Thinking about a day trip from Jacksonville filled with theme park fun, BUT not at Disney pricing? For about the same distance (or a little less), you can head northwest to Valdosta, Georgia and spend the day at Wild Adventures. Wild Adventures is a safari themed park that is a waterpark, county fair, roller coaster, and zoo adventure all rolled in one. Though the park itself is not as large as what you might find in Orlando, you can easily get a day or even two of fun in.
Wild Adventures has More Than Just Rides
Wild Adventures has the animals of an alligator farm combined with many rides. Ride choices range from those for little ones and fun rides for the older kids too. Though a lot of the rides remind you of what you see at the county fair, Wild Adventures has the benefit of the rides never being moved. This means these nostalgic rides are better maintained and obviously much more stable. When my girls were very young, they loved all the park had to offer. We would spend the day enjoying rides like the spinning dragons or a little coaster. A train ride combined with the entertaining animal shows made it easy to use our season passes all year long.
Now, as my girls are older, we wanted to visit so the girls could experience the roller coasters and big kid rides. The rapid adventure, boomerang coaster, the rattler, all provided entertainment for my girls with fairly short lines. Bumper cars, the petting zoo and The swamp coaster were activities they loved then and now.
Visit the Wild Adventures Waterpark
Everyone loves a good waterpark day trip. The waterpark at Wild Adventures is open Memorial Day through Labor Day. When it’s hot outside, it’s the perfect way to cool off. The waterpark allowed us to have fun and beat the heat before drying off and riding even more rides.
Wild Adventures has tons of delicious fair-like food options. You can enjoy funnel cake, ice cream, corn dogs and more. They even book a dining pass if you know that your crew will want to eat. You can save money if you purchase tickets online two or more days in ahead of your visit and they offer a BOGO deal where you can buy one day at the park and get the second for free if you want to turn your day trip into a weekend getaway.
Melody is a graduate of Jacksonville University, married a Jax Beach resident, moved away for 12 years, then returned to the area in 2016. Together they have two girls. Melody works as owner/photographer of Melody Coarsey Photography, she loves yoga, family, traveling, dining with a view and the ocean.
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