Water Parks of America

Indoor

Indoor water parks make it possible for tourists and locals to enjoy a summertime activity in the middle of winter. Many of the indoor water parks offer everything their outdoor counterparts have to offer, including speed slides, wave pools, lazy rivers and raft rides. Splash Lagoon (SplashLagoon.com) in Erie, Pennsylvania offers a Tiki House complete with dumping buckets, tube slides, raft slides, kids' wet deck and the Hurricane Hole, a spiraling water slide. Some indoor water parks are associated with hotels, such as Six Flags Great Escape Lodge (SixFlagsGreatEscapeLodge.com) and the Water Park of America.

When you think of a water park, chances are you are thinking of being able to enjoy time outdoors in the sun during the summer months. There are a number of themed water parks across the country that offer acres of land covered with slides, pools and play areas. The Wilderness Resort Outdoor Water Park (WildernessResort.com) located in the Wisconsin Dells offers an outdoor water park including an interactive river that has both slow-moving waters and raging rapids. Schlitterbahn Water Parks (Schlitterbahn.com) offer tube slides, raft rides and themed play areas in Galveston, Texas, Kansas City, Kansas, New Braunfels and South Padre Island, Texas. There are three locations in California where guests can enjoy the speed slides, wading pools and tube slides at Raging Waters (RagingWaters.com).

There are some theme parks across the country that offer both the theme park experience and access to a water park. The Mt. Olympus Water Park features 156 acres of theme park in the Wisconsin Dells, including eight go-kart tracks, six roller coasters and 37 water slides in Medusa's Indoor Water Park. The Walt Disney World Resorts (DisneyWorld.com) offer guests two themed water parks, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. SeaWorld (SeaWorld.com) has its own water park, Aquatica, right across the street from the aquarium.

Wave pools allow guests to body surf to the "shore" or spend time riding the waves aboard water tubes. In Riviera Beach, Florida guests can enjoy Big Surf, the wave pool at Rapids Water Park (RapidsWaterPark.com). Roseland Water Park (RoselandWaterPark.com) in Canandaigua, New York, offers a 27,000-square-foot wave pool with a beach entrance that is only open during the summer months. Home to Minnesota's largest outdoor wave pool, Bunker Beach Water Park (BunkerBeach.com) in Coon Rapids is also home to a 900-foot long lazy river, six water slides and sand play area.