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Volente Beach Waterpark
Rating Details »
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
7 reviews for Volente Beach Waterpark
I agree with what David B. said, but have a few pros and cons to add to the list. In short, I would say skip Volente Beach Waterpark and put the $20 towards a better water park or renting a boat to go water skiing or tubing out on the lake.
Pros: Absolutely no lines for the 4 slides and a nice view of Lake Travis (when it's not in drought mode)
Cons: Definitely lacks curb appeal - you arrive and ask yourself, is that it? Also, there are only 4 slides which are all really short so you can get bored quickly.
My company had planned the last two years summer party at Volente Beach. I went the first year and skipped last year.
1. Four slides/rides does not a waterpark make.
2. Your pools, of which there are exactly four (that I can recall) are completely filled to the brim. You can't possibly keep a safe environment with that many snot nosed, barely swimming kids in one pool. I know, I used to be a lifeguard.
3. Let me get this right...I can't go swim down at the lake because you only allow a certain amount of people at a time? I'm in my thirties and a former lifeguard - I think I can handle swimming in the lake.
4. Volente Beach Waterpark isn't worth your time, the entrance fee or your gas money.
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We visited Volente Beach on a July Friday morning, a small group of two 2 year olds and their moms. It was a perfectly enjoyable outing from the park opening at 10am until we left for naptime around 12:30. Here's what we liked:
- clean, shady, uncrowded toddler play area that's right off the entrance, with lots of chairs for parents (not that we sat much, but anyway...)
- pirate ship playscape with slides, sprinklers, and a 20 inch max pool depth of chlorinated fresh water (not dependent on rain fall or lake levels, which tend to plummet in the summer months)
- extremely attentive life guards who walked around observing all angles of the play area
- ability to bring in coolers of your own ready-to-eat food & drink
- free entrance for children 2 and under, plus internet coupons for $3 to $5 off adult entrance
We were all so comfortable in the toddler area we never even tried to see the rest of the 5 acre park. Most of the time, there were fewer than 10 kids in the area, although the occasional new group would stop by for a quick dip on their way to the big waterslides.
Sadly, it looks like VB may not stay open passed Summer 2009. One of the lifeguards told us that the new mega waterpark opening in Cedar Park similar to Schlitterbahn (see here: http://impactnews.com/...) means that VB may be closed unless the owner decides to keep it going.
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We had to visit at least once, but how could you ever go more than once?
Round Rock's Rock'N River is less expensive and closer, and Schlitterbahn is World Class.
The place is not bad, there is just no way it can compete with Cheap & Close or World Class.
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Do you enjoy feeling like a chump? Like when you work hard all week, only to feel scammed out of your money on the weekend? Well, if you enjoy that feeling, then Volente Beach is for you!
Calling Volente Beach a "water park" is like calling Jack in the Box a "fine dining establishment." If you were to take the Schlitterbahn water park and divide it into, say, 200 pieces, then one of those pieces would be the size of Volente Beach. I was stupid enough to ask for a map of the place at the front gate; one doesn't need a map when you can walk from one side to the other in maybe 30 seconds.
The scam begins when you park, because you pay $5 to park in a dirt lot in the middle of nowhere, when in fact there is plenty of other parking if you just drive around a bit. At the gate, I paid adult rates for my six year old, even though she is the shortest kid in her kindergarten class, because her height put her into the adult category. Oh, and internet coupons? I had 'em, they weren't honored.
This place has one pool for young children, one for everyone else, and three relatively short and unimpressive slide-like things that are fed by a single staircase. The pool for older kids has exactly one slide that is three feet long. Oh, and they have something they call a "beach," which is some sand that they hauled in that overlooks a bunch of rocks, steel cables, broken glass, and one of the less attractive parts of the lake. And that, my friends, is Volente Beach.
Even though the place wasn't that busy when we went, since there is essentially nothing to do everyone crams into the pool. It was nearly impossible to move around -- don't even think about swimming - and the water was disgustingly filthy. When my little girl went more than about six inches underneath the water, I could no longer see her. For those of you who are parents, think about how much fun that is - to have your child disappear under filthy water with hundreds of people around. And, the fun doesn't stop, because you then get to worry for weeks, wondering exactly what your kids may have caught from that water.
This same six year old, who is the type who could have fun just about anywhere no matter what, aptly summarized the place as "boring." There was little for her to do there, and quite frankly there isn't much for anyone of any age. I totally regret having gone there, even though I read other reviews that were negative. Trust me: Save your money and go somewhere else.
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Volente Beach is not a destination.
Volente Beach is a mudhole that's totally out of the way for any Austinite.
There's one slide. It's not impressive.
The waterpark is full of flies.
The "beach" is tiny and full of large rocks.
It's kind of a mess.
I would avoid it if I were you.
Go to Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels instead.
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I am not crazy about this place and would never choose to go here on my own by myself. But, I do visit several times each summer with my family and it is usually a fun day for everyone. This is a great place for families with kids and teens and I am sure they would give a higher star.
The park has a nice clean sandy beach on Lake Travis, a pool, water slides and a kiddie pool with a Pirate Ship, a sandy volley ball court and a play ground for the kids. The marina rents boats and there is a restaurant that serves Seafood, Burgers and sandwiches.
The facts:
The park is only open on weekends mid April - June and August - mid September. Open 7 days a week summer months 10A - 8PM.
You pay 5.00 to park - they have a shuttle bus back to the park or you can walk.
Kiddos are 14.99 and adults 19.99 or 40.00 for a Season Pass - if you have kids and live in Austin do the math. The day pass is way over priced. On Mother's Day and Father's Day parent of the day gets in free if they bring the kids.
In my humble opinion it is not a cool place for a late 30's person without kids. But, if you do have kids Woo Hoo the kids will love it and you will probably have fun also.
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