A Six Flags park encompassing 40 acres of wet, splashy fun, White Water is the largest water park in the South, with more than 30 slides. Its star attraction is the $1-million Tree House Island, a four-story fantasy treehouse with more than 100 different activities -- curvy slides, net bridges, water cannons, chutes, and more. A 1,000-gallon bucket of water empties over the whole attraction every few minutes. Other park highlights include Cliffhanger, a 990-foot free fall (one of the tallest such attractions in the world); the 735-foot Run-A-Way River, an enclosed tunnel raft ride; the "Atlanta Ocean," a 750,000-gallon wave pool; and a host of different slide and splash experiences. There's much more, including a special section for children 48 inches and under called Little Squirt's Island, with 25 tot-size water attractions. Adjacent Captain Kid's Cove has dozens of additional activities for kids 12 and under. Restaurants and snack bars are on the premises, as are rental lockers ($13-$19) and shower facilities. Swimsuits are essential and no outside food, beverages, or coolers are allowed.

Next to White Water is American Adventures (tel. 770/428-5217; www.americanadventuresfunpark.com), a year-round indoor/outdoor family amusement park with children's rides in the Fun Forest (bumper cars, a small roller coaster, a tilt-a-whirl, and others); a classic carousel; a go-cart track; a penny arcade with more than 130 games; Professor Plinker's Laboratory (a large children's play area with ball crawls and nets to climb); 18-hole miniature golf; and the Foam Factory, a huge, multilevel interactive play area with scads of foam-ball activities. It's all geared to children 12 and under. A family-style restaurant is on the grounds. Admission to American Adventures is $20 for a full-day pass or $16 for 3 hours. Or pay just for those attractions you want to use. Some attractions are free for adults accompanying children, and most attractions offer discounted pricing for adults. American Adventures is connected to the water park, so you can go back and forth if you want, though you'll pay entrance fees to both. Hours vary with the season, so call first.