Water Park in Waterbury

Connecticut got its first indoor water park when the CoCo Key Water Park Resort at the Holiday Inn Waterbury held its grand opening last week. The 50,000-square-foot water park features an interactive water play center, a lazy river, body and tube slides, and other ways to get wet in a climate-controlled setting. All of the CoCo Key water parks (there are eight open in Illinois, Ohio, Massachusetts, and elsewhere and two more on the way) share a similar layout. They lack marquee attractions such as water coasters, simulated surfing rides, or funnel rides that other indoor water parks feature. Without the thrills, the new Connecticut park is ideally geared to families with children under the age of 12.

Unlike the Great Wolf Resorts chain of indoor water parks and other competitors in the burgeoning industry, which build new, costly facilities from the ground up, CoCo Key has been purchasing existing, slightly distressed hotels, remodeling them, and adding indoor water parks to the mix. That strategy has allowed CoCo Key to expand rapidly.

The company created a bit of a stir in Connecticut when it announced its intention to build the park in Waterbury. The gritty industrial city, located about 25 minutes west of Hartford, doesn't exactly scream "vacation destination," and some in the state took the company to task for its alleged folly. In fact, the new CoCo Key is situated at the outer edge of the city in a heavily wooded area that's close to a major interstate. When New England's winter settles in and temperatures drop below zero, I'd imagine folks would welcome the 84-degree, tropical-themed CoCo Key, regardless of its locale.

Speaking of locales, a little bird at the grand opening told me that CoCo Key might be making a big announcement shortly about a new project. Stay tuned.

Read more about the new CoCo Key Water Park Resort at the Holiday Inn Waterbury.

• CoCo Key at the Holiday Inn Waterbury Photo Gallery
• Find More CoCo Key Water Resorts

Photo: Two Can Play This Game: There are no shortage of ways to get wet at Connecticut's CoCo Key Indoor Water Park. ©Arthur Levine, 2008. Licensed to About.com.