The Top 10 Indoor Water Park Resorts

Where to find North America's best indoor waterpark splash for your cash

The massive African-themed resort features one of the world's largest indoor water parks. Among its many attractions are the two Kalahari Surfaris (FlowRider surfing simulators), the world's first (indoor or outdoor) uphill Zip Coaster, indoor-to-outdoor spas, the Wild Kingdom interactive water play area, and a ton of slides. A full-featured resort, the Kalahari offers a host of activities beyond its world-class water park, and is a veritable family vacation paradise.

The sprawling Wilderness complex includes three separate indoor water park buildings which, combined, rank the Wisconsin Dells facility among the biggest indoor water park resorts in the world. The ginormous indoor parks boast almost everything water lovers would find at an outdoor water park. And the Wilderness offers some outdoor water park attractions for warm-weather fun as well. The hotel features a wide variety of room sizes and configurations. Its restaurants are among Wisonsin Dells' finest.

One of Wisconsin Dells' mega waterpark resorts, the original Kalahari features a cavernous indoor water park that includes all kinds of watery diversions such as one of the industry's first indoor water coasters. And there are plenty of other things to do, including a 10-screen movie theater, a day spa, fitness center, arcade, and a host of daily kids activities such as karaoke, scavenger hunts, and live animal encounters.

All of the Great Wolf Lodge indoor water park resorts offer a similar rustic, deep-woods theme and a full-featured resort experience. The properties vary in size and amenities, and the indoor water parks also vary in size and types of attractions. The three Great Wolf Lodges in Niagara Falls (Ontario), adjacent to Kings Island amusement park in Ohio, and in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains are all about the same size and are among the biggest that the chain offers. They all feature uphill water coasters, wave pools, and a complete complement of other water rides.

Great Wolf Lodge at Kings Island, OH Overview

Great Wolf Lodge Pocono Mountains, PA Overview

Chula Vista is located off the beaten path, in a lovely spot next to the Wisconsin River. It features two indoor water parks with an impressive assortment of attractions. The resort also boasts a good-sized outdoor water park as well as a large expo and convention center, sports complex, spa, golf course, on-site restaurants, arcade, and a large number of hotel rooms and condos.

The Water Park of America is one of the country's biggest indoor water park hotel resorts. Located around the corner from the humongous Mall of America, its name both plays off of its famous neighbor's name and its size. The centerpiece of the 70,000-sq.-ft. indoor water park is its audacious 10-story tall water slide complex, the tallest of any indoor water park (and one of the tallest of any water park, outdoor or indoor).

Slightly smaller than the Great Wolf Lodge resorts above, the indoor water parks in Virginia, Wisconsin Dells, and Texas feature giant funnel rides instead of uphill water coasters. Otherwise, they offer the same high quality and immersive experience as the other properties in the chain.

Great Wolf Lodge Grapevine, Texas Overview

Great Wolf Lodge Wisconsin Dells Overview

Splash Lagoon is a good-size indoor water park with a great assortment of slides and water attractions. Its colorful tropical theme offers a warm and inviting ambiance. The park's centerpiece is the Tiki Tree House, which includes a huge tipping bucket, a couple of smaller water slides, and a bunch of hoses, sprayers, pumps, and other interactive gizmos to soak everyone on the play structure. Among Splash Lagoon's unique features, it offers two bowl rides. The Cyclone accommodates one- and two-person tubes, while Hurricane Hole foregoes the tubes and sends riders down a body slide and into its bright orange and yellow bowl.

The Great Escape Lodge is the first indoor water park from the Six Flags chain. Located across from The Great Escape theme park, the hotel and indoor water park provide additional amenities for guests during the theme park's May-to-October operating season. Open year-round, the resort also provides off-season fun. Although it is comparatively small, the water park packs in a lot of fun including a (surprisingly long) lazy river, the Avalanche family raft ride, and Boogie Bear Surf, a FlowRider wave simulator for body surfing. The unique roof is made of a transparent material that allows plenty of sunshine and makes year-round tanning possible.

Cedar Point, home to the world's largest (and some might say greatest) collection of roller coasters and amusement rides, now offers year-round fun with Castaway Bay. The compact indoor water park features plenty of activities, including the Rendezvous Run indoor water coaster, a wave pool, the Lookout Lagoon Family Funhouse (with the ubiquitous water park tipping bucket), and The Grotto, an indoor/outdoor whirlpool that offers plenty of hot tub yin to a cold winter day's yang.