First Time at a Water Park

Posted on August 17, 2026

Hello everyone and here I am writing for you guys in the month of August. Now before I start going into this blog post, I would like to say that I am writing on a brand-new Chromebook. That’s right, I bought a new one. The other one I had was old and outdated so I had to get a new one. Anyway, for this month I am going to tell you guys about my experience going to a water park for the first time in my life. Let me start by saying that I have never been to a water park or the beach EVER in my life. I have always wanted to go to the beach but never had the chance, let alone a water park. Growing up, my family never allowed us to go to the water parks or a beach for some reason. If you ask me why, I’ll tell you I don’t know.

I’m getting back to the topic now. The water park I went to was the Boardwalk at Hersheypark. Despite the many times I have gone to the park, I have never gotten a chance to try out the water park attractions until this year. I am 33 years old and for the first time in my life I have stepped foot on one. There were four attractions I tried out. Earlier in June, I found out that the Tidal Force was being removed at the end of the 2026 summer season after 32 years of operation. During Season Pass Sweeter Start on June 19th, me and my sister decided to take advantage of it and give it a go one last time before it’s gone. It makes me sad to see it go because it’s been around as long as I have. In fact, as many times I have been to the park, it’s been there. I can’t imagine seeing anything different in that spot.

Another attraction I went on to was Breaker’s Edge. It is a hydromagnetic water coaster where you sit on a raft and the raft has handles on each side that you hold onto while you go through tunnels, hills, and turns. It’s practically a water slide with all the coaster thrills. The best part of that ride is that as you go through the tunnels, you get hit with water in your face. The second time we went back to the park, I never got to go back on it because the ride broke down and it was going to take up to an hour to fix it. We weren’t going to stand in line waiting for an hour for it to reopen so we tried out the Whitecap Racer next door to it. That’s basically a giant water slide where you have to go up 9 flights of stairs to get to the top. Before going up though, you are given a water sled. As I was going up the stairs, I felt myself losing my breath really slowly because never have I ever had to go up that many steps. It was exhausting to be honest. When you get to the top you get ready to slide down when they give you the signal. You lay flat on your stomach on the sled, and you push yourself down. At first, I thought it was a little scary because of how high it was. I could see a lot of things from below the ride station. As I went down, the water kept hitting me in the face and in my mouth somewhat. I could smell the chlorine from the water, but it wasn’t that bad at all. Despite all that, I actually enjoyed it.

I think the one attraction I found to be the most relaxing and enjoyable the most was the Intracoastal Waterway. All that is basically is you sit on a floaty in a comfortable position and there is a gentle current that takes you around in a circle. To me, it felt like I was in a pool because the water was crystal clear and to just have your legs dangling in the water, it’s instant soothing. A part of me didn’t want to leave when we went there the first time in June. The second time we went there, which was in July, we did the Lazy River three times because we loved it so much. I think if anyone were to try the Lazy River, I’m sure they would feel the same way. They wouldn’t want to leave either. I would recommend it if anyone was looking for a water attraction to try.

We only go to the park when the weather is pleasant and it’s 90 degrees and below. The water park gets packed on really hot days, like when it comes to heatwaves. You will see long lines just to get on them, it’s crazy. Now, I would like to end my blog post by saying one thing. I feel that going to the water park is not just fun, but it is good for your mental health. I wasn’t told that by anyone, I just learned that on my own. If you go on less busy days, the Lazy River can be an option if you are looking for a calming attraction. It calms the mind and I would know because the only thing I think about is being in a large pool with the sun and wind hitting my face as if I’m in my own little world. The way I see it, the Boardwalk at Hersheypark is like my version of the beach except without the sand. It would be nice to feel the sand in my toes but at least I get to wear water shoes the whole time.