We had a great time visiting Lost Island! Tickets were cheaper at the hotel we were staying at, so definitely something to look into. It wasn't busy at all (being a newer park) and it felt as though we almost had the place to ourselves. I assume that will change as more people find out about this gem, but we definitely enjoyed it. It was amazing to not have to wait in long lines. In most cases, there was no wait al all and sometimes our party were the only people on the ride. I thought staff was friendly and I appreciated the commitment to theme at the park. My favorite part oddly enough was how CLEAN the park was. I couldn't believe it! No trash, no random sticky messes, etc. The dining facilities we went in were air conditioned, clean, and spacious. Our food was decent. Typical park pricing I'd say. The only drawback for us was that the kid rides were frequently going down so we needed to come back to a handful a couple of times so our toddler could try them. I imagine they need to continue to work out some kinks. I was very pleased with this park and I'd like to return next year. Definitely a must stop! read more

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I had a wonderful experience at Lost Island Theme Park! I loved the theming of each realm - the sidewalk colors would change, the music would change, and the building/rides would have a specific color and decor. It was very immersive, and that is what I love about theme parks. The employees (Guides, officially) were so helpful and kind. I appreciated their ability to interact and talk to us, just to ask if we were having a good time. They are very thorough with safety and safety checks before each ride starts, and I appreciate that. I found there was something for everyone of all ages. I think small children would have a blast coming here, there are small rides for them to enjoy, playgrounds, and even a splash pad. There are intense roller coasters for thrill seekers and some not-so-intense rides for those of us who enjoy a little slower pace. My two favorites were Amara Aviators and Volkanu: Quest for the Golden Idol; I rode them twice. The food was good and you can find the standard theme park fare of burgers, fries and chicken nuggets. But, there are also chicken and rice bowls, pulled port mac & cheese, and coconut shrimp. I enjoyed a bowl of ramen. The park was not crowded (even on a weekend) and that made it enjoyable for us. Low wait times and open areas to really take in the park. It is beautiful! And clean! read more

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Very charming and sweet theme park. Fun coasters that aren't too crazy and young kids can enjoy. Splash pads for the heat! Very friendly and safety first staff. Lots of food options. I enjoy not having to add an app to my phone for every little thing. Highly recommend for a summer fun day in Iowa. read more

Lost Island Theme Park - Amusement Parks Near Me - Waterloo, Iowa

My daughter and I went here last month and we had a great time. The odd thing is that we had to pay $10 for parking in their own private lot. It's just odd since the water park doesn't charge and it's their own lot. There was hardly anyone in the entire theme park so my daughter got to ride the rides over and over and over again which was awesome. The food was good too. We had a big bowl of ramen and it was decently priced for the amount you get. Overall, it was a pretty awesome experience and we can't wait to go back. read more

Everything could be improved. Went on opening day yesterday and only 5 rides were running. The arcade games didn't work with the card. Horrible experience. Pay $10 for parking in a completely empty park. Overall I would rate a zero star but not able to do it. Will not go again for atleast 20 years. Epic fail at an attempt so far hope it changes for the better. read more

It's so nice to see a theme park like this created in the USA without any big IP's and being so unique in vision. I just hope it can attract an audience to keep it afloat. On the day I went it was so dead empty while the sister water park was packed. I'm not so sure how good an investment this was and in the end this money probably should have been sunk into the successful Waterpark or even spent on a top tier rollercoaster to draw more people like what was done at Fun Spot with Arie force roller coaster. Long story short this is a great little park with excellent themes and the food and operations are really great as well. The only cons is no shade anywhere if you go on a really hot day and that beautiful looking purple coaster (I forgot the name, on purpose) is absolutely terrible in every way and back breaking rough...I would never get on that again and it looks like people have already figured this out because I rode it with only 2 other people. Note to park...Close it down, try to re-sell it or something and build a rideable coaster...Even a smooth steel boomerang coaster would be better than this thing. read more

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I visited Lost Island theme park for the first time this weekend and absolutely loved it! As a theme park/coaster enthusiast, this place was awesome to check out because of the incredible attention to detail and theming, along with being able to grab a few new coaster credits! The coaster lineup isn't spectacular, with only 2 major coasters in the park, but the overall ambience, atmosphere, friendliness, and variety of other rides really make it a fantastic place to visit. The level of detail and immersion that the park attempts to reach is admirable and impressive - you truly don't find a park like Lost Island outside of Disney/Universal that has such in depth story telling and lore. I loved learning all about the story of Lost Island, watching the characters from each realm do the opening ceremony and getting more information, interacting with the characters, and then heading out on my own adventure for the day to see what Lost Island is about and help in the cause! It was actually quite fun interacting with their app throughout the day and earning new badges and avatars as well. At the end of the day - I was top 3 on the app leaderboard for achievements and points in the park that day! It's really cool to have the little over the top additional details & theming features that really make this park feel special and unique. Current state - the park stays pretty empty it seems, so we didn't have to wait in a line for almost EVERYTHING and there was so much open space around the park and in restaurants/seating areas. We rode Matugani 9 times, Volkanu 5 times, shaman's curse 5 times, and almost every other ride in the park once or twice and just had an incredible day. Lost island also has really cool themed merch and souvenirs for some of the characters, rides, and lore in the park so I definitely left with an awesome new lost island hoodie, a Tamariki plush, and some other awesome souvenirs from the park! With this park being newer, I really hope it does continue to grow and find success! It was fun being so empty with no lines, but would be even cooler to see the park really getting some recognition and becoming a top theme park destination as it continues to grow! If the coaster and ride line up expands & the park is able to get some more visitors - this could truly be one of the best theme parks in America, if not the world. A few more coasters and it would already be almost there! We did see a sign that said something "Hot" is coming to the fire section next year by a pretty expansive plot of open land, so fingers crossed it's something awesome to make the park even better than it already is! I had such a great time at Lost Island and will definitely be back. I would highly recommend for any theme park fans that appreciate attention to detail, a pristine park, and a high level of immersion and theming to check this place out! Prices were super reasonable across the board. Overall - Lost Island was fantastic. If I could rate over 5 stars - I would! read more

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No lines !!!! Rides are great! 11 year olds had a great time-running from place to place!

We are so lucky to have this absolute gem right here in Waterloo! It's a piece of Disney in our backyard! This is a family-built park, but it is as clean and well-managed as the big guys. The theming is spectacular, and the staff is top-notch. Volkanu is a 4D ride that you have to see to believe! read more

I'm blown away by my poor experience at the park today! I came today, Monday June 20th with my 6 year old son who is 48.5" tall. I checked the website for height requirements and found that the thrill rides were requiring riders to be taller, but at 48.5" he would be fine. After entering the park, we rode the volcano and the bumper cars(bumper cars require 48" to ride solo, which my son was allowed to ride). We then proceeded to pirate ship which had the same height requirements, and the measure stuck touched my sons hair, however the adult(not child) running the ride decided that he would not admit him to ride the ride, and chose to be short with me so I requested a supervisor. After a few minutes a "supervisor" came over and told me there wasn't anything that could be done as it was the manufacturers recommendation, but couldn't seem to grasp that he was tall enough for prior rides, and that there is some serious inconsistencies with the height measurement sticks they have at rides around the park. So then me and my child were escorted to the management front office so they could measure his height again. They had two height sticks it the office that had almost an inch of difference between them. My son was wearing flip flops. Had he been wearing any other shoes, none of this would have been a problem, Everything that happened just basically made my son feel as though he had done something wrong and borderline traumatized him as he thinks this was his fault. Adventureland has the exact same ride and has a 42" height requirement and my son was able to ride it last summer, so he doesn't understand. So after all this, I asked the 2 managers why they are charging full admission prices for 3-6 year olds if they aren't able to use 3/4 of the parks features, and I was given no answers. I then I asked for a refund since we were not able to access any of the features of the park we were expecting to be able to use. They did give me a refund and proceeded to ask us to leave which immediately caused MY 6 YEAR OLD to break down crying which is the exact opposite of what I was expecting with a trip to Lost Island. I'm appalled and heartbroken by the actions of the park to not exercise common sense with one of the few children who was in attendance at a theme park built for children, and even more disappointed for how I was treated for sticking up to for my son, especially with the barely functioning attendance numbers of the park. I hope the management reaches out to me to correct the hurt and pain they caused a 6 year old today because he wasn't wearing the correct shoes and the park doesn't have consistent procedures in place. I also hope that no other parent has to endure the heartbreak of a child's tears due to the lack of discretion from the "management" of the park. read more

Pretty features and great park ideas. Some rides are really fun and have great themes, but my bf, cousin and i went on the water log ride and they ended up getting hurt, rushed to the care station and they knew it was from that ride the second we walked in. if we go back we certainly will never go back on that log ride. read more

This theme park has it all! The theme, characters, and details through out are so thought out and fun! The park is well laid out with plenty of bathrooms and water filling stations. The staff are beyond amazing. And the rides are unique and fun, enough to offer that kept my 3 kids ages 6-11 busy for 10 hours! So worth the money! Each realm/part has a water/splash pad feature that is really cool as well. read more

This place is Iowas best kept secret. Awesome rides, great food, and NO LINES! Seriously! We went on a Thursday and there might have been a few hundred people. My 5 year old met all the characters at the Theme Park. It was awesome. I highly recommend checking this place out! read more