Big Kahuna's Water and Adventure Park
Big Kahuna's Water and Adventure Park
Big Kahuna's Water and Adventure Park
3.5
About
- Temporarily closed This huge and constantly expanding water park has over 40 water attractions for sliding, splashing or just basking in the sun and, for night-time fun, miniature golf, go-kart tracks and several thrill rides.
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191 within 3 miles
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45 within 6 miles
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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3.5
929 reviews
Excellent
248
Very good
253
Average
199
Poor
110
Terrible
119
Sheila B
Sulphur, LA7 contributions
Jul 2020 • Family
We have been coming here for years and have always had a great time, until this year. We won’t be back. Paid almost $50 per person entry, plus $150 for a cabana. I don’t know if it’s money, staffing, or COVID but this place has gone down hill! They are supposed to open at 10:00, we were third in line to get in and waited 30 minutes until 10:30 before they opened. No explanation at all. When asked we were told it was the weather but it had rained earlier and stopped. No one is in charge, no one knows what is going on. Once they opened we went to the cabana waiting area, followed by 3 other families shortly thereafter. We waited there another 10 minutes with no one helping us. Finally a staff member came over and took the family that came in after us to their cabana as we continued to wait. We had to ask a second time when we were going to go to the cabana and were told they had called for someone. We finally were escorted to the cabana at almost 11:00!!! To say it was disgusting is an understatement. The chairs were gross and there was trash all along the sides. Id love to post pictures but I’m not a “local guide” so i guess i can’t. When a staffer came by to leave our lunch order form I asked for the chairs to at least be cleaned. He said most people just put their towel over it! For $150????? Someone came by later to “disinfect” the chairs but said they could be cleaned. Very disappointing for what we paid. This used to be a place we looked forward to coming to. If you can’t keep up then close, but charging people for this is robbery.
Written July 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KristinFrakes
Fort Worth48 contributions
May 2022 • Family
We originally planned a beach day, but quickly had to change our plans due to it being a red flag day. We packed up and headed to Big Kahuna’s. This place is HUGE. There is so much to do, and would likely keep you busy for hours upon hours; however, IT’S SO BUSY. The day we went (on a Friday) there were loads of busses with teens. They didn’t bother us much given my son isn’t old enough to do the same things as them, but holy moly, the food lines were insane. We waited in line for 30+ minutes for a slurpee and the line for food was running around 50-60 minutes! Everyone we encountered was nice, so no complaint there. The park was clean given the hoards of people, but we likely won’t go back if we visit the Destin area again. Also, for reference, it cost us about $165 for a family of 3 plus $18 to rent a locker for the day.
Written May 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tammysD0AU
Louisville, KY366 contributions
Aug 2021 • Family
There were food and bad things about this park. My 7 year old daughter loved it. She loved having an option other than the beach and our condo pool to entertain her during vacation. She rode a few slides but ultimately settled on an area with a small pool 1-5 feet deep and a play area with 5 kid slides. Adults weren’t allowed on the small slides so lines were short for her and she was able to go many times. It was right by a larger slide that operated well and she enjoyed jumping over to the big slide here and there. The lay out is kind of confusing but there are posted maps. There were many slides and attractions that were not running. That was annoying since it was 57$ a person to get in. You can buy tickets online and *only* pay 54$. It is Destin and everything is overpriced so we went there anyway. The lines for food were AWFUL. There’s a coke machine but it only takes cash. We paid 20$ for one cheeseburger and one fry and a tiny 12 ounce coke. The food was mediocre at best. Eat before you go or leave snacks in the car. The food was not worth the long line or ridiculous price. The ground is real hot so bring easy slip on shoes. They don’t let you wear your water shoes on the slides so we had to leave the water shoes at the top of the slide, slide down, and walk up the huge stair case to retrieve our shoes. One of the most popular slides was this big yellow slide. There are two lanes but only one was operating which made the wait very long. My daughter loved the slide but we didn’t want to waste too long just waiting in line. The wave pool is not good. It’s tiny and crowded. We didn’t like the lazy river. It was very congested and shallow. Having to pay for parking when you already spent crazy money for admission is terrible. Overall the park was fairly clean.
Written August 6, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
medicbsn
Fayetteville, GA176 contributions
Jul 2020
I personally have rated this park five stars on past visits, but oh how things have changed. I always buy a season pass the years I am vacationing in Destin, however this year had some hiccups to say the very least. I bought my tickets as part of a 'black friday deal' that included refillable popcorn and drink containers and supposedly a free friend pass per season pass. We arrived to find that the free ticket was contingent on when you visited and couldn't be used on the first visit. That wasn't put out there as loud and proud as the free guest pass. Anyway, I arrive and find out this little tidbit and say, fine, I will just buy my daughter a season pass, but wait, they don't offer them anymore and would have to buy a $15 pass each day she was to come, but wait there's more, I had to decide by the first full day of my vacation how many day passes I would need or we would need to buy full price tickets. The manager did what was in his power to try and help us, but seriously, it was asinine. I patiently waited with baited breath through their whole bankruptcy garbage to even know if i had wasted my hard earned money, only to be handed a season pass rules sheet that would baffle the average customer. The complex algorithm of purchase by dates, blackouts, nonexistent popcorn buckets, closed rides really will make me rethink our next vacation plans as we truly chose Destin over other cheaper, less traffic congested locations, simply because of how much we loved this water park. If we had decided to vacation one week later, we would have been stuck because even though we were in the bring a friend window, we were outside the bring a friend purchase dates. Next year, we will spend a bit more for the water park at a different location, and save twice that on similar accommodations.
Written July 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robert B
Westfield, IN12 contributions
Jul 2022
This was a great experience. We had a six year old with us and he could do most of the slides and we had a lot of fun. It does have an amazing variety of pools and slides for the whole family. It is likely we would return if ever in the area. My biggest complaint is the cost. It is nearly $50 a person for admission, which alone would be okay, however that was just the beginning. They charged $20 for a small locker rental, $4 a bottle of water, $15 for an average hamburger with fries. It just added up very quickly. Additionally, the food took forever to get. They only had two small areas to serve the food. I waited in line for nearly 75 minutes to get three small meals. They need to have more spaces opened to serve good.
Written July 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
susie k
Memphis, TN55 contributions
Aug 2021 • Family
Half of the attractions were closed. I don't know if it was a staffing issue or maintenance issue, but half of the slides were closed. I feel like when spending $250 for a family to enter, there should be a price decrease for half the slides closed. No outside food or drink is allowed in andy bag was checked. Totally fine with that until I stood in line 30 min to get 4 bottles of water for $5 each. Son was most excited about wave pool, and after 20 min of no waves we asked the life guard when waves would turn on. She told us not today. Large group of people beside our chairs had grocery sacks full of food, water and beer. We had fun. Just cant believe how much we spent for so little attractions. If you are not running half of them, knock down the prices!! And get more staff to handle the lines at the only 2 open spots to get food and water. Disapppinting.
Written August 3, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robin F
Springfield, MO7 contributions
Jul 2021 • Family
First the good. It was fun and our 4yo loved the time we spent there. The bad. 1. Oh my god. The bathrooms are awful. Absolutely gross. 2. Staffing shortage. 1/2 the park is closed and you will wait and pay an ungodly amounts of money for water and $12 corndogs. The staff is obviously overworked and most look miserable. I felt bad for them. Over all this park is really cool looking and huge. Wear water shoes!!!! The ground is rough and HOT!
It’s just sad that the staffing shortage is having a negative effect on cleanliness and ability to get water quickly.
It’s just sad that the staffing shortage is having a negative effect on cleanliness and ability to get water quickly.
Written August 1, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
matt w
Nashville, TN9 contributions
Jun 2020 • Family
A lot of the slides were not open. They had a lot of stuff closed the last time I was here also. The restrooms were nasty. Half of the concession stands were closed. It took almost an hour to get lunch at the concession area that was open. They sell a souvenir popcorn bucket with free refills. They had one popcorn machine that was broken the day I was there. Anyone buying the souvenir bucket online or at the entrance that day just got an expensive plastic bucket. I wouldn't go here again. They did have a lot of lifeguards working on the stuff that was open.
Written June 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
steff45
Urbana, IL49 contributions
Jun 2020
Been bringing my kids here for the last 12 years and it has definitely gotten worse each year. Half of the park was closed, but they were still charging full price. They were out of ice the entire day, but didn’t let me know until after I purchased a $9 cup that you can refill for .99 on the day of your visit. The fountain drinks were basically outdoor temperature with no ice. Everything was dirty and the water in the wave pool and lazy river had so many leaves and even small tree branches in it. The lifeguards seemed nice, but the food service workers were rude and definitely seemed like they didn’t want to be there, which I really don’t blame them. I really hope they decide to make improvements because it really was a nice water park years ago.
Written June 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mark T
Schererville, IN69 contributions
Jun 2021
First we tried to go here the first time, and we had a group of 7, two families. They allowed the first family to buy their ticket and then would not sell to the other family because they suspended the attractions due to weather. Then they were not going to do a refund at first then they changed their minds and gave a refund.
We came back two days later. The place really isn't that nice. The bathrooms were horrible and disgusting. There were at least 5 slides that were closed and not working. The food there was just ok. The place needs to be open longer, they closed at 6pm. Do not recommend this place to anyone.
We came back two days later. The place really isn't that nice. The bathrooms were horrible and disgusting. There were at least 5 slides that were closed and not working. The food there was just ok. The place needs to be open longer, they closed at 6pm. Do not recommend this place to anyone.
Written June 21, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are sorry that your experience with us missed the mark! Big Kahuna's strives to provide the best guest experience possible and apologize for not meeting your expectations. If any attraction is closed, we state it on our website. We have escalated your comments to our management team so that we can do better in the future.
Written July 27, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hello, has anyone had a recent birthday party here? If so do you know if the birthday package comes with a cabana?
Would you recommend the birthday party package? I'm a bit leery due to the bad reviews.
Written April 28, 2022
Will they be open during Easter week this year? First week of April? Website doesn’t say when they will open. Just wondering if anyone knows if historically they open that early in the season
Written February 23, 2021
We are staying across the street and sign says water park opening April 17th, mini golf is open now
Written March 30, 2021
i am trying to find out if they rent wheelchairs?
Written July 5, 2019
yes, there are ramps in side of the park, did not see any signs regarding rental of w/c however
Written July 5, 2019
Can I bring in a small shoulder cooler with some drinks and snacks like chips and such?
Written June 6, 2019
They don't allow outside food or drink in the park.
Written June 7, 2019
You can find all of their opening times on their website.
Written May 18, 2019
There’s a coupon on Big Kahuna website for $5 off daily admission. Adults will be $39.99 + tax, kids & srs $29.99 + tax. There’s also military/1st responder discount is buy one/get one but I think it ends 8/3.
Written July 29, 2018
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