Family Fun: Inflatable Water Parks

Tigertail Lake Recreational Center in Dania Beach, Florida, recently added an Aquaglide water obstacle course to its offerings. Encompassing 8,000 square feet, it features eight “stations” with different challenges. The stations are interconnected by floating walkways that let you glide, balance, or bounce your way to the next feature, in any order you please.

There’s Freefall Supreme, a water slide that’s 16 feet tall, Cyclone Wheel (think giant hamster wheel), the Thunderdome climbing mountain, the Catapult trapeze swing from which you can launch yourself into the water, Supertramp water trampoline, Kaos bouncing dome, Foxtrot balance beam, and the Blast Bag, (affectionately referred to as “The Blob”), which will hurl you in the air for a dramatic splashdown into the lake.

“The Blob is the best,” said college student Justin Degen. “One person [jumps] down, the other person [goes] up, flying in the air, twists, turns… it’s probably the coolest thing I’ve ever done.”

The course is a lot of fun for adults, too. Jose Sierra, Coordinator at Tigertail Lake Recreational Center, recalled the day they installed the course. “We thought it was going to be for kids,” he said. “We inflated it, put it together, and we just had a blast on it. We knew, hands down, this was going to be a winner.”

Participants have one hour on the course, which includes a quick safety briefing. Safety is definitely a priority with the center. The maximum lifeguard to guest ratio is15:1, and all guests must wear a provided life vest.

What about alligators? Even though Florida’s alligators are shy and generally avoid people, Tigertail doesn’t leave anything to chance. The manmade lake is fenced and carefully managed to ensure everyone can relax and enjoy the course without worry.

“[The course] is a great way to have some fun,” said Natalie Justice, Manager of Tigertail Lake Recreational Center. “You can bounce around, get wet, cool off… it’s a really good workout, too.”

“I was surprised by how fun it was,” said teen Gavin Richards-Justice. “At first I didn’t want to put my phone down ‘cause I didn’t feel like it was going to be that fun. But once I did, I want to go on it every single day.”

While there’s no doubt everyone will have a blast and sleep well that night, probably the best thing about an inflatable water park is that it brings a family closer. No phones, no television or video games, no distractions.

Imagine the fun of challenging your teen to a climbing contest. Sliding your little ones across a slippery, floating mat. Playing “King of the Hill” with your spouse. Everyone laughing, bonding, and being present in the moment.

It's summertime at its absolute best.

Family fun bonus: Don’t miss out on the other family activities Tigertail Lake Recreational Center has to offer. In addition to renting sailboats, paddleboards, windsurfing equipment, canoes and kayaks, they have an Aerial Challenge Obstacle and all-inclusive weekend Adventure Trips where staff takes you and your family to local hot spots for camping or water sports.