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Our Epic Weekend Getaway In Texas

epic waters grand prairie indoor waterpark
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Winter isn’t for everyone.  For our family, the cold weather is tolerated due to the holiday season and all of the joy it brings.  But after January 1st,  it’s cold weather without the joy.  There are no holiday parties to attend.  With kids, it’s too cold to go to the park or do anything outside for that matter.  Some might find themselves wrapped up in a blanket, drinking hot chocolate and counting the days until that warm weather comes back. 

What if I told you that you don’t have to live out your winter days like this?  What if I said there is an 86 degree oasis of fun that you could experience right in the middle of winter? 

*Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Grand Praire Tourism and Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.  I have been compensated with complimentary passes for these events in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you to Grand Prairie Tourism in Texas for our sponsored stay at Epic Waters, Home2 and Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

Our kids were so excited when we told them we were going to a huge indoor waterpark in Grand Prairie, Texas called Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark!  The day we left Oklahoma City for our epic weekend getaway, there were several inches of snow on the ground.  We couldn’t wait to leave the snow behind for some fun in the water.

Once we arrived in Grand Prairie, we checked in at the Home2 Suites by Hilton.  This was our first time staying at one and we were very impressed.  That evening we got some dinner, checked out the IKEA store and got back to the hotel to get some rest since we had a big day ahead of us.

The next day we went for a quick tour of the Epic recreation center just before having some fun at the waterpark.  This massive facility resides right next door to the Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark and opened in November 2018.  It’s so much more than a recreation center though.  It is an arts, fitness and entertainment destination.

Inside Epic

epic fitness equipment

This million dollar, 120,000 square foot fitness facility has children and teen areas, a futsal court, art classrooms, a recording studio, The Epic Theatre Presented by Texas Trust, and the Epic Culinary Kitchen Presented by IKEA.

Another great thing is that you can have parties and private events of all sizes.  You can also have what are called “wet and dry” events where guests can flow back and forth between The Epic and Epic Waters.  How cool is that?  Check out the Epic website for more info.

After that, we got into our swimming gear because a day of fun in the water awaited us at Epic Waters.

epic waters grand prairie indoor waterpark

Photo Credit: Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark

Our jaws dropped when we walked inside.   It was 80,000 square feet of fun!  After all, the Travel Channel considered it to be in the top 8 Of The Most Incredible Indoor Waterparks.

epic waters grand prairie indoor waterpark

epic waters grand prairie indoor waterpark

Epic Waters opened in January 2018. It attracted more than 350K visitors from nearly all 50 states and other countries during the first year of operation.  One of the coolest things though is the roof! Epic Waters is open year round, including major holidays, thanks to a retractable roof and climate-controlled interior.  That’s right!  The roof opens up on nice days.

After we settled into our cabana, we headed for the Rascal’s Round-Up since it was the closest.   With slides and water spraying features galore,  we let the fun begin.

epic waters grand prairie indoor waterpark

 

epic waters grand prairie indoor waterpark

Our youngest is 5 years old and not quite 48 inches, which is required for some of the rides.  But there was plenty to do.  His favorite was the E-Racers.  He thought the yellow one was the fastest.  He thought it was so cool that you get to ride on your stomach.  

epic waters grand prairie indoor waterpark

epic waters grand prairie indoor waterpark e-racer
One thing on everyone’s list was the FlowRider, a simulated surfing ride.  But before we headed over there, we had to take a ride in the Rio Grand Action River which is the longest of its kind in Texas.  However, we didn’t want to get out so we took several laps in this 600 foot river.

epic waters grand prairie indoor waterpark
epic waters grand prairie indoor waterpark
Now it was time for the FlowRider.  We were all a little anxious and didn’t know what to expect.  But let me just tell you that it was a favorite from everyone in our family.

epic waters grand prairie indoor waterpark flowrider

 

epic waters grand prairie indoor waterpark flowrider

epic waters grand prairie indoor waterpark flowrider
We were getting pretty hungry so we ordered some food from the Hungry Wave Cafe.

epic waters grand prairie indoor waterpark

epic waters grand prairie indoor waterpark

We kept passing the arcade and our kids were itching to play some games.  Who are we to deprive them?

epic waters grand prairie indoor waterpark

epic waters grand prairie indoor waterpark
After that, it was time for some of the big rides.

Epic Waters has three “first in industry” slides.  They are the Lasso Loop, the Yellowjacket Drop and the Aquanaut.

The Lasso Loop is a free fall AquaLoop slide that is the tallest of its kind in the nation, standing 70 ft. high.  We didn’t ride this as was a little high for us.  To each his own, right?

But we did ride the Aquanaut and the Yellowjacket Drop.  The aquanaut rides two at a time and has an area that turns you around.  So you could go forward or backward the rest of the way.

Our favorite however, was the Yellowjacket Drop which also does two at a time.  It’s 53 feet tall with a zero-gravity drop that sends you back up just as fast as it drops you.  

epic waters grand prairie indoor waterpark

 

epic waters grand prairie indoor waterpark

epic waters grand prairie indoor waterpark

epic waters grand prairie indoor waterpark

You may have noticed that some of these pics were taken at night.  That’s because we literally stayed until they closed.  That’s how much fun we had.  And even though there were a lot of people, we never felt like we were in line for a long time.

epic waters grand prairie indoor waterpark

Coming in March 2019 is The Epic Wave Pool.  It will be outdoors and 10,000 square feet.
What’s more, Epic Waters is available for birthday parties, church youth group events, overnight events, corporate events, etc.

We ended our epic weekend getaway at Ripley’s Believe It Or Not which is also in Grand Prairie which was a blast!  

Check the video below for everything we did that weekend.

I was born and raised in this area, But I have been in OKC for many years now.  Coming back, I can see that Grand Prairie is taking things to another level.   If you want to get out of the cold and have some fun, then go check out Epic Waters in Grand Prairie!  Visit Grand Prairie Tourism’s website for more info on this great city!

 

8 Comments

  1. Wow, this looks like an amazing place to visit. There are some many things to do and the waterpark looks huge! I love that it has an arcade, they seem to be a dying breed but are so fun! Man, I need to take my family to a place like this, they would absolutely love it.

  2. Wow! This place looks so fun! I have a two-year-old that loves the water. Next time when we are in Texas, we will be sure to stop here! Thanks for the review.

    1. That’s great Mindy! They even have certain times of the days that are only for toddlers, so they can really enjoy themselves.

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