Gulf Islands Waterpark Review

Gulf Islands Waterpark Review!

• By: Krystal Deblasio
• Posted: Sep 17th, 2013

I went to Gulf Islands Waterpark last month and I had a blast. It was one of the last fun things I did in Mississippi before I moved to Florida. It was a super hot Summer day and there was nothing I would rather do than lounge around on a float in the Lazy Pearl River or get my heart racing and make a splash on the Horn Island Blaster.

First things first, we surprisingly spent hardly any time waiting in line before we got into the park. Then we set our few items down on a shaded table by the pool. If you are interested in laying out and working on your tan while the kiddies play, there were plenty of free lounge chairs to lay on as well.

Next me and my boyfriend, Matt, went off to find our first water slide. I'm not a rollarcoaster scary rides kind of girl, so I was a little nervous when I saw how high up some of the slides were, but I decided to be a good sport and try out all of the biggest slides. First, we went on the Riptide Racer, which was a lot like one of those slides you go down on a potato sack at a carnival. You get your mat, and you ride on it belly down face first. You go down fast and there are a few small ups and downs, which make this ride a lot of fun.

Then we decided to go on the one and only water coaster in the Gulf Coast, The Horn Island Blaster. This was definitely the biggest and scariest slide at the park. Me and Matt got on a raft for two and went down 500 feet of twists and turns and drops greater than 45 degrees. I was screaming at the top of my lungs all the way down and Matt's ears were definitely hurting.

After a couple of slides and the sun beating down on us, we were more than ready to take a dip in the pool and lounge for awhile in the Lazy Pearl River. I don't know how many hours we spent doing just that, but it was very relaxing and a lot of fun. There were plenty of tubes and rafts to lay on whether you were going solo or with a partner. There were also a couple of waterfalls to float into to make things a little more interesting.

If you float on the Lazy Pearl River long enough you will eventually find yourself in the huge Waveland Wave Pool. The pool is over 12,000 square feet, so there is room for all to enjoy the gentle rolling waves. Riding the waves on an inner tube can be relaxing but is also a lot of fun!

After we decided we had enough lounging around it was time to get back on the slides. The Camille Cutter was a fast and fun ride. You get to go on a giant raft big enough for the whole family as you go down a 400 foot slide. This ride was a little more tame than the Horn Island Blaster since there are less ups and downs, but it still gets your heart racing as you speedily slide side to side all the way down.

We decided to go on one last slide and that was the Cat Island Catapult. This one was perfect for young and old alike. It's a 155 foot slide so it's one of the smaller slides at the park. It was a fairly short ride, but still a lot of fun and a bit of a rush as well. Then we spent some more time in the Lazy Pearl River and the Waveland Wave Pool before we decided to call it a day.

Even after our long day, there was still more rides and fun things to do left unexplored at Gulf Islands Waterpark. If you have kids they surely wont feel left out, because there are plenty for them to do too. At Lil' Pelican's Bay they can enjoy over ten different aqua toys such as water cannons and giant squirt guns. Then they can test their skills at Padscagoula as they try to scale across 27 feet of slippery pads while not falling in! There's even a small slide that kid's 2 and up can go down.

Overall, I had a great time at Gulf Islands Waterpark. I would even call it the most fun you will have in Gulfport, Mississippi! If you are new to the area or just visiting, I would definitely recommend spending at least one hot day at Gulf Islands Waterpark!