My husband and I try to give our boys experiences they will remember for years to come. We want to give them memories from their childhood that they will always have. One way we do this is by taking fun family trips. Sometimes we take week-long trips to places a bit further away, and sometimes we do day trips or a quick weekend trip to places that aren’t too far from Columbia.
Recently we took a weekend trip to Wake Forest, NC to go to Fantasy Lake Adventure Park. It’s about a four-hour drive from Columbia and is just north of Raleigh. It’s an easy drive, but since it is four hours and we were going to play on the water, we decided to stay overnight.
Fantasy Lake Adventure Park is an inflatables water park. What does that mean? It’s a large man-made lake with an inflatable obstacle course on it. There are all types of inflatables! You’ll find yourself climbing up an inflatable wall, swinging across the water like a trapeze artist, climbing stairs to get to the top of a podium you can jump off, sliding down slides, running across steppingstones, and more! There’s even a kid’s zone for ages three to five, and a splash pad for ages five and under.
You can purchase admission for a two-hour session, a four-hour session, or all day. (A participation/safety waiver must be completed for each guest.) My family did a two-hour session. While that might not seem like a long time, it was perfect for us. Running, climbing, and diving off those inflatables is tons of fun and will make you feel like you’re on an episode of Wipe Out, but it is also exhausting. You’ll be ready for a nap after your session is done! But it’s very much worth it.
In addition to the inflatables, Fantasy Lake Adventure Park offers paddleboarding, kayaking, and scuba diving (at a separate rate). There is also a very tall cliff that you can jump off of into the lake. I wasn’t brave enough to try it, but my son did it multiple times and loved it!
The park also offers a variety of rentals to enhance your experience:
- 12 waterfront cabanas
- Chairs and umbrellas
- Picnic shelters
- Lockers
The park provides everyone with a life jacket to wear (these are required to be in the water) and there are a large number of lifeguards on duty, actively monitoring the water and inflatables. We felt very safe while we were there.
You are allowed to bring your own food and drinks into the water park, but they do also have concessions available on site. Their website has a schedule of food trucks that are on site each day.
After we enjoyed our time at the water park, we headed back to our Airbnb for showers and some relaxation time before heading out to explore the town of Wake Forest. Wake Forest is the cutest little town! We stayed in a loft apartment that was in the middle of downtown, so we were able to walk everywhere.
There are a bunch of fun stores, restaurants, and coffee shops to check out.
Shops
One shop we enjoyed is the NC General Store, which offers a variety of foods and goods that are made locally in NC. There are also a few cute boutiques to check out. And, for the kids, there is Java’s Cards & Collectibles, who specialize in Pokémon cards.
Restaurants
Over the course of the two days we were there, we checked out both Shorty’s Famous Hot Dogs and George’s Pizzeria. Both were delicious!
If you’re looking for a treat to cool you off in the hot summer heat, check out Lumpy’s ice cream. It is smooth, creamy, and delicious! We also got some sweet treats from Plant Cakes Bake Shop. It’s a bakery that is 100% plant-based and organic. Between the four of us, we tried both their cupcakes and cookies. Not a crumb was left!
Coffee
I enjoyed a fantastic latte from the Wake Forest Coffee Company. Plant Cakes also offers coffee drinks, as does the Sugar Magnolia Cafe.
My family had a wonderful time in Wake Forest, NC, and are hoping to go back again soon. If your family is anything like ours, I think you will enjoy it as well!
That looks like alot of fun. i love how you explore places.
Thanks! We had a great time. We love exploring!