Six Flags Expands With Thrilling Water Park

The 24-year-old Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park in Los Angeles has recently acquired a new next-door neighbor, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor.

A water park, Hurricane Harbor has a tropical jungle setting, with water slides, raft rides, wave pools and water play areas.

The side-by-side family entertainment sites make up a new amusement park complex called Six Flags California. More information is available by calling (805) 255-4111.

Minimum age: You don’t need to be well-traveled, just over 50, to participate in Interhostel’s international educational travel programs - from Bangkok to Bavaria. For the fall/winter 1995-96 brochure, call (800) 733-9753.

Back in businesss: After a five-year, $204 million refurbishment, the 50-acre Navy Pier entertainment and recreational complex has opened in Chicago.

Among the highlights, both indoor and outdoor, are a 1,500-seat Skyline Stage, the site of recent reggae and African music festivals as well as concerts; a 150-foot-high slow-moving Ferris wheel, which pulses like a giant jellyfish at night and offers spectacular views of the city skyline; an old-fashioned carousel; and Dock Street, a pedestrian parade of some 40 outdoor vendors.

The Navy Pier also offers boat excursions, a skating rink, a grand ballroom and a six-story, 32,000-square-foot glass-enclosed botanical garden with blooms from all over the world.

First opened to the public in 1916, the pier was built as a shipping and recreational site. It was used as a military training facility during the two world wars. For information, call (800) 595-7437.

Tying the knot: People can get married in all kinds of places these days. Four examples:

Underwater. The “Romantic Wedding Adventure” package at the Radisson Bahia Mar Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., features an exchange of vows in scuba gear on the ocean floor a quarter-mile offshore. Guests view the nuptials from a glass-bottom boat equipped with audio. Among the “uninvited” guests may be purple sea fans, brain coral, sea urchins and parrot fish. The double-occupancy package costs from $1,712 for a one-night stay to $2,639 for a week’s stay. Any travel agent can provide more details.

In a pagoda by the sea. At the Sofitel Central Hua Hin in Thailand’s beach resort of Hua Hin, couples can “Thai” the knot in a wedding that has Western touches, from the bride’s bouquet to a many-tiered cake, and Eastern touches, including fireworks and a blessing by Buddhist monks. The basic wedding package starts at about $640 and increases for more elaborate ceremonies such as those that include his and her Thai-style wedding gowns. A night at the Sofitel begins at about $134 a couple. For information, call (310) 302-0042.

In a land of fantasy. Walt Disney World has just opened its new glass-enclosed Wedding Pavilion, built on a private island in the Seven Seas Lagoon and surrounded by palm trees. Brides-to-be can select all the elements for a storybook wedding, and a variety of fantasy receptions is offered at Disney resorts. Why, if the bride wishes, she can arrive in Cinderella’s glass carriage, drawn by six white horses. Pavilion weddings begin at $500, and reception/ honeymoon packages range from $2,300 to $19,000. For more information, call (407) 828-3400.

Canal cruising: To book a canal barge in Europe, travelers can directly contact rental firms in the country where they want to cruise. National tourism offices in New York can provide lists of names and addresses. But it is often much simpler to deal with one of the U.S. companies that represent a variety of rental firms abroad, among them:

Le Boat (800-992-0291) is the booking firm for numerous operators in France, England, Wales, Ireland, Holland and Germany, and it is looking for an operator in Sweden. The firm’s president, Evelyn Gresser, says she monitors the quality of the service and drops operators who don’t meet her standards.

Fenwick & Lang (800-243-6244) represents Crown Blue Line of France, which operates a fleet of more than 400 barges in France and Holland.

Connoisseur USA (800-979-3444 and 301-208-8006) is the U.S. office for Connoisseur, a British-based firm that both builds canal barges and maintains a fleet of 350 in Great Britain, France and Holland.

Remote Odysseys Worldwide of Coeur d’Alene, (800-451-6034), takes bookings for three self-drive barge firms in France.