“Mommy this was the best day of my life”.
No really he said that. We had never been to a theme park before and I have to say I am so happy with our experience at Wild Adventures in Valdosta, Ga. We went on a Saturday in October, so the Halloween events were happening. In the evenings, its aimed towards teens and adults, its called Terror in the Wild. The teens were coming into the park in droves around 8pm when we were leaving.
Since my kids are under 10, we didn’t partake of the after hours scary party. However during the day there is trick or treating at the rides (part of Kid-O-Ween) and even a game getting your sheet stamped at the rides.
Where Is It?
Valdosta, Georgia. Closer to the Florida border on 1-75. It is about 4 hours from Atlanta suburbs. It felt a lot farther driving home. I recommend sharing driving on the way home or getting a hotel in the area.
Best Time of Year to Go?
I really enjoyed our experience in October. But in all honesty I think you will always have shorter lines then the big huge parks in Florida. In the summer they have a Splash Island Water Park which you get free access into with your admission, you can do both! I also think Wild Adventures is cleaner than Six Flags and more family friendly. My kids adored the first ride into the park, Ant Crawl. It’s a smaller roller coaster (perfect for scaredy cats like me) and the cars are shaped like roller skates. There is only one small dip, if you want the slowest seat on the train choose the first few cars. We rode this probably 12 times. There are scarier rides and scarier roller coasters, like I said, I am a scaredy cat.
Ticket Prices/Money Saving Tips:
Currently there is a special, I shared it a few months ago, Wild Adventures Coupon Deal . It’s $10 off the ticket price if ordered online 2 days ahead of time, this deal does not give you the extra free day. The cost of those tickets are $46, the normal ticket price. How cool is that, to get the free extra day! However all current prices and deals are found on their website, so please consult there for actual prices. Season Passes are on sale right now until 10/31. These are not only on sale ($35 off) but are also free upgrades so you get the free parking with it, free go karts and miniature golf. Parking is $10 and Go Karts are $5. Note for the Go Karts you have to be wearing closed toe shoes, no flip flops or sandals allowed.
Drinking & Eating:
They have these drink cups you can buy and get $2 refills. If you want to save money you can eat before entering the park, there are a lot of fast food restaurants in Valdosta right off of the highway. The food didn’t seem as expensive as I expected. I asked someone what was the best value and they saidMama’s Pizzeria.
Compared to Walt Disney World:
I have been to the big ones in Orlando. Let me tell you, they are huge, stretched out and involve a lot of walking and space between all the rides (probably for the long lines). This is a smaller park. Going there, I really didn’t know what to expect except a friend of mine had gone with her family and said it was a great experience. That being said, we walked the whole park and still didn’t get to everything in 7 hours (they have a Tiger Safari show that we never got to). Their little legs did hurt on the way home, I don’t think we ever walked that much before.
Wildlife Shows:
Yes, they have wildlife. Birds, tigers and monkeys oh my. The enclosed bird area was a big hit, the little kids loving feeding parakeets. The bird seed is $2 per little cup. Which actually is a fair amount, people gave us their leftovers so we only bought a few. Also they had a really cute dog sh0w. The dogs are all rescues and the show pitchman kept reminding us to consider rescues before buying from pet stores.
Yes, that’s my finger at the bottom, you’re welcome.
We had a great time. Really the kids want to go back. Maybe this summer we will do just that and get the two day pass so we can squeeze in some water park fun too. Perhaps make a weekend of it and get a hotel. The water park side, Splash Island opens in April. The park is open March to December every year. Again to go their site for the most current information.
Thanks for reading! And seriously since we went two weeks ago the kids have asked to go back about every other day. They had that much fun.
Disclaimer: I received tickets for review purposes as part of the US Family Guide Network of Bloggers. All thoughts and musings though are 100% Zombiemommy.
