USA TODAY 10Best
10 best indoor water parks you can enjoy in any weather
Best Indoor Water Park (2024)
Whether it's snowing, raining, or just too hot to play outside, indoor water parks offer an opportunity for a splashing good time no matter the weather or season. We asked a panel of experts to nominate their top picks for water parks, then our readers voted for their favorites. Here are the 10 best indoor water parks in the United States.
- Island Waterpark at Showboat - Atlantic City, New Jersey
- Tropic Falls at OWA - Foley, Alabama
- Timber Ridge Lodge & Waterpark - Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
- Splash Lagoon - Erie, Pennsylvania
- Massanutten Indoor WaterPark - Massanutten, Virginia
- Great Wolf Lodge Resorts - Multiple locations
- Aquatopia Indoor Waterpark - Tannersville, Pennsylvania
- DreamWorks Water Park - East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark - Grand Prairie, Texas
- Kalahari Resorts - Multiple locations
Photo courtesy of Bicho_raro / iStock / Getty Images Plus
No. 10:
Located within the vibrant atmosphere of the Showboat Hotel Atlantic City, Island Waterpark at Showboat is a perfect destination for families and thrill-seekers alike. This amusement park offers guests 11 waterslides, four restaurants, three bars, and access to Lucky Snake Arcade. There's no shortage of fun between cooling off in the lazy river or splashing down the waterslides.
Photo courtesy of OWA Parks and Resorts
No. 9:
Tropic Falls at OWA, open year-round, offers a vibrant oasis of relaxation with its lush tropical surroundings and cascading water features, all under a convertible glass roof. Thrill-seekers can find adventure too, as this indoor water park features 75-foot-tall waterslides. A lazy river and kid-friendly play structure round out the ways to play.
Photo courtesy of Timber Ridge Lodge & Waterpark
No. 8:
Timber Ridge Lodge in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, is home to a 50,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor water park, where visitors can zip down 35-foot-high slides, drift along a calm 500-foot-long lazy river, get moving in an activity pool, or kick back and relax in an indoor/outdoor hot tub.
Photo courtesy of Rob Frank - R. Frank Media
No. 7:
The Polynesian-themed Splash Lagoon is home to one of the biggest indoor wave pools in the eastern United States, as well as other unique water-centric attractions. Guests can test themselves on the ropes course high above the water or float along the lazy river. For adrenaline-seekers, the Black Hole waterslide submerges riders into total darkness. In total, the park features nine different waterslides — one tube reaches 40 miles per hour — as well as a few on-site restaurants/bars and shops.
Photo courtesy of Massanutten Resort
No. 6:
Guests of Massanutten in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley have waterslides, a lazy river, and the state's first and biggest FlowRider surf simulator to choose from. Kid-friendly Frog Pond offers pint-sized thrills, while the whole family will enjoy the water cannons and gadgets of the Massanutten Meltdown play structure. An indoor/outdoor hot tub sets the scene for year-round relaxation.
Photo courtesy of Great Wolf Lodge
No. 5:
Great Wolf Lodge Resorts is a chain of indoor water park resorts located in the United States and Canada. The resorts' water parks include indoor and seasonal outdoor activities such as tube rides, wave pools, waterslides, hot tubs, and surfing simulators.
Photo courtesy of Camelback Resort
No. 4:
Aquatopia at Camelback Resort in the Poconos boasts 125,000 square feet of water-filled fun, featuring seven pools (including a wave pool), 13 slides, an adventure river, and a water play structure with more than 80 gadgets and interactive elements. A highlight for thrill-seekers is Storm Chaser, one of the longest indoor uphill water coasters in North America. Visitors looking to relax can work on their tan year-round, thanks to Aquatopia's transparent roof.
Photo courtesy of American Dream
No. 3:
One of the largest indoor water parks in North America, DreamWorks Water Park offers an immersive experience where visitors can splash and play in themed attractions inspired by some of their favorite and most beloved DreamWorks characters. From exhilarating slides to interactive water features, the park promises fun for the whole family amidst a vibrant and fantastical setting.
Photo courtesy of Epic Waters
No. 2:
With Mountain Creek Lake nearby, the Dallas suburb of Grand Prairie has plenty of natural water to play with, but that doesn't stop families from spending time at this epic water park — and for good reason. Racing slides, inner tube rides, and the wall-climbing Yellowjacket Drop are among Epic Waters' top attractions.
Photo courtesy of Kalahari Resorts & Conventions
No. 1:
Kalahari Resorts is an African-themed water park resort chain with four locations throughout the United States. The resorts' water parks include uphill water coasters, surfing simulators, waterslides, and a unique virtual reality waterslide.
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Alex Ojeda
Alex Ojeda, known as @AlexOjeda, is a... Read More
Alex Ojeda, known as @AlexOjeda, is a Mexican-American short-form video creator renowned for his captivating content centered around the world's most exhilarating travel experiences. With an audience of over 13 million followers across various social media platforms, Alex’s content does over 2 billion views annually across social media.
Alex Ojeda
Alex Ojeda, known as @AlexOjeda, is a Mexican-American short-form video creator renowned for his captivating content centered around the world's most exhilarating travel experiences. With an audience of over 13 million followers across various social media platforms, Alex’s content does over 2 billion views annually across social media.
Derek Perry
Derek Perry is the Communications Director for the... Read More
Derek Perry is the Communications Director for the world's largest ride enthusiast group, American Coaster Enthusiasts. Derek first joined ACE as a kid with his parents and twin brother on a roller coaster-riding road trip after unexpectedly being at a park the same day as an ACE event. In addition to his love of travel, he is one half of The Perry Twins, a DJ and music production duo with his brother, Doug. They have written, produced and remixed many songs, including their original songs that topped Billboard Magazine’s dance chart. He has been lucky to combine his love of amusement parks with traveling for DJ gigs and has ridden over 1,200 unique roller coasters around the world and share their adventures on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
Derek Perry
Derek Perry is the Communications Director for the world's largest ride enthusiast group, American Coaster Enthusiasts. Derek first joined ACE as a kid with his parents and twin brother on a roller coaster-riding road trip after unexpectedly being at a park the same day as an ACE event. In addition to his love of travel, he is one half of The Perry Twins, a DJ and music production duo with his brother, Doug. They have written, produced and remixed many songs, including their original songs that topped Billboard Magazine’s dance chart. He has been lucky to combine his love of amusement parks with traveling for DJ gigs and has ridden over 1,200 unique roller coasters around the world and share their adventures on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
Francis Dominic
I sleep more in planes than I do my own bed.... Read More
I sleep more in planes than I do my own bed. Probably visiting your local theme park! I am an emotional Aries, with a big love of fantasy-romance books, and continually immersing myself in film and television. I love to live life in color because the world can use a lot of it. And I live it unapologetically! It's okay to continually choose yourself! Connect with Francis on Instagram. TikTok and Twitter.
Francis Dominic
I sleep more in planes than I do my own bed. Probably visiting your local theme park! I am an emotional Aries, with a big love of fantasy-romance books, and continually immersing myself in film and television. I love to live life in color because the world can use a lot of it. And I live it unapologetically! It's okay to continually choose yourself! Connect with Francis on Instagram. TikTok and Twitter.
Jamie Davis Smith
Jamie is an attorney, writer and photographer. She... Read More
Jamie is an attorney, writer and photographer. She was born with deeply ingrained wanderlust and has visited 45 countries and counting. She often brings her children along for the adventure and is passing her love of travel on to the next generation. Jamie has written for Insider, Fodor's Travel, Yahoo, the Huffington Post, the Washington Post, Viator and Reviewed among many other publications. Jamie is from Philadelphia and now lives in Washington, DC, where she takes advantage of everything the region has to offer. Jamie can be reached at jamiesmithwrites@gmail.com and can be found on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
Jamie Davis Smith
Jamie is an attorney, writer and photographer. She was born with deeply ingrained wanderlust and has visited 45 countries and counting. She often brings her children along for the adventure and is passing her love of travel on to the next generation. Jamie has written for Insider, Fodor's Travel, Yahoo, the Huffington Post, the Washington Post, Viator and Reviewed among many other publications. Jamie is from Philadelphia and now lives in Washington, DC, where she takes advantage of everything the region has to offer. Jamie can be reached at jamiesmithwrites@gmail.com and can be found on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
Nikky J
NikkyJ is a theme park super fan, Author of The... Read More
NikkyJ is a theme park super fan, Author of The Solo Theme Park Traveler’s Guide, the founder and owner of ThemeParkHipster.com, a wishful Food Critic, coffee enthusiast, and a lover of life! She currently resides in Orlando, Florida where she enjoys spending time with her husband and two little girls while discovering the beautiful attractions of Florida. You can watch her on YouTube or listen to her podcast.
Nikky J
NikkyJ is a theme park super fan, Author of The Solo Theme Park Traveler’s Guide, the founder and owner of ThemeParkHipster.com, a wishful Food Critic, coffee enthusiast, and a lover of life! She currently resides in Orlando, Florida where she enjoys spending time with her husband and two little girls while discovering the beautiful attractions of Florida. You can watch her on YouTube or listen to her podcast.
Robb Alvey
Robb Alvey is the owner of ThemeParkReview.com,... Read More
Robb Alvey is the owner of ThemeParkReview.com, started in 1996 and one of the longest running and largest theme park fan sites with over 3 million followers. Robb travels to theme parks all over the world each year including Europe, Asia, Australia, and all around the Americas, has visited hundreds of different parks and ridden about 2,000 different roller coasters. His background in theme parks started as a cast member for Disneyland when he was 17 years old and has continued more than 30 years later.
Robb Alvey
Robb Alvey is the owner of ThemeParkReview.com, started in 1996 and one of the longest running and largest theme park fan sites with over 3 million followers. Robb travels to theme parks all over the world each year including Europe, Asia, Australia, and all around the Americas, has visited hundreds of different parks and ridden about 2,000 different roller coasters. His background in theme parks started as a cast member for Disneyland when he was 17 years old and has continued more than 30 years later.
Taylor Bybee
Taylor Bybee is the founder of Coaster Studios, a... Read More
Taylor Bybee is the founder of Coaster Studios, a roller coaster and theme park youtube channel with over 200,000 subscribers. Taylor has ridden over 1,000 roller coasters now across all 6 habitable continents, constantly scouting the latest and greatest thrill rides. Coaster Studios has been around for over 10 years now, providing a wide variety of high quality videos within the amusement industry, including reviews, analyses, vlogs, documentaries, and more. Taylor can be followed on Twitter @coasterstudios and on Instagram via @coaster_studios.
Taylor Bybee
Taylor Bybee is the founder of Coaster Studios, a roller coaster and theme park youtube channel with over 200,000 subscribers. Taylor has ridden over 1,000 roller coasters now across all 6 habitable continents, constantly scouting the latest and greatest thrill rides. Coaster Studios has been around for over 10 years now, providing a wide variety of high quality videos within the amusement industry, including reviews, analyses, vlogs, documentaries, and more. Taylor can be followed on Twitter @coasterstudios and on Instagram via @coaster_studios.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original,... Read More
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
