With hot summer temperatures and plenty of free time, there is nothing like relaxing by the pool with your family and friends. However, if you are looking for the perfect summer weekend trip or last-minute getaway, a water park or theme park could be the ideal place to cool off and have another summer adventure.

If you're not sure where to begin your research for exciting and relaxing water and amusement parks, here are seven parks to start your search:

Great Wolf Lodge Resorts

Location: Multiple (19 across the USA and 1 in Ontario, Canada)

Ticket prices: Starting at $40

Image Credit: DiscoA340 from Wikimedia Commons

Water slides, lazy rivers, wave pools, and splash pads are just a few of the attractions to see at Great Wolf Lodge. With 20 current locations and more to come, this indoor water park offers not only water rides but also an arcade, a mining experience, candy shop, mini-golf, story times, bowling, and dance parties.

In addition to the attractions, the park also has character meet and greets with Violet and Wiley Wolf and a variety of dining options including a pizza parlor, poolside grill, breakfast buffet, and even a Dunkin' Donuts.

Combining thrilling rides like the Hydro Plunge's 52 feet vertical drop with relaxing family yoga classes, Great Wolf Lodge has all of the water park attractions for the perfect weekend getaway.

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Lost World of Tambun

Location: Ipoh, Malaysia

Ticket prices: Starting at $29

Image Credit: Calvin Teo from Wikimedia Commons

Combining water park with natural wonders, the Lost World of Tambun has it all. In its water park, guests can zip through the jungle on high speed water slides, relax in the Adventure River while marveling at the limestone hills, and dance in the Jungle Wave Bay's pool parties all in one day.

In addition to rides, the park also has a Rainforest Trail where you can immerse yourself in nature and a petting zoo where you can learn about different species of birds, turtles, and more. Since the Lost World of Tambun is situated between 400 million year of limestone cliffs and lush, biodiverse jungles, there is plenty to do for nature lovers including a visit to the natural hot springs. Regardless of whether you want to spend a day at the spa or on fast-paced rides, the Lost World of Tambun is for you.

PortAventura Caribe Aquatic Park

Location: Tarragona, Spain

Ticket prices: Starting at $37

Image Credit: Ana Santibañez from Wikimedia Commons

A one hour trip from Barcelona will take you to a 12-acre water park filled with exhilarating slides and areas to relax and enjoy the summer. Two of the park's most famous attractions are King Khajuna where riders experience over 100 feet of free fall on one of Europe's highest water slides and El Torrente where families ride through a rapid water slide on an inflatable raft.

If relaxing at a resort is on your summer bucket list, PortAventura is still a must see because of its beach club and Bahama Beach which both allow guests to enjoy the summer rays, listen to music, and catch up on their latest reads on sun loungers situated across the park and at the nearby PortAventura Hotel Caribe.

Tokyo DisneySea

Location: Urayasu, Japan

Ticket prices: Starting at $57

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Located next door to Tokyo Disneyland, this amusement park combines exciting rides with immersive architecture that takes guests into the worlds of Disney characters. For example, the Mermaid Lagoon (based off of The Little Mermaid) and Fantasy Springs (which combines themed areas inspired by Frozen, Tangled, and Peter Pan) combine character meet-and-greats, fun filled rides, delicious food, and Disney theming to create the perfect day at the parks.

Speaking of food, Tokyo DisneySea is well known for its iconic eats including the Toy Story mochi and sea salt monaka, a raspberry wafer sandwich with sea salt ice cream. However, the park also puts twists on classic Disney treats like churros with new flavor options like mikan (orange) churros, so there's something for everyone at this park.

Europa-Park

Location: Rust, Germany

Ticket prices: Starting at $67

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With 14 roller coasters, 50 restaurants, and over 100 shows and attractions, Germany's largest theme park, Europa-Park, is one to add to your bucket list. Similar to Epcot, the amusement park has 20 themed areas inspired either by European countries (like Spain and Austria) or fantastical fairy tale backdrops (like Adventure Land and the Grimms Fairytale Forest). Within each themed area, there are a variety of entertainment options from shopping to fine dining to thrilling rides.

The most popular attractions at Europa-Park are the Silver Star roller coaster, located in the French area, which features massive drops and speeds over 75 miles per hour (127 kmh) and the twisting Wodan-Timburcoaster in the Iceland area which is the park's only wooden roller coaster. Regardless of where you spend your time, Europa-Park is definitely worth a visit.

Universal Islands of Adventure

Location: Orlando, Florida, USA

Ticket prices: Starting at $119

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Home to over 18 theme parks, Orlando's Universal Islands of Adventure is one of three Universal Studios amusement parks in the region. With attractions focused on famous film and television franchises, there is something for everyone in this adventure focused theme park from meeting your favorite Marvel superheros to riding on the intense VelociCoaster.

The amusement park was designed as a series of themed islands each based on a famous franchise (like Harry Potter and Marvel) which guests could embark on an adventure to ride thrilling roller coasters, meet their favorite characters, and be immersed in their favorite shows and movies.

Using virtual and augmented reality to immerse guests into different themed lands, Universal Islands of Adventure balances traditional roller coasters like The Incredible Hulk Coaster with the immersive Harry Potter and Forbidden Journey in Hogsmeade to make a trip to this Orlando theme park one to remember.

Knott's Berry Farm

Location: Buena Park, California, USA

Ticket prices: Starting at $67

Image Credit: Tomás Del Coro from Wikimedia Commons

Starting off as a chicken dinner restaurant and a famous berry stand, Knott's Berry Farm has grown to be one of California's most popular amusement parks. Each year, the park receives about 5 million visitors and its close proximity to downtown LA make it the perfect stop for some family fun.

The park's four unique areas (Camp Snoopy, Fiesta Village, the Boardwalk, and the Old West Ghost Town) feature attractions designed for the whole family from the gravity-defying HangTime coaster to shows from Snoopy and friends at the Camp Snoopy Theater.

Plus, on hot summer days, check out the adjacent water park, Knott's Soak City, which is equipped with 15 acres of lazy rivers, water slides, private cabana rentals, and a wave pool.

No matter what activities fill your calendar for the rest of summer break, make sure to enjoy the last few weeks of vacation before the school year begins. Be sure to check off the last remaining items off of your summer bucket list and start to prepare for the new school year. After all, summer break will be over before you know it.