**CONTEST CLOSED. CONGRATULATIONS TO WINNERS GARY TALSTEIN, CHRISTIE CORONADO AND LORI H.

Last week, I had my kids write a bucket list of all the things they wanted to do before they go back to school. At the top of MY list was to check-out Heritage Square’s newish Miner’s Maze Adventureland. The reason?

The Water Walkerz where you literally walk on water, which debuted in May.

It has been a couple of years since we’ve been to Heritage Square and much of it remains the same. The alpine slide’s 1/2-mile track is still a hoot, the amusement park’s rides, go kart racing and miniature golf are always fun and the Musical Hall still puts on great shows (Jack & The Beanstalk will be performed September 8-November 3, followed by A Christmas Carol).

But it is Miner’s Maze Adventureland that gives Heritage Square a much-needed breath of fresh air. If you haven’t checked out this new area, here are a few things you will find:

24-foot Spider Slide. Sliders have to climb up and through a human-scaled “web” before sliding down the giant slide.
The Miner’s Maze—a labyrinth. This signature attraction offers an extra dimension of challenge because of its two-story design so expect to get lost. A lot.
Silver Spring Bungee. This bungee-trampoline offers kid-sized leaping experiences. Unless you’re like me and the head rush is too much to handle.
Rio Grande train ride. This is a nice way to change up the pace as it leisurely chugs around the park.
Magic Mtn Climb’n Wall. What would an Adventureland be without a rock-climbing wall?
Web Crawl. This vertical web scaling challenge will get your spider senses tingling.
The Jewel Jump ‘n Bouncy. This bouncy castle is great for the younger, hyperactive types.
The Tunnel Tumbler. This spinning tube has you literally climbing the ever-turning walls.

And then, there are the Water Walkerz which were, hands down, my kids’ favorite attraction and are as fun as they look. Basically, you crawl into one of the big, plastic rubber balls…

…and wait while the staffer inflates, seals it off and sets you loose on the water’s surface.


The claustrophobic need not attempt but I was pleasantly surprised I never felt like I was lacking air or the ball was too hot.

We tried to propel ourselves forward by walking, running,falling and rolling (a lot) across the pond and as a total bonus, we didn’t get wet. We also gained a new appreciation for rodents as my daughter observed, “It’s probably a little harder for a hamster.”

Check-out this 17-second video I shot of the Water Walkerz in action (or go here).

Excuse the fact I messed up on the name of Miner’s Maze Adventureland.

Maybe I was lacking oxygen a wee bit in those rubber balls.

Hours & Pricing
Hours for the Miner’s Maze Adventureland including Water Walkerz are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays. Prices for single attractions range from $3-$10; multi-attraction ticket packages offer better variety and value including the Platinum Package for unlimited access to all attractions, all day for $21. The Alpine Slide is $8 per ride and the cost goes down with quantity purchases.

Contest

Mile High Mamas is giving away FOUR family four-packs of gold passes to Heritage Square, including Miner’s Adventure Alley and the alpine slide! Please go here to enter. Contest deadline is August 17, 2012.