It gets hot in Florida during the summer, but that is a great excuse to cool off in one of the water parks in the Orlando area.
One of the more imaginative water parks is located at Disney World and is known as Blizzard Beach Water Park.
The park has exciting slides, rides and pools for older children and adults, as well as scaled down versions for the smaller kids.
As you can expect from anything produced by the Disney Company, there is an interesting story behind the park.
According to the Disney legend, "once upon a time" there was a snow storm that covered Florida, turning it white! Some local people tried to make a quick buck and set up a ski resort with slalom courses and toboggan trails, but before they could haul in the money, the weather returned to the usual Florida heat and everything began to melt! But a winter-clad alligator slid down the snow-less ski slope, landed in a pool and "presto" the snow resort became a water park with a ski-theme.
So that explains what you will find at Blizzard Beach.
Some of the most popular attractions here include: Chairlift: This is a ski transport that will take you to the top of "Mount Gushmore" and let you access the other attractions on the Green Slope area of the Mountain, such as Slush Gusher, Summit Plummet and Teamboat Springs.
You have to be 32 inches or taller to go on the lift however there is also a stairway path to reach the top of Mount Gushmore for access to the water attractions.
Speaking of the Summit Plummet, this is a 120 foot high water slide with a 12 story drop! It is a ride for older kids, teens and adults and will speed you down the slope at speeds close to 60 miles per hour.
The Slush Gusher is another high speed water slide for older kids, teens and adults.
It is 90 feet high and will take you down Mount Gushmore and over humps at high speed.
The height restriction on this ride is 48 inches.
Cross Country Creek: This is a leisurely kind of ride that takes you on an inner tube (included with the price of admission) along a gentle stream that flows around the perimeter of the park.
Along the way you will pass "polar" caves, and go through tunnels and under mist-covered water falls.
As well as being an enjoyable and relaxing ride, the creek takes you to the other parts of the water park, and there are seven entrances to this ride spread around the park.
The height restriction on this ride is 48inches.
For the younger kids there is a special area known as Tike's Peak.
This is a water play park that is tailor made for young children.
It features a snow-castle fountain, water jets and kid-sized slides.
To get the most out of this park, Disney World makes a few recommendations.
The first one is to rent a locker to place your personal belongings.
When you plunge down a 12 story slide at 60 miles an hour you will appreciate having your hat, glasses, jewelry and other items safe inside a locker! They also advise wearing water shoes or flip-flop slippers to help you climb stairs and also to protect your feet from the hot ground.
So, get ready for some hot weather in Florida, but also get ready to cool off in a thrilling way at the Blizzard Beach Water Park at Disney World.