If you have school-aged kids on traditional schedules, summer is often the easiest time to travel and do fun things as a family. Unfortunately, many of the best theme parks are in really hot places, and wandering around pavement and standing in lines in the heat can offset the fun. We’ve already spent 15+ days and counting at theme parks this summer, and these are some of our best tips for beating the heat (and the rain).
In this article: Dress to get sweaty and wet, Accessorize with tools for beating the heat, Prep for rain, Arrange your day around the weather. Park-specific advice: Disney World, Universal, Dollywood, Hershey and Other Parks, California Parks
Dress to get sweaty and wet
Try to wear the least amount of material possible (while still being appropriate) and aim for materials that are breathable and quick-drying. You may not be a fan of water rides, but it may get so hot you don’t care and will soak up any opportunity to cool down!
Good clothing options for hot theme park days for women:
(with links to affordable options, although I’m sure there are fancy name-brand versions if you’re into that)
- Loose tank tops like these
- Athletic dresses like these highly rated tennis dresses on Amazon
- Running/athletic shorts – I like these from Old Navy
- Athletic skirts with built-in shorts and pockets like these
- Breathable, moisture-wicking bras! I normally prefer thicker cups but not on a hot day! A thin bralette or sports bra is best.
Good clothing options for hot theme park days for men:
- Moisture-wicking shirts
- Breathable boxers
- Gym/athletic shorts, preferably with a zipper pocket like these on Amazon
Good clothing options for hot theme park days for kids:
- If your kid will wear a dress, dresses are great for keeping cool, and there are some fun Disney ones out there if visiting a Disney park, like these Disney tutu dresses, this Elsa-inspired one, these cute smocked Disney print dresses for little girls, etc. Just make sure they are breathable and comfortable! Don’t do the Disney costume dresses! They are not very comfortable and are usually made from non-breathable material.
- Breathable tank tops or shirts
- Skirts with shorts built in. My girls love this 3-pack >
- Athletic shorts
Don’t forget the shoes!
Wear a shoe that is comfortable and allows your feet to expand, because feet swell when they are hot and you’re on your feet a lot. Choose either a good athletic sneaker that you can wear socks with, or sandals with secure straps that can get wet. One of my kids prefers wearing Crocs with socks (socks to make them more comfortable and to absorb sweat), but then takes the socks off for water rides or rain.
Accessorize with tools for beating the heat
Having these items makes a world of difference in the heat!
- Cooling towels
Get them wet, snap them, and they get cool. Put them around your neck, around your waist, on your head, over your shoulders – anywhere that helps you cool down! Then just rewet them when they start to dry out. They work great and really do help! They’re also easy to pack in a small bag or tie around you so they don’t take up much space. This 4-pack works great > - Neck fans
As fun as the huge hand-held ones Disney will sell you are, having a hands-free fan as you walk around a hot park is so much better. We like this kind that won’t get hair caught in them, are lightweight, and the battery lasts all day. Check them out on Amazon > - Stroller fans
If you’ll be bringing a stroller with you, buy a few of these fans that can wrap around anything. You can have one pointing toward your kid(s) in the stroller, and put another on the top bar to point to the person pushing the stroller. Check out this highly reviewed kind >
Prep for Rain
Summer heat also usually comes with a higher chance of rain. If you’re going to one of the Florida parks, it usually rains for a short period of time each afternoon. Don’t fret if the forecast says a high chance of rain, it will be short! And bonus – the rain usually takes the temperature down!
Rain can also be helpful for driving crowds away. If you have the proper gear, you can continue the fun in the rain or wait it out, then continue the fun with fewer crowds. I always feel sorry for people who leave a park early because of rain, and then it stops 30 minutes later, and then they miss out on a lovely evening in the park.
Rain prep gear:
- Packable Ponchos
I like to buy a cheap box of disposable ponchos because they are easy to pack and can be tossed in the recyling bin when you’re done with them for the day instead of packing a bunch of wet ponchos back in your bag. I like to find ones with drawstrings around the head. This pack from Amazon has both adult and kid sizes in one pack > - Shoe Covers
If you don’t want to walk around all day in shoes that can get wet (because often those types of shoes aren’t the most comfortable and can rub your feet wrong), but you also don’t want to walk around in wet tennis shoes, waterproof shoe covers are a great idea. They don’t take up too much room in your bag and can be easily taken on and off, and are disposable. They also past your ankles, which is helpful for big puddles (like when it downpours in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom and floods!) Get a 10 pack for $12.99 > - Tiny Umbrellas
Sometimes ponchos are annoying to put on during quick rain spurts, and an umbrella is much more convenient! It won’t work to keep you dry on water rides, but if you don’t love a poncho, this is my favorite packable umbrella! It fits easily in small bags and works well! - In extreme cases – full rain suits
If the weather is calling for constant rain (like when we were at Disney World during a hurricane), then wearing a poncho all day is going to get old and it’s not going to cut it in downpours that last hours. In that case, these full-body rain suits from Frogg Toggs are lightweight, somewhat packable (but not like a poncho), very waterproof, and still cheap compared to other rain gear. They come in Men’s, Women’s, and Children’s sizes. These saved our park days during a hurricane!
Arrange your day around the weather
Check the forecast (although it’s not always accurate), and keep an eye on the skies to predict when rain may be coming. Usually, it rains in the late afternoon, so it can be smart to plan your day around the time it’s most likely to rain. Think about which rides will close if there’s lightning in the area. That’s pretty much all the outdoor attractions. So if you have some must-do outdoor attractions, try to get them done early in the day. Then save any indoor attractions, shows, or indoor restaurants for the time most likely to rain.
You can use a similar strategy to plan your day around the hottest time of the day, usually 2-4pm, but also consider which parts of the day are the sunniest. Save some indoor attractions or shows for the hottest part of the day, or at least avoid attractions with outdoor queues because waiting in line in the heat is no fun. The hottest time of the day is also a great time to do water rides, but everyone else will have the same idea and the lines can get long. It’s usually best to do the water rides a bit earlier to beat the crowds (like 10-11am) and then enjoy the benefits of being wet as the day gets hotter.
If there are any good indoor table-service meals at the theme park, we like to plan those during the late afternoon or early evening to provide a nice indoor rest before doing more in the evening.
Another good option if you’re staying close to the park, is to leave during the afternoon for a nap or a break outside the park and then return for the evening. This works best if you’re staying close by and the park has later hours so it’s worth it to come back and enjoy the cooler evening hours.
Now for some park-specific advice, and we have to start with Florida because its summers are the worst…
Disney World Advice for Summer
- Best parks for a rainy day:
Epcot and Hollywood Studios – both have a lot of indoor attractions and not many that shut down in bad weather. - Worst parks for rainy days:
Magic Kindom because it has more rides that will shut down during a storm, and Animal Kingdom because several rides will shut down and it’s not fun to walk the animal exhibits in rain. - Best parks for a really hot day with lower chance of rain:
Either waterpark (Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach), Epcot (lots of indoor areas and several water fun/splash areas if you need to get wet), Hollywood Studios (also lots of indoor areas but not a lot of shade outside of that). But if you go to Magic or Animal Kingdom you’ll be ok too – each have a water ride to help cool you down and more shade than the others – just not as many indoor spaces. - Queues to avoid in the heat (because they are mostly outside and not always fully shaded based on the sun):
- Magic Kingdom: Tomorrowland Speedway, Astro Orbiter, Mad Tea Party, The Barnstormer, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain Railway, Splash Mountain, Jungle Cruise, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin.
- Epcot: Spaceship Earth, Meet Mickey & Friends, and sometimes the first part of the queue at Tron and Test Track because the lines get long, but then they go inside.
- Hollywood Studios: Slinky Dog Dash and Alien Swirling Saucers. Everything else will have mostly indoor queues but the first part of the queue could be outside if the lines are long.
- Animal Kingdom: Kilimanjaro Safaris, Festival of the Lion King, Na’vi River Journey, Kali River Rapids, Everest.
- Fully indoor queues that are great for rain and heat (unless the line is really long and spilling outside):
- Magic Kingdom – Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (small part outside if line is long), Space Mountain, Journey of the Little Mermaid, Princess Fairytale Hall, Mickey’s Philharmagic, Pirates of the Caribbean
- Epcot: The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Turtle Talk with Crush, Soarin’, Living with the Land, Journey into Imagination with Figment, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Frozen Ever After, Gran Fiesta Tour, Test Track (but closed during storms), Mission Space, Tron (first part outside when line is long) – pretty much everything at Epcot is indoors!
- Hollywood Studios: Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Toy Story Mania, Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run, Rise of the Resistance, Star Tours, Any character meets inside Star Wars Launch Bay, Tower of Terror (first part outdoors but covered when the line is long).
- Animal Kingdom: Dinosaur (while it’s still open), Flight of Passage.
Universal Orlando Advice for Summer
- Best park for a rainy day:
Universal Studios. This park has the most indoor attractions that won’t close during a storm. - Worst park for a rainy day:
Epic Universe. Too many of the attractions close during a storm. - Best parks for a really hot day with a lower chance of storms:
Islands of Adventure (has the most water rides and roller coasters) or Volcano Bay (a great water park) - Queues to avoid in the heat:
Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure (mostly outdoors and not fully shaded if the line is long), Meet a Velociraptor experience, Simpson’s Ride (sunny at some times a day), Rip Ride Rock It (shaded but no part of the queue is actually inside), and pretty much any attraction where the line has become so long that it’s using the boring outside part of the queue. - Fully indoor queues that are great for rain and heat (unless the line is really long and spilling outside):
Spiderman (IOA), Skull Island Reign of Kong (IOA), Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (IOA), The Cat in the Hat (IOA), Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon (US), The Mummy (US), Transformers (US), Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts (US), Men in Black Alien Attack (US), Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry (Epic), Mario Kart Bowser’s Challenge (Epic), Monsters Unchained (Epic).
Dollywood Advice for Summer
Dollywood has the main park and a water park. The water park can shut down when there’s lightning, so try to choose a day to visit the water park with the least chance of storms, and try to get there early to knock out as much as you can before the afternoon chance of storms. And don’t think that just because you’re in the mountains it will be cool – it gets very hot in the summer!
What to do when it storms:
- Play in the indoor play area in Wildwood Grove – it’s completely indoors, air-conditioned, and has lots of things to climb on and interact with. Then when it stops raining you can run right over to Big Bear Mountain and ride this great family coaster with little wait!
- See a show! There are many shows in Dollywood – most of them are musical shows and mostly country music (it is DOLLYwood after all, but if you’re kids aren’t interested in that, there is also a bird show, a multi-sensory film experience called Heartsong, and many rotating shows that are kid-friendly. Check the app for the day’s showtimes and aim to get a seat before the rain begins.
- Learn more about Dolly Parton – explore the indoor exhibits in the Dolly Parton Experience to learn more about an awesome person!
- Ride Blazing Fury – the only indoor dark ride in Dollywood. It’s old and quirky but it’s fun! It’s a slow-moving mine train coaster that goes past animatronic scenes (think Disney-style but made a long time ago with a small budget) and has 3 drops. It’s a little jerky, the seats are a bit small, but it’s not scary and the 3 drops are just big enough to be fun but aren’t too big. (I’ve been riding it since I was a kid and know every line in the animatronic scenes and I love it so don’t make fun of it too much, ok? 😉 )
What to do to cool down on a hot day:
- Ride a water ride! There is a classic white water raft ride called Smoky Mountain River Rampage, and a log-flume ride called Daredevil Falls if you want more thrill. Both will get you nice and wet and cool you down! But they do get long lines during the hot parts of the day.
- Splash around in a water play area! There is a fun splash pad area for kids (and I’ve seen many adults enjoy it too to cool off) in the Wildwood Grove section of the park. Kids can also get wet at the Firehouse Fun Yard near the Firechaser Express Coaster. Just be warned – kids can get completely soaked if they want to play in these areas!
Summer Advice for Hersheypark and Most CedarFair/SixFlags Parks:
If you’re visiting a theme park that has a water park and an amusement park in one big park, I always recommend getting to the water park section of the park as soon as it opens. Even if you haven’t gotten hot enough yet and you want to get other rides done, if you want to enjoy the water park side before the big crowds and possible afternoon storms arrive – get there first thing! Water parks always have lower capacity and the lines can get too long to be enjoyable during the hottest part of the day.
Save any indoor attractions for the hottest time of day or when it rains.
Prioritize roller coasters that will close during storms and do them early or late, or whatever fits the weather forecast.
Summer Advice for Theme Parks in California
Choosing California over Florida in the summer is a great choice! I don’t need to give much advice for California because the weather is amazing! If there’s rain in the forecast, just go a different day when there isn’t rain…simple! If you get hot, just look up the weather in Orlando and imagine being there instead and suddenly you will be thrilled it’s only 80 degrees with a nice wind. California weather is awesome. Enjoy!
The main thing that can sometimes be a challenge during summer in California are crowds. Check the crowd calendars at thrill-data.com to try to choose a less crowded day to visit. At popular parks like Disneyland, you may want to splurge on Lightning Lanes if visiting on a more crowded day.
In Summary…
Don’t be afraid to visit a theme park in the summer! You can survive the heat and rain with the right clothing, tools, and a plan. If you want more theme park advice and sample itineraries, check out our Theme Parks section.
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