3025 Allens Crossroads Rd, Benson, NC

Are you looking for a water park that is actually open during the pandemic? Tucker Lake may not be your typical water park, but it has all the water slides you could want, just in an outdoor lake instead! Plus you get the sandy beach experience without the 3 hour drive! Whether you want to relax on the beach, float in the water, take a plunge on the water slides, play volleyball, grill out or have a picnic, you’ll definite want to check out Tucker Lake in Benson!

Tucker Lake is a 30 acre lake fed by clear, spring water with white sand beaches. I was impressed at how clear the water was here. It was nothing like the Falls Lake Sandling Beach with it’s murky water.

Picnic Area

My family came prepared for the beach with our umbrellas and chairs, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it really wasn’t needed. We were able to find a shady spot on the beach, and there was an entirely shaded picnic area filled with tons of picnic tables and charcoal grills. We got there early and there were plenty of tables available, but I’m sure they run out fast!

Heads up: you have to pay an extra $2 to park inside the entrance gate to the picnic area. We didn’t realize this or we would have parked outside of the gate since we didn’t actually use a picnic table. You can still use a picnic table without parking inside the gate, it will just be a bit further to walk.

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Water Slides

Now on to the main attraction of Tucker Lake: the water slides!

There is one giant water slide that you use a mat to slide on. There is a height requirement of 42in for the slide, and you are not allowed to wear a flotation device on this specific slide (you can on everything else). My 5 year old was tall enough to ride, but my 4 year old was not. My 5 year old can swim, although not the best, but she was able to do the slide multiple times with no issues. It doesn’t dump you out into a deep pool like some other slides I’ve seen.

In addition to the big slide, there are also a couple smaller slides for the kids. My 2 year old was able to go down the whale and polar bear slide. It was easy to climb up and the slide ended in a shallow sandy area on the beach. You are allowed to wear floaties on all of these other slides and there is no height requirement.

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Rope Swing

Another popular attraction for the big kids was the rope swing. My husband and I even got in on this action! There wasn’t a height restriction, but the rope is high up on the platform so leave this one to kids 12 and up. A life guard was on the platform to monitor everything, but it is in deep water so you must be a strong swimmer. You will find two rope swings on both ends of the lake, so if one is busy you can use the other one!

There are also a few more slides off of the dock that dump you into deeper water. My 5 and 4 year old did these with their floaties on. They did go under water so your kids will have to be prepared for that! One slide was pretty tall, which scared my 4 year old a bit, but she eventually conquered her fear!

Inflatables

On the far right side of the lake there are a few inflatables for extra fun. One is a type of obstacle course and the other is just an inflatable jungle gym. My kids didn’t love these because they were wobbly and slippery, but I saw a lot of 7-10 year olds on them!

Concession Stand and Rentals

Once you’ve had your fill of the water and are ready to fill your belly, check out the concession stand! They serve items such as Hot dogs, Hamburgers, Sausage Dogs, Corn Dogs, Nachos, French Fries, Funnel Cakes, Ice Cream, Milk Shakes, Icees, Drinks, etc. We didn’t actually purchase anything since we packed a picnic lunch, but I got a glimpse of a funnel cake and it looked delicious!

This is also where you can purchase rentals for the day. You can rent chairs and umbrellas and they will air up your inflatables for a fee. Kayaks and paddle boards are available on the weekends, although we didn’t see anyone out on the water with one while we were there.

At $10-12 per person, in my opinion Tucker Lake is a little expensive. However, you can easily make it a full day of fun to get your money’s worth! We only stayed from 10am-1pm but everyone else seemed like they were staying for the whole day. There are grills near the picnic tables so lots of people were grilling out with their family.

Tucker lake is Open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 am – 6 pm. There’s also an RV campground onsite so you could extend the fun even longer!

If you’re looking for a water slide a little closer to home, try Holding Park Aquatic Center in Wake Forest!