Hydrous Wake Park 590 N. Cedar Drive at Allen Station Park
214/755-9905; hydrouswakeparks.com
Hours: 9am–11pm daily
Admission: Hour cable passes start at $15 for kids 12 and younger and $25 for adults; basic equipment rental is $15 for two hours.
Parking: Free
The rope tightens in your hands, and you’re off – well, maybe after a few face plants – cutting through the water in a zigzag pattern on your first wakeboard run. Wakeboarding, much like snowboarding except on water, is for the adventurous, and at Hydrous Wake Park, the new cable park in Allen and the only one in the Dallas area, you don’t need a boat to get out on the water. The cable park operates on an overhead, six-tower cable system that can tow multiple riders at speeds of up to 18 mph around the six-acre, oval-shaped lake, making the sport even more accessible and affordable to families – no speedboat required. For a fun, new summer activity, skip the typical super-slides and try out Hydrous, now open for the first summer since its debut in September 2011.
The park makes it easy for the novice rider to learn the sport on two smaller lakes with straight runs ideal for kids as young as 5 years old. Riders are required to wear helmets and life vests, so not to worry if your kids aren’t the best swimmers. Park staff will teach you how to launch into the water and use your weight to edge from side to side, much like skiing down a slope, and the cable system will cater to kids’ individual needs by towing them at a faster or slower speed. If you let go of the handle bar, just swim to the side, step up onto the grass and walk back to the entrance for another go.
On breaks between runs, take a dip in the swimming hole at the family play area, a sandy beach stocked with beach toys and perfect for building sandcastles. Cheer on your kids from the outdoor viewing decks or picnic tables, or lay a towel on the grassy hill alongside the lakes for an anywhere view of the park. Take a break from the sun inside the pro shop’s new restaurant, Shredders Pizza, and snack on pizza, sandwiches and appetizers. On a pretty day (which is most days), they’ll open up the garage doors to let in the breeze. After a day of wakeboarding at Hydrous, you and the kids can both cross off a line from your bucket list.
