Cool Down on Hot Days at This Inflatable Water Park

Picturing a swimming pool without an inflatable unicorn or rainbow or swan or hamburger floating gently in the shallow end? It's difficult to do, especially since pool-loving influencers have made so many modern aquatic accouterments whimsically well-known in recent years.

But finding colorful and colossal inflatables on a much, much larger scale, the sort of air-filled objects that couldn't possibly fit in a standard backyard pool, is trickier.

You need to look to a wide and vast and breezy stretch of salty H2O, the sort of picturesque Pacific-adjacent bay that could hold a 17-foot slide, behemoth bouncers, and other splashy structures with room to spare.

And such a playful, play-filled place exists, at the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort & Marina. The get-damp destination will be open through Labor Day Weekend 2022, when temperatures are expected to climb into the low 100s around much of Southern California.

In addition to the mega slide, the Inflatable Water Park includes a pair of "climbable icebergs," monkey bars, and more. Plus? Kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, and other people-powered vessels will be cruising the area, too.

Adding allure to the inflatables scene?

Tunes at the Dunes, a live music show on the afternoon and evening of Sept. 3. Food trucks will be on the grounds, and a bar, too, if you'd like to take a break on dry land and savor some sunny sounds.

Enjoying the inflatables costs $15 per person per hour and booking online, especially over the warm holiday weekend, will be highly recommended, if you want a spot.

The "public is welcome," is the happy word from Newport Dunes, but consider that there will be people staying at the resort who'd also love to try out those climbable icebergs and waterborne bouncers.

If the holiday weekend slots do fill up, which could definitely happen, or you have plans, be cheered: The Inflatable Water Park will be open through Oct. 9, 2022, Friday through Sunday.