Fort Rapids050

Fort Rapids is an indoor water park featuring 60,000 square feet of wet and wild fun, with 12 unique water rides, a Gold Rush Arcade, or dining options at the Branding Iron Grille. Day passes and birthday party packages are available.

What works is the family-friendly pricing, day-pass options, and the great toddler area (missing in some more expensive parks).

What doesn't work is the layout of the water park, which is simply too cramped to allow comfortable passage between many of the slides and the lazy river area. Other things that don't work, in our experience, are all over the hotel, from broken games in the arcade to hotel room locks and doors that don't work to the virtual bowling area and Old Time photo attraction - not working on either of our two stays in 2006 and 2007.

But there's more good news - the on-site restaurant offers a good menu, well-prepared, and like the rest of the staff, the restaurant employees are nice, friendly, genuinely helpful, and they're really good with kids, even when the kids aren't being so good.