Disclosure: This is a sponsored post as we were invited for the day to Sahara Sams. All opinions expressed are my own.
Thursday, Day 4: Sahara Sams Oasis
The family has yet to visit a water park so we figured this was the perfect time. We chose Sahara Sams because it is close to Philly (where my sister in law lives) so it lends itself to a visit with family as well. The other great thing that attracted us? It’s got an indoor section, so even if it was raining, we could still go and have a great time. This made planning really easy. I remember being so bummed out when (A) was 2 and we went to Hershey for a soccer tournament that I was coaching. We were so excited for him to get to go to his first amusement park. The first time we were free for the afternoon we went to the factory to check that out. We planned to go to the park the next day. Then it rained, we didn’t want to bring a 2 year old out in the rain all day so we headed home. We had already purchased the tickets, and didn’t get a chance to go back :o(. There is no fear of that here so we knew that we could ear mark a day and go rain or shine.
Upon arrival I was impressed. I try not to do too much research before I go somewhere, I am always looking for my honest opinion. Sahara Sams has an arcade, the indoor water park, and outdoor facilities. Lots to do. We stayed inside for the most part, which was great. It was easy to keep track of (A) and (E) and enough fun that we spent 4 hours running around there without needing the other attractions. There is even a full café if you get hungry.
What did we do? What did (A) like? Well, there was a kiddie area for kids 36” and below which worked really well for both him and (E). Being at the in between height meant that he could also run around many of the other parts (not the large slides, or the surfing simulation, he was too young, but totally uninterested anyway). He loved the little tube slide, and we spent hours in the adventure river.
(A) and (E) play with a small water geyser (for almost a half hour, they were enjoying it so much I couldn’t stop them).
(A) going down the small slide in the “Kiddie” area.
(E) hangs (he he he) in one of the water swings.
(A) in some more of the water fun in the “Kiddie” area.
The tube slide for (A)’s age group was at the top of this big water jungle gym. While the kids waited patiently online, there were lots of different water squirters to play with and catch other people off guard. It was pretty funny. At one point a group of giggly kids got me when I least expected it.
Even RNYM got in on the fun!
The adventure river was great. (A), and RNYD got their own tubes, and (E) and I rode together. That was really cool. As you know she is only 1, but with a life vest (which they have available to use for FREE), she was able to ride on my lap. She loved it. There were a few really cool water falls which made it interesting. It moved nice and slow and was only 3 feet the whole way around, so we could all touch down any time we needed to.
(A) lounges in the Adventure River.
Main points that I would like to point out as a mom. It was clean and it was safe. I’d like to focus on the safe part because water parks are a scary place if you are a parent. For kids it’s all about the fun, but for us it’s a whole lot of worry. There were lockers that you could rent ($27 for a small locker, $20 is a deposit that you get back when you return your key) to put your items in. Aside from that, I put my towels down in a chair (unlabeled) and came back several times, they were still there untouched (and they are very nice towels). There were like a million lifeguards, and not the type you often see. They were diligent. Always moving, always eyes on the water, always communicating with one another. I watched several shift changes where BOTH lifeguards double checked the water before one left and the other took over. THAT was awesome.
This was (A)’s first trip down the slide. It really shows how attentive the lifeguards are. He was warned by the top guard that he was nervous, and so he was ready when (A) got there.
Oh and another bonus that I didn’t think of until a few days later? Since we stayed inside for the most part, I didn’t have to stress about sunscreen all day long (especially in the water).
If you need another reason to take a visit, it’s really easy to come up with one. Right behind Sahara Sams Oasis is their other theme park Diggerland (which I will review soon). That makes for a great (really long day) or an awesome weekend. They have a bundle which you can purchase with tickets for both included.
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