Across the street from Knott's Berry Farm theme park, Soak City is a 13-acre water park with 21 rides, all done in a 1950s Southern California theme.

Soak City features three high-speed slides, four single-person inner-tube rides, three enclosed slides accommodating two at a time, and—our favorite—Banzai Falls, a 41-foot-high, six-slide ride done face-first. The most recent addition to the park is Pacific Spin, a four-person raft ride that's just a tad wilder than what Huckleberry Finn experienced. The more tame should stick to floating down the Sunset River (it's almost a third of a mile long) or the Gremmie Lagoon children's area. The Birthday Splash Bash program includes a reserved table at the Birthday Zone, lunch, birthday cake and invitations for guests (a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 40). It costs $24.95 per adult and $12.95 per kid aged three to 11. Call (714) 220-5137 for reservations.