Knott's Soak City Waterpark is making an extra-long splash this season

SOME SAY... there are three distinctive summers in Southern California. There is summer, as in the official season that kicks off on the solstice, the one that wraps up when the autumnal equinox arrives just a week or so ahead of October. There is the summer season, which generally extends from Memorial Day Weekend through to Labor Day Weekend, or, if you prefer, around the time that the school year ends for your kids and then begins again. And a SoCal-style summer? That finds its footing after June Gloom is finally de-gloomed — so, around the Fourth of July — and concludes as Halloween begins to haunt. It makes splashy sense, with this in mind, that some of our summer staples would follow the local calendar, keeping it cool into early autumn rather than hanging up the "closed, see ya next year" sign in August or the start of September.

Knott's Soak City Waterpark... in Buena Park, which is home to "one of the longest laziest rivers in the country," is following the SoCal model: The destination just revealed that it is extending its 2023 run, with a wrap-up date of Oct. 1. Diversions include The Wedge, "a rip-roaring family raft ride," and "Tidal Wave Bay," the 15-acre park's "giant wave pool." With hot temperatures afoot throughout the region, and more thermometer-testing afternoons soon to come, Knott's Soak City Waterpark will stay busy for weeks to come. But if you're looking for chiller days to explore chillier horizons? Visiting in September might be just the ticket. The extension announcement isn't the only newsy Knott's happening afoot as July enters its second week; Knott's Berry Farm is holding a special "Christmas in July" sale through July 13, with tickets priced at $49.99.