Waterville USA is the answer to a question every family here eventually asks: “the Gulf is great, but is there a water park?” There’s exactly one on this stretch of coast, and this is it — 20 acres a quarter mile from the Gulf Shores beach, open since 1986 and into its 40th-anniversary season as of May 2026.
The wet side
Seventeen water slides, headlined by Dune Racer, a six-lane mat racer where you drop 55 feet against five other people — the rare ride that lets a whole family lose to each other simultaneously. There’s also a FlowRider surf simulator if somebody insists they could totally surf. Water park admission runs on an unlimited-attraction model, 10am to 6pm.
The dry side
This is why it works as a full day: the Waterville 500 go-kart track, an hour-long escape room, Topgolf Swing Suites, and Splash-N-Strike arcade bowling all run alongside the slides. Dry attractions are priced per ride, separate from park admission.
Good to know
They’ve put over $10 million into the place over the years, so it doesn’t feel like a relic of 1986 — it just has the staying power of one. Military and senior discounts exist; so do cabana rentals if you’re the shade-and-a-chair type.