It’s a long stretch of road between Martinsville and Doswell, Virginia. Our morning began at 6am. Quite incredibly, the kiddos didn’t complain as we woke them from their slumber and directed them to the car. As the sun grew bigger, we listened to Mr. Limoncello’s Library and tried to be patient with Memorial Day weekend traffic in Richmond, Virginia.
Exit 98, signaled we were heading to thrills and relaxation. It’s our exit for Kings Dominion Amusement Park.
We arrived on International Street at Kings Dominion and stood in awe at the 1/3 to scale Eiffel Tower at the other end.
It was Memorial Day weekend and kicking off our holiday was Uncle Sam!
We met local newswoman Candice Smith under the Eiffel Tower!
We walked International Street and said hello to the tree that orbited the moon 34 times.
Then, just past Planet Snoopy
And past the Delirium
We arrived at our afternoon destination–20 acres of amazing water-themed activities! We had arrived at Kings Dominion’s Soak City!
We found lounging chairs in the back under giant umbrellas. So. Much. Shade!
The kiddos put on sunscreen–trust us, nothing ruins a great day at the water park like a red sunburn.
The kiddos looked at the map to see where their adventure should begin.
They took off for the lazy river…
I took my shoes off, kicked back with a frozen pineapple frozen treat
I sat back and enjoyed my view, making it my duty to “watch our belongings”, although lockers are available for a small fee.
Soak City is an amazing place with water slides, a wave pool, a lazy river, and play areas for little ones. There is something for every level of a thrill-seeker, though most of the rides require participants be 48-inches or taller.
My kiddos spent most of their time making friends at Tidal Wave Bay. It is a great gathering place with the opportunity to swim and ride the waves.
The kiddos found great entertainment in Pipeline Peak—in fact, it was Li’l Man’s favorite adventure at Soak City.
There was plenty of water fun. The kiddos came back twice to reapply sunscreen (every 80-minutes). Each time I listened as they shared adventure after adventure of riding the water slides and daring something new.
I was surprised when they told me they were having a blast at the Soak City Playhouse. But oh, my gosh! There was so much fun here, water guns, dumping buckets and so much more! I had a hoot in the playhouse with them.
We spent four and a half hours at Soak City. There is plenty of fun to be had. My kiddos would have stayed longer, but we had a surprise for them—
We left Soak City and headed four minutes up the road to the Kings Dominion Wilderness Campground. Here we surprised the kiddos with a stay in their Deluxe Cabin. My kiddos thought it was a tiny house. It was the perfect resting place and we enjoyed two hours of down time. Read about our night in a tiny house at the Amusement Park.
After dinner, we headed back to Kings Dominion to ride some rides. Admission for BOTH parks is included in the price of admission.
My son talked his sister into riding the pirate ship, better known as “the Berserk” that goes upside down. Look at her face to see how that went.
It was a great lesson because here is a picture of Karma at her finest.
We thought we were heading out, but we’ve been here before and motion sickness was not going to keep Li’l Man from having the night of his life.
It was worth it.
The Eiffel Tower alone was spectacular. It was lit up and the colors synchronized to the music.
The park was decorated for the Memorial Day Celebration. Even the rides were themed with Red, White and Blue!
There is a lot to be said about Kings Dominion. My husband, who typically, is not an amusement park kinda guy, LOVES this park. He, more than the kids, keeps asking when we can go again.
Soak City is open on weekends May 28 – June 10, then daily June 10 – September 5. Admission to Kings Dominion, which as mentioned also gets you into Soak City, is $45 if you buy tickets online, or $66 at the gate. There is also season passes available.
Kings Dominion is located just north of Richmond, and about 75 miles south of Washington, DC.
Put Soak City and Kings Dominion on your Must-Experience this summer. You’ll be glad you did.
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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company in conjunction with Blog Meets Brand, however, all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.