The Sun New Center Lamphun

The Sun New Center Lamphun is a water park and amusement park on around 50 rai behind an industrial estate on the edge of Lamphun town — reportedly the largest facility of its kind in northern Thailand since it opened in 2012. Despite older listings describing it as a shopping and retail complex, retail is a minor sideline here: the rides are the reason to come.

The centrepiece is a mock waterfall feeding a wide artificial stream where most visitors spend the bulk of their time floating and wading rather than queuing for slides. Around it sit the park’s bigger draws — a bungee jump, a Viking ship swing, a sky-basket ride that lifts riders over the grounds, a spinning “space chair,” and a cluster of water slides for different age groups. An ATV track and a handful of gentler kids’ rides round out the amusement-park side. None of it aims for the adrenaline pitch of a Bangkok theme park; the pace here is closer to a family pool day with a few bigger rides mixed in, which is exactly what keeps it busy with Lamphun and Chiang Mai families on weekends.

Weekday mornings are noticeably quieter than weekend afternoons, when local families dominate and queues for the Viking ship and slides build up. The site’s mountain-adjacent location keeps a breeze moving through the grounds most of the day, which takes the edge off Lamphun’s dry-season heat.

Insider Tip: Arrive at opening (10:00) on a weekend if you want a clear run at the bigger rides before the after-lunch crowd — by early afternoon the bungee jump and Viking ship both build queues.

Watch out: Facilities and ride line-ups at regional water parks like this change season to season, and admission pricing varies by source — call ahead (0 5352 8359) if you’re planning around a specific ride.

Combine the trip with Lamphun town’s older temples for contrast — the park sits about 30 minutes from Chiang Mai as well, so it works as a half-day add-on from either base.