Splash Into Summer at a Water Park or Playground

When temperatures rise, Louisiana offers family-friendly opportunities to cool off at a variety of water parks, playgrounds, resorts and more.

Cool Zoo at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans

Enjoy the water park Cool Zoo at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans.

Water canons. Splashing fountains. Lazy rivers. Twisting water slides. They all call out to kids—alright, kids of all ages—on a warm summer day. Fortunately, fantastic water fun awaits all across the state. Here are a few ways to chill out in Louisiana.

Louisiana Water Parks

There are plenty of ways to get soaked at Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, where the Cool Zoo splash park features a Gator Run lazy river, jumping water spouts, alligator water slide, spider monkey soakers and even water-spitting snakes. (Wait, what?!) And with a separate area designated just for toddlers, parents don’t have to worry about their little ones getting in the way of older kids.

Thrill-seekers should venture to Blue Bayou Water Park in Baton Rouge, which offers nearly 20 water attractions and epic, giant water slides. Challenge a friend to see who’ll slip and slide down the Racer the fastest, or take a twisting ride in the dark on Voodoo. Blue Bayou also has a lazy river, water playground and wave pool.

In Sulphur, near Lake Charles, families gather at Sulphur Parks Waterpark to enjoy the water playground, lazy and raging rivers, and multiple water slides.

Water Fun at State & Local Parks

Many Louisiana State Parks offer opportunities to get wet, from pools and beaches to water parks and splash pads. The wave pool at Bayou Segnette State Park in Westwego is a popular spot, as are the water playgrounds at Fontainebleau State Park in Mandeville, which also boasts a sandy beach, and Tickfaw State Park in Livingston, where you can check out an 800-gallon aquarium stocked with fish from the Tickfaw River.

For a free splash adventure, take the kids to RiverView Park in Shreveport, where splashing fountains and a “sprayground” alongside the Red River draw a crowd, as do the fountains across the river at the Louisiana Boardwalk Outlets.

Resorts with Water Attractions

Guests at L’Auberge Casino Resort in Lake Charles can enjoy a relaxing float along the property’s lazy river. While the kids splash in the pool, mom and dad can swim up to a poolside bar for a cold drink or take a dip in the adults-only pool.

At the nearby Golden Nugget Lake Charles casino, you can sail down the waterslide, relax in the lazy river and grab a bite to eat (and a frosty beverage, of course) at the poolside bar.

For family fun with a beautiful lakeside location, visit Sun Outdoors in Ponchatoula. Along with camp sites that have amazing views, you can also enjoy the family pool, lazy river, and tiki bar.