Robotic dinosaurs. Mechanical miners. Unpredictable mayhem. Our local water attractions promise to get you wet with a touch of surprise and excitement.
Home to four world-class theme parks, Southland has no shortage of inventive ways to get wet. Some of these attractions are exquisitely designed, emphasizing the show and story scenes rather than simply bombarding us with water. Others aim to do exactly that.
In Los Angeles, water is all around us. Drink up, cool off, and dive into our stories about hydration and recreation in the city.
After all, getting wet is part of our history. In 1900, Los Angeles was home to one of the first major American water attractions, Shoot the Chutes at Chutes Park in historic South-Central. Standing 75 feet high, it used flat-bottomed boats and a cable to carry riders down a slope.
Today, our water rides are more advanced and may be among the best in the country. We've tested them all, and we've done so without ponchos, so we can rate them based on how wet they are. Five drops means you'll get wet; one drop is more like a light drizzle.
Missing from this list is Disneyland's Splash Mountain, which is being transformed into Tiana's Bayou Adventure, a “Princess and the Frog”-themed attraction opening later this year. We'll be there when it opens. In the meantime, here's a ranking of the rides you can ride now.
(Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
pirates of the Caribbean
Disneyland’s 1967 boat ride is a leisurely stroll through a town in the process of being ransacked by inept (read: mostly drunk) pirates. There are, however, two early drops: one moderate and one relatively minor. Depending on the weight of the boat or the height of the water, you can expect to get lightly splashed. Because this is primarily a slow-moving, family-friendly attraction, the water can be an unexpected delight or an intrusion. But with reliable air conditioning and a duration of more than 15 minutes, you’ll likely be dry by the end of the ride. More importantly, you’ll have experienced one of Disneyland’s most vital attractions, as its abstract approach to storytelling set the template for the modern theme park ride.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Aquatic world
Okay, so it might seem odd to include a theme park show on a list of water attractions, but Universal Studios’ stunt show is entirely centered around water, so it made the list. Plus, the large stadium that houses the show contains a pretty large splash zone, meaning anyone sitting in that particular section of the stands is going to get wet. The show is essentially a love letter to action movie illusions, and it’s really fun. Some moments never fail to amaze, like when a full-scale seaplane is launched into the pond. And yes, a splash occurs. Those sitting in the wet section will be sprayed with a decent amount of water, but if that’s not your thing, it’s clearly marked and easy to avoid.
(Todd Martens/Los Angeles Times)
jet stream
Magic Mountain’s classic version of a wooden flume ride is no-frills: Our boats go up a lift, into a fast-moving current, and then speed down a hill. Oddly, the back seat of the boat tends to get a little wetter than the front, perhaps because the boats have a tendency to slide when they hit the man-made pond. Still, this can be an essential attraction at Magic Mountain, especially in summer, when the Valencia park is often scorching hot. Jet Stream came to Magic Mountain in 1972, and while it doesn’t feature elaborate theming or scenery, the final splash is still a unique sensation, as the boats tend to jump and accelerate slightly upon landing.
Timber Mountain Log Ride
This 1969 Knott's Berry Farm ride is one of the most significant wood-burning fireplaces ever created. At the time of its opening, it was a relatively new attraction; the first proper implementation of the ride format opened in 1963 at Six Flags Over Texas. Knott's, however, gave the ride, which moves in its flume at a relatively brisk pace, a narrative about lumberjacks in the early 20th century, showing the world that thrill rides could have a story. There are a couple of small drops, but the grand finale is a drop of about 40 feet. Sometimes I came away relatively unscathed. Other times, I got soaked from the waist down.
(Sean Teegarden / Knott's Berry Farm)
Calico River Rapids
As far as river rapids go, I've never gotten soaked on this Knott's Berry Farm ride. Without a major drop or a strong, fast-moving current, Calico River Rapids has always seemed more like a soaking threat to me. That's not to say one should expect a dry experience (not at all, you will get wet). Just that this rapids ride can be conquered without a poncho. That means that as we spin through its current, we can enjoy the vignettes scattered among its rocky banks. My favorite: a young bear playing whack-a-mole with a flock of prairie dogs. But also keep an eye out for a pesky woodpecker.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Jurassic World
Universal Studios revamped this attraction in 2019 to align with the latest crop of “Jurassic World” films rather than the original “Jurassic Park.” In doing so, the designers upped its water content. We start by sliding down into a fake aquarium with a shark-eating mosasaur staring hungrily at us tourists. Expect to be hit by water from above as the dinosaur is shown leaping out of the tank. But this attraction is all about building tension as it takes us down an 84-foot drop. You’ll want to stay at the top of the hill to marvel at the giant dinosaur battle with a T. Rex that unfolds there. But head down, and when you reach the bottom a sizable wave is likely to find its way into your lap.
Grizzly River Run
Disney’s take on the whitewater rafting ride is a hard-hitting affair, lasting about seven minutes. It starts off easy, as you drift and spin around an old mining town, before the ride gets really exciting and water-filled. But what ultimately sets the attraction apart is the overall design, which, in a relatively small space, manages to recreate the feeling of being in a national park. The scenery is relaxing, but the second half of the ride is frenetic, as Grizzly River Run gradually increases its pace and the amount of water it takes in, eventually culminating in a drop that will cause even more water to spill into the raft.
(Six Flags Magic Mountain)
Roaring Rapids
Magic Mountain’s Roaring Rapids was instrumental in the development of the whitewater rafting-type ride, as it’s the first built in the western U.S. But that also means it runs a bit choppy, which, in this case, results in riders getting completely soaked. As on all rapids rides, the turbulent river, held in place by narrow chutes, moves unpredictably. Expect about four big crushes of water to jump into the raft, and those waves will be huge — there’s no buildup, no rhythm and no underlying story. To ride Roaring Rapids is to sign up to get soaked.
