Looking for the definition of a good time?  Try out the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas.  Complete with a full water park, marine habitats, exciting family and individual activities, and top-notch dining and entertainment, Atlantis is sure to keep you coming back year after year!
Upon your arrival to Atlantis, you will notice the beautiful coral-colored hotel towers standing tall upon the white sands.  Pick your accommodations from the Royal Towers, Coral Towers, Beach Tower, The Cove, The Reef, or the Harborside Resort.  Each has its own distinct atmosphere, dining, and pricing.

You will want to spend the majority of your day at the central reason thousands of people flock to Atlantis: the waterpark.  From waterslides to river rides to pools, you will be amazed by the amount of fun you will have.

First, try out some waterslides.  The Leap of Faith offers the daring and adventurous crowd an almost vertical 60-foot drop from the top of the Mayan Temple. After the drop, the rider shoots at tremendous speed through a clear tunnel submerged in a shark-filled lagoon.  Or, try something even scarier – the Abyss. Here, you will begin with a near vertical 50-foot drop through complete darkness, then completing the 200 feet of this body slide to splash though waterfalls into the Centote, an underground lair of prehistoric alligator gars and fish.  Try other body slides such as the Challenger or the Jungle, or tube rides such as the Surge, the Drop, the Serpent, or the Falls. Whichever you choose, you are sure to be both screaming your head off and laughing the entire time.

Want to try some river rides?  You have two choices: either the Lazy River, or the Current.  The Lazy River, relaxing and scenic, will carry you around a quarter-mile loop through a tropical landscape.  The Current is a different story.  On this one-mile adventure, you will encounter water escalators, rolling waves, and extreme rapids. If you would like to try out some slides after this, you will not even leave the water – conveyors will propel you back up to the slide towers.  Additionally, there are more than 20 swimming areas, as well as 11 refreshing and distinctly different pools.

To escape the chaos of the waterpark for a little while, try out the Dolphin Cay or another water adventure.  At Dolphin Cay, you can interact with sea lions and sting rays or swim with dolphins, with varying experiences such as playing in shallow water, swimming in the deep, or playing the role of their trainer for the day.  Other aquatic possibilities include snorkeling, scuba diving, and shark interaction – keep in mind that the resort sits right on the sands of a beautiful Caribbean beach.

If you would like to experience the marine life without swimming with it, wandering through the towers of the resort, you will discover a breathtaking collection of marine exhibits.  Explore The Dig, a miniature aquarium with the feel of an old, lost continent, or one of the other 14 lagoons full of sea life.

For other activities, try out golf, the spa, the fitness center, tennis courts, shopping, pottery, rock climbing, the theatre, a fishing charter, Gamer’s Reef arcade, or the large casino. Atlantis’s large and excellent children’s program will satisfy all younger siblings for the whole visit, and you can have your own experience at CRUSH, the teen nightclub.

After all of this, you are sure to be hungry – eat at one of the many fine restaurants at the resort, or visit the Marina.  Here, you will walk along docks and see dozens of huge yachts.  Head down to Ben and Jerry’s to get some ice cream after your meal.  And, make sure you go on a night with a planned Junkanoo: You will witness dancers in full costumes and hear island music. You might even get to try an instrument yourself!

Atlantis is, simply put, the definition of a good time.  Considering the waterpark, marine habitats, exciting activities, dining, and entertainment, both you and your family will be asking the same question upon your departure: “When are we coming back?”

Though this is my final column, it has been such a wonderful experience for me.  Each week, I was able to remember and vividly recall these incredible moments and places.  I even learned a few new things about the places I visited.  I have always loved travel, and I always will – this column was my way of sharing my experiences with others.  A big thank you to everyone who made this possible.