Last Wednesday was Maggie’s day out on the town. After loading up my backpack with snacks from the grocery, we lit off for New Braunfels. Though we were there about 30 minutes before the official opening time, we were able to immediately get our wristbands and join the queue. Once the gates swung wide, we headed immediately for The Dragon’s Revenge, an update to the Dragon Blaster ride. Though the “multimedia extravaganze” turned out to be a bit overplayed, this turned out to be a smart move, as the line for the ride was crazy long for the rest of the day.

I especially enjoyed this trip, as [Maggie->] is now enjoying some of the more exciting rides, including the excellent tube chutes that are, to my mind, the heart of Schlitterbahn. Though they’ve rerouted those chutes a bit since my teenage years, Raging River is still a particular favorite, largely due to the fact that it can take about 40 minutes to go through the whole thing. Maggie also really liked the Whitewater chute with all of its vertiginous drops.

Though Schlitterbahn is fairly expensive, you get good value for your money and aren’t hit with additional unexpected costs through the day. Parking is free, and you can bring in a cooler or backpack with food. Lockers are available, but we’ve never had any trouble just leaving on stuff on one of the numerous picnic tables or lounge chairs that are scattered liberally throughout the place. The park is well-maintained and well-staffed, and remains a great destination even as it has grown over the years.

After a full day of watery fun, we stopped at Freddy’s Frozen Custard for some chicken strips and their awesomely addictive french fries, and then headed on home, happily and completely tuckered out.