would factor in as a cost.
Secondly, the room was going to be over $410 + tax! Ouch!

So I started looking for alternatives and came across a gem in Charlotte, NC: Ray’s Splash Planet.  It is run by the Parks & Rec department of Mecklenberg County, NC.  It is an indoor water park with water slides, life guards, a mini- lazy river and a “vortex” pool.

So first with my savings tip & then onto the requested review of the location.

Save Money by thinking County!

Our parks & rec departments around me are AMAZING.  I live in the Triad of NC and my daughter wanted to take Karate.  The private studios wanted a commitment, fees for registration and payment upfront for each semester.  I know some people who have paid hundreds of dollars for their child to attend private studios.  (Not all studios are this expensive but this is my experience in my area).  I contacted my local parks & rec department and found out they offer Karate classes all the way up to black belts for $7 a week!  NO COMMITMENT!  I pay each week we go- we miss a class & we don’t pay!  There is an extra fee for “tests” to advance to the next belt but even that is just $7!  I have friends who just paid over $25 just for the testing!

Is my daughter going to be a professional Karate expert?  No.  She doesn’t want to but the experience and lessons she has learned in this class have been priceless- worth WELL OVER the $7 fee each class.

If you have a child wanting to test out a new sport or hobby- check with your parks & rec center!  If you want some exercise classes think about checking them out too!  My local Rec center offers Zumba and many other classes for MUCH lower than the local YMCA or other gyms!

Back to the water park- it is not fancy like Great Wolf Lodge and doesn’t have all the extra activities and amenities but it met our basic needs: An indoor water park where my kids could slip, slide & swim for a MUCH lower price tag!

Review: Ray’s Splash Planet:

I was VERY impressed with this facility.  We arrived around 11 a.m. (they opened at 10) and it wasn’t crowded.  The staff was attentive & helpful and we had the option of the adults paying for “dry attendance” where we wouldn’t swim.   We paid $11 for each adult and $8 for each child.  We all chose to pay to swim.

After signing in we went to change. The bathrooms were clean and offered a family bathroom with one restroom and 2 changing areas large enough for an entire family to fit in.  They offer lockers in each room but they do not have locks so use them at your own risk.  We had two large tote bags and we placed them on a chair in the swim area and never had a problem.

After realizing that my daughter left her swim top at home (sigh) we went back to the lobby to see if it would be an issue for her to wear her t-shirt in the pool.  They said it was or we could purchase a new suit for just $10!  Being a self-conscious pre teen she chose the new suit.

They offer free use of life vests.

We went back to the pool area- which included:

A young child area with numerous slides, water buckets and sprayers.  The water is very shallow and my 5 year olds did great.
A deeper pool with basketball hoops & volley ball net.  The water is under 5 feet there.
A “vortex”pool where jets spin the water (and you) around and around in a circle. it was REALLY fun!
A Comet slide (must be 4 feet or taller to ride).  My oldest daughter loved this.  Life guards are stationed at the top & bottom.
A mini lazy river that circles the Comet Slide.  A life guard is stationed at the entrance to assist you in and out of the water.

They also have a snack bar.  the prices are VERY reasonable but I must caution- the pizza is NOT good.  It is a frozen pizza with VERY cheap cheese. I LOVE Freschetta Pizzas, DiGiorno, etc but this was NOT good pizza.  For $11 my kids ate it but two of the three pulled off the cheese and were not impressed.

Drinks were reasonable ($1 for Powerades 75¢ juice boxes) considering no outside food is allowed.

The staff was considerate and polite.   The life guards seemed to be on task at all times and were gentle when directing kids who were breaking rules.  All in all we had a GREAT time!   You can find out more about Ray’s Splash Planet HERE.

*Disclaimer: I was not paid or compensated in ANY way for this trip or review.  In fact, they don’t even know I am writing it!  I was just asked about our trip & thoughts on the facility by MSM friends!

Here are some pictures in case you want to see what it looks like (and the effects of it!)