California
The best water rides in Southern California, ranked by splash factor
Robotic dinosaurs. Mechanical miners. Unpredictable chaos. Our local water rides offer the promise of getting wet with a dash of surprise and excitement.
Home to four world-class theme or amusement parks, the Southland isn’t lacking in inventive ways to get soaked. Some of these rides are exquisitely designed, emphasizing show scenes and story rather than simply pummeling us with water. Others aim to do exactly that.
In L.A., water rules everything around us. Drink up, cool off and dive into our stories about hydrating and recreating in the city.
Getting waterlogged, after all, is part of our history. In 1900, Los Angeles was home to one of the first major American takes on a water ride, Shoot the Chutes at Chutes Park in Historic South-Central. Rising 75 feet, it utilized flat-bottomed boats and a cable to take passengers up an incline.
Today, our water rides are more advanced and just may be among the best in the country. We’ve ridden them all, and did so without ponchos, to grade them based on wetness. Five droplets means you’ll get doused; one droplet is more akin to a light sprinkle.
Missing from this list is Disneyland’s Splash Mountain, which is being refashioned into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, a “Princess and the Frog”-themed ride that is due to open later this year. We’ll be there when it opens. In the meantime, here’s a ranking of what you can ride now.
(Charles Sykes / Invision / AP)
Pirates of the Caribbean
Disneyland’s 1967 boat ride is a leisurely jaunt through a town in the process of being ransacked by inept (read: mostly drunk) pirates. Yet there are two early drops — one moderate and one relatively small. Depending on the weight of the boat or the height of the water, expect to get lightly splashed. Because this is primarily a slow-moving family attraction, the water can either be an unexpected delight or an intrusion. But with reliably brisk air conditioning and a 15-minute-plus length, chances are you’ll dry off by the ride’s conclusion. More important, you’ll have experienced one of the most vital attractions at Disneyland, as its abstract approach to narrative set the template for the modern theme park ride.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Waterworld
OK, perhaps it’s odd to include a theme park show on a list of water rides. But Universal Studios’ stunt-focused spectacle is centered entirely on water, so it made the cut. Additionally, the large arena that houses the show contains a rather large splash zone, meaning anyone sitting in that particular section of the bleachers will get wet. The show is essentially a love letter to action-driven movie illusions, and a real hoot. Some moments never cease to surprise, such as a full-scale seaplane being jettisoned into the pond. And yes, a splash ensues. Those sitting in the wet sector will get sprayed with a decent amount of water, but if that’s not your thing it’s clearly marked and easy to avoid.
(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)
Jet Stream
Magic Mountain’s vintage take on a log flume attraction is no-frills — our boats go up a lift, enter a brisk current and then speed down a hill. Oddly, the back seat of the boat has a tendency to get a bit wetter than the front, perhaps because the boats have a propensity to glide when they hit the man-made pond. Still, this can be an essential ride at Magic Mountain, especially in the summer when the Valencia park is often scorching hot. Jet Stream arrived at Magic Mountain in 1972, and though it features no elaborate themes or scenery, the final splash is still an unique sensation, as the boats tend to hop and slightly accelerate upon landing.
Timber Mountain Log Ride
This 1969 Knott’s Berry Farm attraction is one of the most important log fumes ever created. At the time of its opening, it was a relatively new attraction; the first proper implementation of the ride format opened in 1963 at Six Flags Over Texas. Knott’s, however, gave the ride, one that moves in its flume at a relatively brisk pace, a narrative about turn-of-the-century loggers, showing the world that thrill rides could carry a story. There are a couple of mini drops, but the grand finale is about a 40-foot decline. At times I’ve walked away relatively unscathed. Other times, I’ve been soaked from the waist down.
(Sean Teegarden / Knott’s Berry Farm)
Calico River Rapids
As far as river rapid rides go, I’ve never gotten drenched on this Knott’s Berry Farm attraction. Without a major drop or a rough, fast-moving current, Calico River Rapids has always been to me more about the threat of getting soaked. That’s not to say one should expect a dry experience. (Not at all. You will get wet.) Just that this rapids attraction can be conquered without a poncho. That means as we spin among its current, we can take in the vignettes that are scattered among its rocky banks. My favorite: a young bear engaged in a whack-a-mole-like game with a flock of prairie dogs. But also be on the lookout for a pesky woodpecker.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Jurassic World
Universal Studios revamped this ride in 2019 so it aligns with the most recent crop of “Jurassic World” films rather than the initial “Jurassic Park.” In doing so, designers upped its water content. We begin by gliding into a mock aquarium with a shark-eating mosasaurus looking hungrily at us tourists. Expect to be hit with water from above when the dino is shown making a leap out of the tank. But this ride is all about building tension as it leads us to an 84-foot drop. You‘ll want to linger on the top of the hill to marvel at the giant dinosaur battle with a T. Rex that unfolds there. But down you go, and when you reach the bottom it’s likely that a sizable wave will find its way onto your lap.
Grizzly River Run
Disney’s take on the whitewater rafting ride is robust, coming in at about seven minutes. It begins calmly, as you drift and turn around an old mining town, before the ride truly gets thrilling — and full of water. But what ultimately sets the ride apart is the overall design, which, in a relatively confined space, manages to re-create the feeling of being in a national park. The landscape is calming, but the second half of the ride is hectic, as Grizzly River Run gradually ramps up its pace and the amount of water you take on, eventually culminating with a drop that will bring even more water sloshing into the raft.
(Six Flags Magic Mountain)
Roaring Rapids
Magic Mountain’s Roaring Rapids was instrumental in the development of the whitewater rafting-type ride, as this is the first constructed in the Western U.S. But that also means it runs a little rough, which, in this case, results in riders getting absolutely drenched. As on all rapids rides, the turbulent river, buoyed by narrow chutes, moves in an unpredictable fashion. Expect about four big crushes of water to leap into the raft, and those waves will be massive — there’s no buildup, no pacing and no underlying storyline. To ride Roaring Rapids is to sign up for a soaking.
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As the nation prepares for its 250th Independence Day celebration, a decades-long California Fourth of July fireworks tradition that has raised millions for local children’s programs is going dark this year after the California Coastal Commission rejected a final effort to keep it alive, citing environmental concerns to protect the bay.
“We’ve raised over the past 14 years $2 million for kids programs here in Long Beach,” event organizer John Morris told Fox News Digital, adding the July 3 event is fully funded by the local community.
“This community pays for everything — everything. City fees, and the city doesn’t give us a break. We pay $20,000 to the city for police and fire, which I’m fine with, because there’s 100,000 people enjoying the fireworks,” said Morris, a Long Beach resident and business owner.
Morris, who owns the Boathouse on the Bay restaurant, had planned a scaled-up fireworks display this year to mark America’s 250th Independence Day.
CALIFORNIA BEACH TOWN BANS THE USE OF BALLOONS
Long Beach residents have enjoyed the fireworks organized by John Morris for over a decade. (Scott Varley/MediaNews Group/Torrance Daily Breeze via Getty Images)
In January, Coastal Commission staff rejected the proposal, and last week commissioners unanimously upheld that decision despite an appeal backed by local, state and federal officials.
Regulators warned Morris last year that 2025 would likely be the final year for fireworks at the event, as they continue pushing organizers to switch to drone shows they say are more environmentally friendly.
The decision stands in contrast to other approvals by the commission, including a permit granted to SeaWorld allowing up to 40 nights of fireworks.
“They get 40 nights in Mission Bay. All I’m asking for is 20 minutes — it doesn’t make any sense,” Morris said.
Morris, 78, also pushed back on the environmental concerns cited by the commission, pointing to years of testing around the event.
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Due to the lack of fireworks, Morris has decided to cancel the July 3rd celebration.
“We’ve had 10 years of environmental studies,” Morris said. “We test the water before and after the fireworks and send a robotic camera into the bay to check for debris — there’s never been any. It’s been spotless.
“We’ve also had eight years of bird reports to make sure we’re not harming wildlife. We’ve never had an issue. We’ve never been written up one time. So what is it really about?”
Joshua Smith, a spokesman for the California Coastal Commission, told Fox News Digital that permits are determined on a case-by-case basis, citing environmental concerns to “protect the bay.”
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Organizer John Morris said environmental studies are regularly conducted to measure the impact of the fireworks show on the bay. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Smith said Morris was approved for a permit to hold a drone show in lieu of fireworks. Morris told Fox News Digital such a show would cost about $200,000 — roughly four times more than traditional fireworks.
Smith confirmed that SeaWorld received a permit allowing 40 nights of fireworks. When pressed on the discrepancy, he reiterated that decisions are made individually and declined to provide further details.
Morris said the loss of the fireworks show will be felt across the community, from local businesses to families who have made the event an annual tradition.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — In the wide-open race for California governor, billionaire Tom Steyer is on a spending binge.
The hedge fund manager-turned-liberal activist is using his personal fortune to saturate TV screens and mobile phones with advertising, while his competitors accuse him of trying to use his vast wealth to buy the state’s most powerful job.
Steyer’s ads — in which he promises to bring down household costs or rails against federal immigration raids — appear inescapable at times in heavily Democratic Los Angeles, the state’s largest media market. Data compiled by advertising tracker AdImpact show Steyer has spent or booked over $115 million in ads for broadcast TV, cable and radio — nearly 30 times the amount of his nearest Democratic rival.
If he makes it through the June 2 primary election, Steyer could easily eclipse the 2010 record set by Republican Meg Whitman, who spent $178.5 million in a losing bid for governor, much of it her own money. At the time, it was the costliest campaign for statewide office in the nation’s history.
Even when ad buys from all his major competitors are combined, along with ad purchases by independent committees supporting candidates, Steyer is outspending the field by tens of millions of dollars.
“Billionaire money is flooding our state in an attempt to buy this election,” former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, one of Steyer’s chief rivals, warned her supporters this month.
Mail-in ballots are set to go out to voters next month. Steyer is among a crowd of candidates hoping to seize a spotlight after former Democratic U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell’s dramatic departure from the race following sexual assault allegations that he denies.
But while Steyer has ticked up in polling amid his spending splurge, he has not broken away from the field, leaving some wondering if he’s getting value for his dollars.
“If your first round of ads doesn’t move you dramatically (in the polls), the third, fourth, fifth, six, seventh and eighth rounds won’t either,” said veteran Democratic strategist Bill Carrick, who for years advised the late Democratic U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. “There is something inherently holding Steyer back.”
In recent prior campaigns for governor, at this stage a leading candidate was taking control of the race. This year, voters appear to be shrugging at a contest that lacks a star candidate among seven leading Democrats and two Republicans.
“Somehow the campaign is frozen,” Carrick added.
History shows that money doesn’t always translate into votes.
Billionaire developer Rick Caruso spent over $100 million in 2022 in his bid to become Los Angeles mayor, much of it his own money, but he was handily defeated by Mayor Karen Bass, who spent a fraction of Caruso’s total. Billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg spent more than $1 billion of his own money on his 2020 presidential bid before dropping out. And Steyer’s money was unable to lift him into contention in the 2020 presidential contest, when he dropped out early in the year after a poor finish in the South Carolina primary.
Steyer has never held elected office.
In a 2019 interview with The Associated Press, Steyer was asked what he would say to people who think he’s trying to buy the presidency.
“I don’t think that’s possible,” Steyer said at the time, before adding, “I’m never going to apologize for succeeding in business. That’s America, right?”
His campaign did not respond directly when asked about similar criticism facing his run for governor.
“Tom now stands as the only Democrat with the grassroots energy, institutional backing and resources to advance to the general election,” spokesperson Kevin Liao said in a statement.
The governor’s race was recently reordered by two developments: Swalwell, a leading Democrat, abruptly withdrew from the race then resigned from Congress, following sexual assault allegations. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump endorsed conservative commentator Steve Hilton.
Still, there is no clear leader.
Polling in late March and early April by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found a cluster of candidates in close competition: Democrats Steyer and Porter, Republicans Hilton and Chad Bianco, and Swalwell. Other candidates were trailing. The polling was conducted before Swalwell withdrew.
Democrats have feared the party’s large number of candidates could lead to them getting shut out of the general election in November. That’s because California has a primary system in which only the top two vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of party.
Leading Democrats are all claiming to have picked up support since Swalwell’s exit. Steyer nabbed one plum endorsement, when the influential California Teachers Association, which previously backed Swalwell, recommended him.
In his ads, Steyer promises to “abolish” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has been staging raids across California. In another, he laments the state’s punishing cost of housing, “Everybody needs an affordable place to live,” he says.
Rapper was stabbed 16 times by fellow inmate in May 2025 while 10-year sentence in Megan Thee Stallion shooting case
Tory Lanez has filed a $100 million lawsuit against the California Department of Corrections stemming from a May 2025 incident where the rapper was stabbed in prison.
Lanez — born Daystar Peterson and currently serving a 10-year sentence after being found guilty in the Megan Thee Stallion shooting case — also sued the warden and guards at the California Correctional Institute in Tehachapi, where the rapper was stabbed 16 times in an “unprovoked life-threatening attack” by another inmate, the lawsuit states.
Peterson was hospitalized following the May 2025 incident, suffering a collapsed lung among stab wounds to his back, torso, and head.
According to the Associated Press, the lawsuit criticized the Department of Corrections for housing Peterson with fellow inmate and alleged attacker Santino Casio, who was serving a life sentence for second-degree murder. “The choice to house Casio with Peterson was known or should have been a known danger,” the lawsuit said, adding that Tory Lanez’ “high-profile celebrity status” made him a target.
The lawsuit also said that prison guards were slow to respond to the shanking, and didn’t employ flash grenades or other measures to halt Casio’s attack.; Casio was not charged for stabbing Peterson, the Associated Press notes.
Lanez, who following his hospitalization was transferred to San Luis Obispo County’s California Men’s Colony, also alleges in the lawsuit that he never received his possessions from the California Correctional Institute in Tehachapi, including songbooks filled with lyrics to his unreleased music.
Lanez is serving a 10-year prison sentence for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot during a confrontation in the summer of 2020. He was eventually convicted on several firearms charges, including assault with a firearm, in December 2022. In November 2025, his appeal was denied by a three-judge panel, and the 10-year sentence was upheld.
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