Garden Rapids at The Big Pool

The big pool is a sight to see.thry have slides and a zero entry pool ,a deep end and swimming Lanes. If you have not had a chance to swim in this historic pool you need to do it at least once. With all the upgrades it's no longer just a big pool. If you look really close you can see what big pool once was but now it is a real community asset. The staff and lifeguards are wonderful.

The lazy river is horrible. Not even a lazy river. They allow people to swim freely in it, the kids are relentless running amuck in the lazy river, swimming underneath the tubes people are in, bumping and pushing strangers out of the way. It's horrible. Swimming should not be allowed in the lazy river, only tubing. There's plenty of other space to go swim if that's all you want to do.

It honestly kind of sucks. Sure, it has some slides and a diving area, but there is nowhere to swim. Plus, the slides can only entertain you so long. The only slides I recommend are the ones that shoot you out. Those are fun, but again, they last maybe 20 seconds if that. Then you have to entertain yourself. Which you can't do since the actual area to swim is incredibly tiny and always overhauled with people. The slides are short and really have nothing going for them. The stand-up one will either burn you or scrape your feet. Plus, since it is a local hotspot, it's incredibly busy. Speaking As someone who used the past big pool, I can easily tell you which one I prefer. Sure, the old one could be dirty and had just as long of lines, but at least you could swim there. Here you have to duck under footballs being thrown or families swimming together. Honestly, the last time I went to the actual swimming area, I was shoulder to shoulder with people if I wasn't on the edge. It's ridiculous. Again, the only redeeming quality is the slides that shoot you out. Which can't save a pool. Especially when SO MUCH of the area is unused and just piles of rocks. Literally. I guess the architect and designer thought it would look cool. Yet everyone who goes just hates it and points out how they could've extended the lazy river to those areas. Also, I say lazy river hesitantly since it's just a misshapen circle underneath the stairs to the slides. The ones who thought up this design couldn't even have the lazy river go all the way around the area. Stupid. I'd hoped for something like Kenwood Cove in Salina. But what I got was a disappointment. After speaking with other locals, they all agree. They'll admit it is fun for the first 5 minutes. Then you will quickly get bored. Again, you can't even swim here anymore because it's too overpacked. The "Big Pool" doesn't even have a big area to swim in. Ridiculous.

My family has really been looking forward to this park opening. One thing we wondered about was if it would be affordable for our big family to be able to go several times during the season. The answer to that is a yes it is affordable. $3 per person is totally reasonable for this cool water park. Several cool slides and a nice big pool to swim in. The lazy river is a bit small, but it's a whole water park in the space of the big pool. So thinking of that it is a good use of the space. The only problem I had is I think the stand up water slide is a waste, as it seems dangerous and is way too awkward to enjoy going down. Probably should have just put another regular slide there. The launching slides are intense. And the high dive has a lot of spring to get some good air for a big splash from a cannonball. We really like it.