Indoor Water Park Roundup

Kahuna Laguna Indoor Waterpark

Bracing for a six month visit from Jack Frost, here are some indoor water parks to hold you over until summer vacation:

KeyLime Cove

KeyLime Cove Indoor Waterpark Resort in Gurnee, IL has a splash-tacular environment for all ages. We have our 65,000 square feet indoor water park with 5 large slides, our pineapple playground with slides water toys and a giant pineapple that splashes are key-wees with lots of water! We have 6 different food outlets to choose from (2 sit down restaurants, 3 concessions areas, and a coffee and confectionary area). Plus we have Leapin Lizards activities area that plans may all of our fun-nominal entertainment and activities that all of our guests may enjoy! Some of these fun-tubular activities are scavenger hunts, tea parties, guitar hero tournaments, DJ dance parties, movies, crafts, games and so much more! Also, Paradise Mist Spa at KeyLime Cove Resort features a tropical ambiance in a boutique setting with private treatment rooms, and well-appointed locker and shower rooms. The expansive two-story spa gives resort attendees, as well as the general public, a tropical place to unwind and rejuvenate.

 

KeyLime Cove

KeyLime Cove

Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort

The Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort in the Wisconsin Dells is America’s Largest Waterpark Resort with over 500,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor waterparks. The resort was recently featured on the Travel Channel’s Extreme Resorts show and it offers endless fun for families in its 4 indoor and 4 outdoor waterparks. Popular attractions include the country’s largest indoor wave pool capable of generating waves up to 5 feet tall located in the Wild WaterDome which features a UV Permeable roof so you can tan indoors year round. Other popular water attractions include a meandering lazy river, the Hurricane Thrill Ride, Black Hole Thrill Ride, Haley’s Comet Thrill Ride and multiple indoor/outdoor hot spas. Dry attractions include zip lining; 27 holes of indoor 3-D black light mini-golf; 3 mega arcades; lazer tag; a 35,000 4-story play park with ball blasters, slides and crawl space; outdoor go-karts; outdoor mini golf; paint your own pottery; 18 holes of championship golf; 9 holes of family golf and more!

Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort

Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort

 

CoCo Key Water Resorts

With locations in Rockford, IL, Omaha, NE, Kansas City, MO, Cincinnati, OH, Columbus, OH, Danvers, MA, Fitchburg, MA, Waterbury, CT, Mt. Laurel, NJ, and Orlando, FL CoCo Key Water Resorts offer affordable family getaways that feature a whimsical water park, state-of-the-art arcade, and splashing good times all specially designed for youngsters in a safe and friendly environment. A typical water park in the portfolio features between 50,000-65,000 sq ft of aquatic fun with three or four thrilling adventures slides; Parrot’s Perch–an interactive Play Island; the Coconut Grove Adventure River (a “lazy river”); a Dip-In theater that includes a wading pool with slides for little swimmers under 48″ along with a large sail screen that displays movies and shows; and the Coral Reef Cavern activity pool.

CoCo Key

CoCo Key

Hope Lake Lodge

Hope Lake Lodge and Indoor Waterpark, located in New York’s scenic Finger Lakes region, is a four seasons resort perfect for families of all ages. Opened in December 2009, this northwoods-style resort features all the best amenities, Waterfalls Spa, two restaurants, an arcade, and of course Cascades Indoor Waterpark. The waterpark includes a wave pool, tube slides, a 500 gallon deluge bucket, hot tubs, an activity tower, and a unique heated outdoor pool that can be used year-round. Just outside the resort, there are 32 trails of varying terrain for skiers and snowboarders. Families will love the children’s programs and lessons to accommodate every level of skier.

Hope Lake Lodge

Hope Lake Lodge

Great Wolf Lodge, Niagra Falls

Niagara Falls and water thrills go hand-in-hand. But at Great Wolf Lodge Niagara Falls we make it a little more family friendly. As one of Canada’s largest indoor waterparks, Great Wolf Lodge Niagara Falls offers rides safe for the little ones, as well as some thrilling water slides and water coasters (like the Niagara Rapids Run). See a list of rides and activities here. The Lodge even offers family friendly events for Halloween and the holidays (including a life-sized gingerbread house where families can dine).

Great Wolf Lodge, Niagra Falls

Great Wolf Lodge, Niagra Falls

Wildnerness at the Smokies

Wilderness at the Smokies, located minutes from Interstate 40 and situated in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, is establishing a new standard for athletic competitions, conferences, conventions and meetings in East Tennessee.  While staying at Wilderness at the Smokies resort, guests can swim, surf and splash in the waves in 84-degree weather all year because of the five-acre indoor waterpark. In fact, with two 18-hole golf courses, two outdoor waterparks, an indoor waterpark with a wave pool and surf rider, hot tubs, and countless waterslides and attractions, Wilderness at the Smokies has something for all age groups.

Wilderness af the Smokies

Wilderness af the Smokies

Castaway Bay

A member of the Cedar Point Amusement Park family, Castaway Bay in Sandusky, OH is a Caribbean-themed indoor waterpark resort featuring a lush, year-round tropical paradise for the whole family. Inside this elaborate enclosed waterpark there’s a five-story wet play structure, wave pool and water roller coaster surrounded by palm trees, huts and inland lagoons.  There is also an arcade, craft and child activity center, three restaurants, day spa and fitness center. Kids can meet Snoopy and the Peanuts gang while participating in several activities throughout the day including a dance party and family movie time. Members of the free Birthday Club can receive a free day of play. Castaway Bay is the perfect family getaway and features 237 hotel rooms and suites including family-oriented units.

Castaway Bay

Castaway Bay

Rocking Horse Ranch

Rocking Horse Ranch, in Highland NY, has four pools, six waterslides, 75 activities, and 105 horses!  Their Big Splash Indoor Waterpark features four Wet n’ Wild Indoor Water Slides, a Water Walk Challenge, Geysers, Dumping Buckets,Interactive Fountains and even a Mining Town Aqua Station just for  little ones! This Triple A 3 diamond-rated family resort includes all meals, activities, children’s programs and nightly entertainment. Family owned and operated for 52 years (1958-2010).  The most fun your family ever had! Just 90 minutes from mid-town Manhattan.

Rocking Horse Ranch

Rocking Horse Ranch

Great Wolf Lodge, Greater Williamsburg

A fantastic place to visit with the whole family this winter is the Great Wolf Lodge in Greater Williamsburg, VA. Upon arrival, guests to the Great Wolf Lodge receive wristbands, allowing them unlimited access to the 55,000-square-foot “Bear Track Landing,” one of the larger indoor waterparks in the country. From Fort Mackenzie, the four-story interactive treehouse water fort that provides twelve levels of super-soaking fun with suspension bridges and a 1,000 gallon soaker bucket, to River Canyon Run, where the entire family can pack into a raft and head down one of the park’s signature slides, to Howlin’ Tornado, where four people can “drop” into a six-story funnel, this park provides excitement and fun for all ages. Little ones can enjoy the Cub Paw Pool with the no-slip surface and spray-and-play features of the kiddie pool.  Comfort is key, as the temperature of both water and air is maintained at about 84 degrees, its extremely clean, and there are always plenty of freshly laundered towels available for guests’ use.

Great Wolf Lodge, Greater Williamsburg

Great Wolf Lodge, Greater Williamsburg

Silver Mountain

Silver Mountain is a year-round resort conveniently located in Kellogg, Idaho just off I-90–an hour east of Spokane, WA and 30 minutes east of Coeur d’Alene, ID.The resort is home to Silver Rapids, Idaho’s largest indoor waterpark. We’ve taken weather out of the equation by creating a perfect 84 degree, football field-sized indoor waterpark to splash, swim and surf!  Visitors can take a wide-eyed ride on seven wild waterslides including a family raft adventure, relax in the Lazy River as it meanders around the park, or splash and slide in our island tree house.  Our Flowrider® continuous surf wave is perhaps the most popular attraction.  In addition to Silver Rapids, Silver Mountain offers fantastic skiing and snowboarding on 73 runs on 1,600 acres of terrain which receive in excess of 300” of light fluffy powder each year.  In the warmer months, Silver is Bike Country USA™ due the hundreds of miles of bike trails that traverse the mountains, rivers and valleys and is home to Galena Ridge, a mountain  golf course masterpiece that opened in June, 2010.

Silver Mountain

Silver Mountain

WaTiki Indoor Waterpark Resort

The WaTiki Indoor Waterpark Resort in Rapid City, SD, covers 30,000 square feet. It’s the largest indoor water park in the five-state area. It has a retractable glass roof that allows guests to enjoy the nice weather and feel tropical when it’s cold outside. Features include water slides, the Koko’s Kingdom play area for young kids, the big Monkey Bucket and the Lazy River, which designed for the whole family.  Probably the most popular water feature is the Superbowl Slide. It looks like a giant hubcap, and the circling current takes riders to the doorway at the center, where they drop out of sight into a waterslide. WaTiki adjoins two hotels, the La Quinta Inn & Suites and the Fairfield Inn & Suites. Hotel guests get WaTiki discount tickets.

WaTiki Indoor Waterpark

WaTiki Indoor Waterpark

 

Kahuna Laguna Indoor Water Park

Kahuna Laguna Indoor Water Park, Red Jacket Mountain View Resort, North Conway, NH—With a water park heated to 82 degrees year round, Kahuna Laguna offers warm-weather fun with a three-story slide tower (two body slides, two tube slides), wave pool, super-sized hot tub, water cannons, rope bridge, and water-based basketball court. The “Little Kahuna” area is suited for the smallest visitors (under 48 inches) with a 9-inch-deep pool, smaller slides, water toys and baby bouncers. A snack bar and arcade make the 40,000-square-foot site a full-service fun park; all part of Red Jacket Mountain View Resort.

Kahuna Laguna Indoor Waterpark

Kahuna Laguna Indoor Waterpark

Kalahari Resort, Sandusky, Ohio

You’re in for the time of your life with everything under one roof at Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, OH. Surf indoors 365 days a year or take on the Master Blaster uphill water rollercoaster at America’s Largest Indoor Waterpark. Spa Kalahari, The Reserve Restaurant & Bar, Pottery Pizzazz, Candy Hut, Ivory Coast Lounge, Great Karoo Marketplace Restaurant, Zakanaka Imports, Madagascar Indoor Mini Golf and so much more! No matter what the weather is outside, you can splish-splash all day long indoors at Kalahari. Catch some rays at Kalahari’s outdoor pool complex from Memorial Day to Labor Day (weather permitting). Once you cross over the bridge, you’ll feel “A World Away ®.” Call for day pass information.

Kalahari Resort

Kalahari Resort

About the Author

Julie Henning
Julie Henning is a freelance writer and journalist based out of Eugene, Oregon. She is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and owner of the family-travel website RoadTripsForFamilies.com. She is a recent past member of the Midwest Travel Writers Association and the Association for Great Lakes Outdoor Writers. In March 2018 Julie Henning published the book "100 Things to Do in Eugene Before You Die" (Reedy Press). She is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and recent past member of the Midwest Travel Writers Association and the Association for Great Lakes Outdoor Writers. She has been published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Wisconsin State Journal, Travel Wisconsin, Travel Oregon, Hometown News Group, The Daily Journal (Kankakee, Illinois), the Rochester Post Bulletin, Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine (DNR publication), Experience Michigan Magazine, the Official Oregon Wine Touring Guide, Metro Parent Milwaukee Magazine, Eugene Cascades & Coast Official Visitors Guide, Trivago, Intercom Magazine, Roadtrippers.com, Amtrak.com, Eugene Magazine, and FTF Geocacher Magazine. Julie has appeared on Wisconsin Public Radio, Ohio Public Radio, and KCBX FM Central Coast Radio. She has produced episodes for Journey of Discovery with Tom Wilmer, a National Public Radio travel podcast. Julie has also produced travel apps with Sutro Media and Bindu Media. She works full time in marketing. Julie has appeared on Wisconsin Public Radio, Ohio Public Radio, and KCBX FM Central Coast Radio and is an affiliate producer with the Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer, a National Public Radio travel podcast. She has blogged for TravelWisconsin.com, Travel Oregon, and VISIT Milwaukee. Julie travels with her three kids and black lab as much as possible and lives by the motto, "Not all who wander are lost." Check out some of her best work at www.juliehenning.com.