Golfland Sunsplash

Specs
Type:	Museum, Animals
Distance:	Short Drive
Area:	Roseville
Ages:	All ages, but not really worth the money for kids smaller than 48".
Cost:	$$
Information:	www.golfland.com

Yeah, Golfland Sunsplash is really fun. Really fun, but dang, it costs a lot of money. For an adult, you'll pay $28. But if your kid is more than four feet tall (my eight year old is) you'll also pay $28. And you don't save a whole lot if your kid isn't that tall, either: the admission price for smaller children is $22. So for a family of four a trip to Golfland Sunsplash is going to be $100+. Compared to a place like Gauche Aquatic Center in Yuba City, that's pricey.

In their defense, though, there is a lot to do there. The wavepool is really cool (it simulates the surf at the ocean) and there's also a canal you can float down in an inner tube. For smaller kids, there's a shallow pool with a few easy water slides. There's also a water bucket that fills and tips at regular intervals, which will soak you if you happen to be standing under it. And there are a ton of huge, fast, scary water slides, which is the reason for those expensive tickets. Lines are long, though, so don't get in one with a kid who has to use the bathroom, because you're going to be annoyed about having to get out of the line you just stood in for 20 minutes.

The Golfland part of Golfland Sunsplash is fun, too. There's a huge arcade, mini golf, laser tag and a go-cart track.

But here's the warning: if you buy those discounted tickets for your shorter-than-48-inches kids, you might as well not buy any tickets at all. Most of the water slides are not for kids smaller than four feet, and you'll find yourself spending most of your time in that shallow pool--which you could do at Gauche or Folsom Aquatic Center for a lot less money.

So yes, Golfland Sunsplash is really fun, but I will not go there again until all of my kids reach that 48 inch mark and are old enough to actually want to go on the big slides. Otherwise, it's not worth the price of those expensive tickets.