9 Best Waterslides in the World

Like the kids really need another reason to beg for a vacation to Disney World, right? One of the tallest and fastest freefall slides you'll find, Summit Plummet features a near-vertical drop which will send you plummeting 12 stories into a darkened tunnel, to emerge out the other side with your heart pounding.

While you're at Blizzard Beach, don't miss the high-speed Slush Gusher slide either: although not quite as intense as its neighbor, but it's still not for the faint of heart.

Recommended Hotel: Disney's Beach Club Resort

The centerpiece of this 141-acre Aquaventure Waterpark is the Leap of Faith, where brave riders shoot 60 feet down a Mayan temple slide into a clear underwater tube through a shark tank. Aquaventure features a ton of other thrill slides as well, from the high-speed Challenger Slide to the Abyss.

Recommended Hotel: Atlantis Royal Towers

Spreading across three acres and towering seven stories, the Mammoth lives up to its name, taking the title for the world's longest water coaster. Each six-person boat hurtles down the twists and turns of the 1/3-mile track, through five dark enclosed areas, and down seven drops. Share the ride with your whole family (well, the members of it who are tall enough, at least).

Recommended Hotel: Comfort Inn & Suites Rockport

We can't write an article about the best waterslides in the world without mentioning this one at Kentucky Kingdom. Imagine standing inside a small capsule, waiting for the floor to drop out from underneath you and send you in a near-freefall 121 feet down America's tallest body slide. That's what riders of the Deep Water Dive sign up for. Will you add your name to the list?

Recommended Hotel: Embassy Suites Hotel Louisville

You don't have to go to Africa to tackle Kilimanjaro...well, unless you mean the mountain. Taking the title of the world's second-largest freefall slide is Brazil's Kilimanjaro, located at the Aldeia das Aguas (Village of Waters) Park Resort. You'll also find 17 pools, a children's water playground, and plenty of slightly tamer slides.

Recommended Hotel: Vila Gale Eco Resort de Angra

Tired of waterslides that seem to end in three seconds? You won't have that problem with the Wildebeest, the second-longest water coaster in the world (second only to its fellow Splashin' Safari resident and list member Mammoth). The 1/3-mile-long slide boasts seven drops, two underground tunnels, a top height of 64 feet, and an average speed of 20 feet per second, adding up to two-and-a-half minutes of soakingly fast fun.

Recommended Hotel: Comfort Inn & Suites Rockport

Head to Six Flags Great Adventure in NJ for a waterslide that's scary in more ways than one! After riding your inner tube through the snake's coils, building up speed, you'll shoot out onto the cobra's open hood and rocket straight up into the monster's enormous fanged mouth. But before you can be devoured, you'll slide back out of reach--then back again into danger--as your tube gradually loses momentum. What do you think: will you risk making that thing mad?

Recommended Hotel: Radisson Hotel Freehold

Hotels with waterslides are a surefire way to keep the kids nonstop entertained. The Niagara Falls Great Wolf Lodge is one of the indoor water park chain"s best resorts. More than 95,000 square feet of water play areas are available with eight slides, plus a lazy river, indoor wave pool and water roller coaster.

Recommended Hotel: Great Wolf Lodge Niagara Falls

Want the best waterslides right at your hotel, so your family can ride whenever you want? This Marriott"s pool features a new water slide tower with two 200-foot slides and one 90-foot high-speed slide.

Recommended Hotel: Orlando World Center Marriott