Splash Zone

Meredith Dalenburg hadn't raced across a slip-n-slide since she was 10 years old. But after a long day in Fort Mill, South Carolina, working Slide the City, a traveling slip-n-slide, the 30-year-old and her co-workers jetted down the 1,000 feet of water-soaked vinyl. "We were trying to go faster than the other one or spin more," recalls Dalenburg, event director for Slide the City. "We were laughing the whole time." Slide the City unrolls at Akron's Lock 3 Aug. 2 and tentatively in Cleveland later in the month. It's a cross between Disneyland and a street festival with more than 3,000 riders dancing to Top 40 hits, bouncing beach balls and hitting up food trucks. The slide is cushioned with 2 inches of foam for the comfort of every kid and kid-at-heart adult, including a Raleigh, North Carolina, woman who celebrated her 90th birthday with a spirited ride. "Everyone on the slide was cheering for her," says Dalenburg. $24 per ride, slidethecity.com