Sahara Sam’s Day Trip – Indoor Water Park in South Jersey

When we first drove by Sahara Sam’s my son Justin, then a 5-year-old, squealed with delight. He had just eyed the water slides jutting out of the building like giant, colored curly straws. The look in his eyes told me there was no doubt a day trip was in our future.

Sure enough, for his 6th birthday the request came to splash around in Sahara Sam’s with his best friend Christina. So one Saturday afternoon in June the birthday boy, his BF, his 18-month-old brother Andrew, and two sets of parents all disappeared into an 84 degree (year-round) oasis in the middle of South Jersey.

We had a fantastic time, and I do mean ‘we’. In fact, four hours later we had to play the ‘Friendly’s dinner and sundae card’ to convince three exhausted (but still exuberant) kids to leave.

It truly is an oasis; full of slides, rivers and water activities galore. They have done a terrific job of creating things to do for all ages. Here’s a quick video of what it looks like inside.

One of the best things about Sahara Sam’s is that as an adult you’ll have as much fun as the kids. In fact, if two of you are going you’ll probably find yourselves trading off ‘watching’ time so you can kick back and have some good old grown up fun

Website: www.saharasams.com (one of the best attraction Web sites we’ve seen)

Details:

Sahara Sam’s Oasis is New Jersey’s only free standing indoor water park and offers over 58,000 square feet of year round family fun. Boasting over 11 water attractions including a family raft ride, Flow Rider surfing machine and children’s area, Sahara Sam’s is conveniently located minutes from Philadelphia in West Berlin, New Jersey. It is the perfect place to host a birthday party or group event. It is always 84° and low humidity in the water park.  Sahara Sam’s also offers a 3000 sq ft arcade with the latest in video and redemption games including Guitar Hero, Skeeball and the popular Hoop Shot basketball game.

Attractions:

• Lizard Lagoon – baby bungees, mini water slides and very shallow water. Great baby bonding
• Crocodile flats – ropes and a floating obstacle course
• Sam’s Cyclone – indoor surfing and boogie board
• Snake Eyes – double tube water roller coaster ride
• Slam Dunker – water hoops
• Tim Buk 2 Tree Fort – slides and water cannons & get ready for a 1,000 gallon shower – in 3 seconds
• Kilimanjaro family raft ride – 4+ stories high!
• Congo Bongo river ride – a lazy ride with waterfalls – lots of splashing fun

Click here for photos of the above attractions.

Trip Notes:

• There is a locker room and shower area
• Parking is plentiful right next to the building
• I would bring aquasocks as there are a ton of folks running around barefoot.
• You cannot bring your own food into Sahara Sam’s but the selection of food on-site is quite good. Exceptions are made for those with food allergies or medical conditions.
• Much like other attractions you must be ‘this tall’ to go on certain ‘rides’. That said, if your child is just ‘that tall’ I would strongly suggest you ride with them at first to see how they do.
• The river ride is very calm but has a current that’s a bit deceiving. There are lifeguards up and down throughout but if your child isn’t a strong swimmer ride with them the first time to be sure they can manage the inner tube.
• There is a large room full of the latest video games when you first enter Sahara Sam’s. I watched many kids go ballistic and start begging for game cards before they even got into the water park. Be prepared
• As mentioned above, birthday parties are huge at Sahara Sam’s – click here for more info

Costs:

• Regular – $29.95/day
• Under 48 inches $22.95
• Under 2 years old – FREE!
• 10 ticket combo for $199.95
• Sahara Sam’s coupon specials
• Sahara Sam’s membership plans

Meal for 4: about $40

(includes: 4 value meals (chicken/burgers w/ fries & a drink)

Hints:

• If you belong to Costco or other wholesale clubs you might be able find discount passes. We saw a day pass recently for $19.99.
• Sahara Sam’s will occasionally run coupons in local mailers

Photos:

Click for the map, address, phone, & directions:

Sahara Sam’s Day Trip – Indoor Water Park in South Jersey, 5.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating