(Budget Travel) -- We've found 15 water parks in your own backyard. Before the dreaded "are we there yet?" echoes from the back seat, you'll be in the parking lot.



At Splish Splash in Long Island, New York, the most popular offerings pitch you into darkness.



Wilderness Territory Waterpark Resort at Wisconsin Dells Near Madison, Wisconsin (55 miles)



The Wilderness Territory's most popular ride is the Hurricane: Riders experience the eye of the storm as they rapidly descend through a four-story funnel. Flashes of lightning, rumbling thunder and drifting fog convey the sense of a full-blown natural disaster.



Details: 511 E. Adams St., Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, 800/867-9453, wildernessresort.com. Kids eat free with adult purchase. Other Wilderness locations: A new, 150-acre Wilderness resort in Sevierville, Tennessee. Other water parks in Wisconsin Dells: Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park and Noah's Ark.



Kalahari Resort, Sandusky, Ohio Near Toledo, Ohio (60 miles)



Kalahari doubled the size of the park in December 2007. The highlight is the Swahili Swirl. In a four-person inner tube, you'll be ejected from a steep tube slide into a 60-foot-diameter bowl; it's a dizzying three times around before you're sucked down the drain and dropped into a 50-foot-long landing pool. It's like a really fun toilet bowl. To mellow out, relax under the 40,000-square-foot clear Texlon roof, which houses tropical plants and allows guests to catch sun year-round. Budget Travel: See the parks



Details: 7000 Kalahari Dr., Sandusky, 877/525-2427, kalahariresort.com. Look for "Beat the Clock" lodging specials on the Web site. Other Kalahari locations: Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. And a new water-park resort is under development in Fredericksburg, Virginia.



Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom, Geauga Lake, Ohio Near Cleveland, Ohio (25 miles)



Older children and teens flock to the 60-foot-tall, 253-foot-long Liquid Lightning tornado slide. The ride launches you -- at speeds of up to 24 mph -- from a tube slide into a giant funnel, before spitting you into the calm waters of the finishing pool. Tamer settings include the Splash Landing family activity center, with waterslides, soaker hoses, bubbling geysers and a raining umbrella, and Coral Cove, an activity pool with three basketball hoops and huge climbable animals.



Details: 1100 Squires Rd., Aurora, Ohio, 330/562-8303, wildwaterfun.com.



Aquatica by SeaWorld, Orlando, Florida Near Tampa, Florida (85 miles)



The signature experience here is the Dolphin Plunge, 250 feet of clear underwater tubes that plunge riders into a lagoon populated by charismatic black-and-white Commerson's dolphins. For a split second, you'll feel as if you're swimming with them. Aquatica's attractions include something for everyone: 36 slides, six rivers and lagoons and more than 80,000 square feet of white-sand beaches.



Details: 5800 Water Play Way, Orlando, 888/800-5447, aquaticabyseaworld.com.



Daytona Lagoon, Daytona Beach, Florida Near Orlando, Florida (55 miles)



Daytona Lagoon's most hair-raising experience is Blackbeard's Revenge. After you climb the 62-foot tower and mount an inner tube, you'll take a 15 mph, six-story tumble down a twisting, pitch-black tunnel slide. Don't miss the brand-new Kraken's Conquest, either: It's a four-lane, 55-foot-long ProRacer-series speed slide. Friends and families can challenge each other to high-speed, watery showdowns.



Details: 601 Earl St., Daytona Beach, 386/254-5020, daytonalagoon.com. The park offers a different special each day; for example, every Thursday you can get unlimited use of miniature golf, the carousel, and the rock-climbing wall from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for $10.



Splash Island at Cypress Gardens, Winter Haven, Florida Near St. Petersburg, Florida (74 miles)



At the interactive water-play area, the towering Tikki Head --
Where is the Kalahari Resort? When did the park size double? What size is the Ohio park?
Sandusky, Ohio Near Toledo, Ohio December 2007. 150-acre
question: Where is the Kalahari Resort?, answer: Sandusky, Ohio Near Toledo, Ohio | question: When did the park size double?, answer: December 2007. | question: What size is the Ohio park?, answer: 150-acre