13 Best Indoor Water Parks in the U.S.

The wave pool inside the Dreamworks Water Park in New Jersey
The wave pool inside the Dreamworks Water Park in New Jersey

Courtesy of American Dream

Having a little water park fun doesn't have to depend on good weather. Safe from the crisp bite of fall air or winter snow, or even just a rainy summer day, there are all-weather water parks all around the nation that make for the perfect escape.

From hotels with indoor water parks that are totally over-the-top to ski resorts that double as water parks — so you can spend the morning on the slopes and warm up in the afternoon with some extra thrills — these parks offer fun for every age. Here are the 13 best indoor water parks in the U.S. for you to explore right now.

Related: 20 Best Amusement Parks in the World

Kalahari Resort, Wisconsin

Kalahari Resorts Indoor Waterpark
Kalahari Resorts Indoor Waterpark

Courtesy of Kalahari Resorts

This 125,000-square-foot Wisconsin Dells indoor water park is the largest in the state (and that's saying something for an area that is overflowing with water parks). Float down the 920-foot lazy river or take the whole family on the Victoria Falls waterslide, a 504-foot group raft ride. Later, adults can grab a drink at the park's swim-up bar while kids try swimming with the fish at the park's underwater virtual reality experience.

Kahuna Laguna, New Hampshire

This New Hampshire water park offers 40,000 square feet of slides, wave pools, and splash pads that will entertain just about any kid (and their parents, too). Start on one of the four slides that make up the three-story slide tower before heading to the 67,000-gallon zero-entry wave pool. And the youngest adventurers won't be left out; they can check out the Little Kahuna Play Area, including a 12-inch-deep pool and a three-person slide.

Splash Lagoon Indoor Water Park Resort, Pennsylvania

This Pennsylvania water park is kept at a balmy 84 degrees, so it feels like summer all the time. Get your thrills with the Cyclone slide, where you're spun around four times before you're shot out into a pool. Want more thrills? Try out the Black Hole, a pitch-black slide where you won't know where you're going until the end. Later, jump inside the Aqua Tumbler — a giant inflatable ball that shoots water at you while you run inside it — then take a break from getting wet and hit the three-story-high Tree Tops Ropes Course.

Great Wolf Lodge, Wisconsin

Great Wolf Lodge indoor water park
Great Wolf Lodge indoor water park

Courtesy of Great Wolf Lodge

Race your friends on the toboggan-style slide at this Wisconsin Dells water park with 13 different slides and nine pools. Afterward, experience the twists and turns of Lookout Mountain, which shoots you through big boulders. If the (also) 84-degree temperature inside the park isn't warm enough for you, soothe your muscles in the South Hot Springs warming pool.

Aquatopia Indoor Waterpark, Pennsylvania

This Pennsylvania water park gives you the best of both winter and summer: You can ski outside and then go inside to the water park to play at Penguin Play Bay, a (warm) shallow adventure lagoon. If you're looking for more excitement, try the Skydive Plummet, a free-fall body slide with a 360-degree figure-eight loop. Later, slow down with a float down The Lost River, made to look like the site of ruins, or simply relax in the Mystic Springs hot pool.

Dreamworks Water Park, New Jersey

The wave pool inside the Dreamworks Water Park in New Jersey
The wave pool inside the Dreamworks Water Park in New Jersey

Courtesy of American Dream

Want a lot of variety in your water park experience? Look no further than Dreamworks Water Park in New Jersey. The park claims to have the largest selection of water rides in the world, including a few record-breaking attractions like the world's largest indoor wave pool and a 14-story high trapdoor slide that will leave you screaming all the way down.

Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark, Michigan

This huge indoor water park clocks in at 88,000 square feet, with slides, pools, and thrills perfect for kids of all ages (and kids at heart). Young swimmers will love the zero-depth Kitz Pool, complete with sprinklers, basketball hoops, and a mini-slide, while bigger kids will gravitate to The Big Couloir, where riders are launched from a capsule through a trap door into a narrow tunnel where they accelerate to 38 feet per second.

Wilderness at the Smokies, Tennessee

Wilderness at the Smokies River Lodge indoor water park
Wilderness at the Smokies River Lodge indoor water park

Courtesy of Wilderness at the Smokies River Lodge

You can tan all year long at this resort's 66,000-square-foot Wild WaterDome indoor water park with its Foil Tech glass roof that allows the sunshine in no matter the temperature outside. Gather the whole family for the Runaway Canyon, a five-story-high raft ride that sends you shooting through 450 feet of tunnels and loops before dropping you nearly 60 feet. Looking for an even greater thrill? Try the Storm Chaser Thrill Ride that sends you into a zero-gravity fall before shooting you into a funnel and then a pool below.

WaTiki Indoor Waterpark Resort, South Dakota

More than 30,000 square feet of fun await visitors inside this glass-enclosed water park that stays a pleasant 82 degrees, even in the dead of South Dakota's brutal winters. Speed down several giant waterslides, all connected to the park's lazy river. Younger kids will love KoKo's Kingdom, where they can shoot water and stand under a big bucket that dumps a whole heap of water down every eight to ten minutes.

Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Indoor Waterpark, Texas

A family getting off a water ride at Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Indoor Waterpark in Texas
A family getting off a water ride at Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Indoor Waterpark in Texas

Courtesy of Schlitterbahn Waterpark

Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Indoor Waterpark is the water park for everyone. As it explains on its website, it's got something for everyone from "mild to wild." That includes its more "wild" immersive Screaming Serpents body slide ride to a more "mild" swim-up bar for adults. There are also plenty of picnic pavilions so families can make a day of it.

Massanutten Resort, Virginia

Who needs a regular playground when you can have a water-powered playground? Climb to the top of the Massanutten Meltdown for a good overview of all the water cannons, waterfalls, and the giant tipping bucket before making your way over to the Blue Ridge Rapids to float past even more waterfalls. Adventure seekers can then check out the park's body slides, 39 feet above the ground, or try surfing the Pipeline, which pumps 48,645 gallons of water each minute.

Jay Peak Pump House, Vermont

Take a break from skiing this mountain's slopes and relax in the park's indoor and outdoor hot tubs — you can even watch the snow fall while you sit in 100-degree-plus water. Later, test how brave you are with the resort's La Chute slide, which stands 65 feet in the air and shoots you down at 45 miles per hour, or float down the Big River, where you'll encounter rapids and strong currents (so the resort doesn't exactly call it a lazy river).

H2Oasis Indoor Waterpark, Alaska

Interior of H2Oasis Indoor Waterpark in Alaska
Interior of H2Oasis Indoor Waterpark in Alaska

Courtesy of H2Oasis Indoor Waterpark

Yes, you really can find a "tropical island in the last frontier." The H2Oasis Indoor Waterpark in Alaska comes with more than 56,000 square feet to roam and play, and features plenty of rides for the whole family. That includes its water-powered roller coaster, The Master Blaster, the Pirate Ship Kiddie Pool, and of course, a lazy river for good measure.