Big D's Excellent Adventure

If waterparks existed in my childhood, there were none that I was aware of. The occasional pool slide was as close as I ever got. In fact, I think my first exposure to the concept was Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, where an AWOL Napoleon discovers the joys of "Waterloo" in 1980s San Dimas.

But times have changed, and like the artisanal coffee now available on every corner, the joy of le waterslide has come to almost all parts of the country. So yesterday, I took the Gs and visiting cousin John to Greensboro's Wet 'n' Wild, the best (and only) waterpark I have ever visited.

The park tries to appeal to all sorts of aquaphiles, combining lazy rivers and tame rafts with extreme thrills and adrenaline-pumping endeavors. This proved to be both a blessing and a curse, as the risk-averse OG wanted to bob in the Wave Pool and the BG preferred to repeatedly attack the Daredevil Drop. And Cousin and I--while more inclined toward the "extreme" rides--were more interested in collective happiness.

This meant a lot of time spent in negotiations and compromise, but the lateness of the season, along with the fact that it was a Tuesday, afforded us a sparse crowd and short lines, so I think everyone came away happy,

Cap it off with an $8 piece of pizza and a $6 slushie in a collectible cup (I am looking for a paper on the economics of fair prices--it seems like they are leaving a lot of money on the table by setting prices so high; but they must look hard at the numbers) and you've put a pretty fun day in your rear view mirror.