Aquaventure at Atlantis Paradise Island

This enormous water park, set next to some of the most beautiful beaches in the Bahamas, is open to guests at the resort and to visitors with day passes. Enjoy the park’s eight slides, two different river rides, splash areas for kids, wave machine, 11 themed swimming pools, and beach access. The star attraction is the Mayan Temple, which has a 60-foot, near-vertical "Leap of Faith" slide and dueling twin Challenger slides.

• Aquaventure is great for families with kids or anyone who enjoys thrills.

• Pre-book a day pass as they can sometimes sell out.

• Visitors under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

• Many of the more thrilling slides have a minimum height requirement of 48 inches.

• Towel and locker rentals are available, for a fee.

• Aquaventure is wheelchair accessible, though some areas can be tricky for chair users to navigate.

Aquaventure is located inside the sprawling Atlantis resort on Paradise Island, just north of Nassau. The easiest way to get to the island from Nassau is by water taxi; there are shared water taxis that depart from behind the Straw Market in downtown Nassau and head straight to the island.

Aquaventure is open daily from morning until evening; admission for day visitors ends two hours before closing. Arrive first thing in the morning if you want to take full advantage of all the attractions. The park is particularly crowded (and tickets often sell out) during U.S. school holidays.

While Aquaventure one of the most popular attractions at Atlantis, it's certainly not the only part of the massive resort that draws in daytrippers. Head to the island to spend the day exploring the area’s marine habitat, testing your luck at an enormous casino, and enjoying a variety of restaurants, pools, and beach areas. (Day visitors get access to lounge chairs and free loaner towels.)