A chilly opening day at Illinois' largest water park

Grab your sunscreen and some beach towels. Raging Waves Waterpark in Yorkville is open for the summer!

Photo courtesy of Raging Waves

(CHICAGO) About 45 minutes southwest of the city and surrounded by cornfields sits the state's largest waterpark.

The park boasts 58 acres, 32 water slides, a lazy river, a wave pool, a sand play area, three kiddie pools, and 43 private cabanas.

This is Raging Waves' 15th year operating in Chicagoland.

Photo courtesy of Raging Waves

Randy Witt, Co-Owner of Raging Waves, said in a press release, “We are thrilled to kick off our 15th season and invite families back to Raging Waves this summer.” He continued, "Offering guests the very best in family fun has always been at the forefront for our team at Raging Waves, and we cannot wait for guests to enjoy all that our waterpark has to offer!”

Opening day 2022 was a cold one

It's always a thrill when you drive to the waterpark and see the bright and colorful slides emerging out of the farmlands.

Raging Waves opened for the public on an unseasonably cold day this Saturday, June 4.

I had promised my daughter months ago we would go the very first day it opened, and she wasn't about to let me back out of my promise, although the weather was overcast and cool.

The benefit of a chillier morning meant avoiding large crowds, and there were very few lines. It was a good day to try out the slides without having to wait long stretches for a short ride down.

Slides weren't too busy(Photo by author)

However, the payoff was frigid water and skies too overcast to warm us up. We found it was much too cold to enjoy the wave pool or even float on the lazy river.

Not many people in the cold lazy river this day(Photo by author)

When it started sprinkling during our lunch, we decided it was time to go.

Fortunately, we have season passes, so we will be back when the weather heats up, and we can enjoy the attractions without shivering.

The details

The Three Sisters SlidePhoto courtesy of Raging Waves

Check online for the schedule before you go. Hours are typically 10 AM to 6 PM but can be 11 AM to 5 PM on certain weekdays.

Daily tickets start at $44.99, or you can get a deal for $29.99 if you choose your date ahead of time.

Standard parking is $10 and isn't included in the daily ticket price. Although, parking is free with a season pass which will cost you $129.99.

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