15 Best Indoor Water Parks in the U.S. (2024)

Spending a day at the pool doesn't have to depend on good weather. Conveniently sheltering their attractions from the elements, the best indoor water parks in the U.S. are perpetually toasty escapes in rain or shine, any time of the year. Simply pack a swimsuit on your next trip to Vermont, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, or Pennsylvania, regardless of the forecast.

From hotels with glass-domed slides and pools to ski resorts where you can finish a day on the slopes with a surf session, these indoor water parks offer fun for all ages and travel styles, even the adults-only kind.

Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park Resort, Wisconsin

Mt. Olympus has the only rotating water slide in the U.S. — and it's one of only ones in the world. On the spinning Medusa's Slidewheel, you can reach 25 miles per hour as you speed down in your raft, occasionally catching air. Besides that, it's also home to the country's tallest water slide, The Rise of Icarus Tower, swirling down vertically from a 145-foot platform. This is the ultimate park for adrenaline junkies, though there's plenty for little ones to do, like splash around in the 12,000-square-foot kiddie area.

Tropic Falls at OWA, Alabama

Tropic Falls at OWA (pronounced "oh-wah" and derived from the Muscogee Creekterm for "big water") boasts 75-foot-tall slides, a wave pool, a surf simulator, and a glass roof that retracts when the sun shines on Foley, Alabama. The indoor water park has 23 rides and attractions, and it's part of the larger Tropic Falls Theme Park, which has even more to do.

DreamWorks Water Park, New Jersey

With a glass dome that drapes the pool area of DreamWorks Water Park in natural light, you might even forget you're indoors. This New Jersey gem claims to have the largest selection of water rides in the world, including a few record-breaking attractions like the largest indoor wave pool and a 14-story-high trapdoor slide that will leave you screaming all the way down. Because it's run by the famed animation studio DreamWorks, it also heavily features beloved characters like Shrek, Po the "Kung Fu Panda," and King Julien of "Madagascar."

Jay Peak Pump House, Vermont

Take a break from skiing the slopes at Jay Peak and relax in the park's indoor and outdoor hot tubs, where you can watch the snow fall while you soak. Test your courage on the resort's La Chute slide, which stands 65 feet high and shoots you down at 45 mph, or float down the Big River, the Pump House's version of a non-lazy river marked by rapids and strong currents.

Soundwaves at Gaylord Opryland, Tennessee

Next to Nashville's iconic Grand Ole Opry, the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center is known for having acres of gardens under the glass ceiling of its atrium. People flock to its water park, Soundwaves, for a refreshing (and sobering) dip when they tire of the scenes on Broadway. The attraction spans three stories and nine acres. Inside is an oasis of real plants (no plastic here!), two lazy rivers, body slides, coves designed for small children, and, in true Nashville fashion, an area just for adults.

Kalahari Resort, Wisconsin

This 125,000-square-foot Wisconsin Dells indoor water park is one of 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 group raft ride. Later, adults can grab a drink at the park's swim-up bar while kids play a game of water basketball in Crocodile Cove.

Splash Lagoon Indoor Water Park Resort, Pennsylvania

Known for its three-story "treehouse" and lodge-like feel, this Erie County water park also features a thrilling Cyclone slide, where you're spun around four times before being propelled into a pool, and the Black Hole, a tube slide that sends you through total darkness. Have a go on the wave simulator, then dry out while playing games in the Treasure Island Arcade.

Great Wolf Lodge, Wisconsin

Race your friends on the toboggan-style slide at this Wisconsin Dells water park with more than 20 attractions and pools. Afterward, experience the twists and turns of Lookout Mountain, which shoots you through big boulders and spits you out on a lazy river. If the balmy temperature inside the park isn't warm enough for you, soothe your muscles in one of the hot tubs. One is just for adults and the other for all ages.

Aquatopia Indoor Waterpark, Pennsylvania

In the winter, you can ski outside at Camelback Resort, then slip into a swimsuit to experience Aquatopia's 60-foot Skydive Plummet. Smaller kids will enjoy splashing around at the Penguin Play Bay, a (warm) shallow adventure lagoon, while adults seeking relaxation float down The Lost River, made to look like the site of ruins, or kick back in the Mystic Springs hot pool.

Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark, Michigan

Avalanche Bay has seven slides and four pools that cover 88,000 square feet in Boyne Falls, a small Michigan village. Young swimmers will love the zero-depth Kitz Pool, complete with sprinklers, basketball hoops, and a mini-slide, while bigger kids might gravitate to the Big Couloir, a slide that launches you through a trap door and into a narrow tunnel at about 26 mph.

Wilderness at the Smokies, Tennessee

Wilderness at the Smokies is home to Wild WaterDome, a 66,000-square-foot indoor water park with a glass roof that allows the sunshine in year-round. Gather the whole family to ride Runaway Canyon, a five-story-high raft ride that includes 450 feet of tunnels and loops, plus an almost 60-foot drop. Looking for an even greater thrill? Try the Storm Chaser, which sends you into a zero-gravity fall, catches you in a funnel, then discards you into 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. You can escape South Dakota's brutal winters by speeding down WaTiki's several slides, all connected to the park's lazy river. Younger kids will love standing under the giant bucket of water at Koko's Kingdom, where they're guaranteed to get drenched.

Schlitterbahn Waterpark, Texas

Galveston's Schlitterbahn Waterpark is the park for everyone — "mild to wild," the website says. That includes the "mild" swim-up bar for adults to its more "wild" Screaming Serpents body slide. There are also plenty of picnic pavilions so families can grab fresh barbecue from the grill or a funnel cake made to order between rides.

Massanutten Resort, Virginia

Climb to the top of Massanutten Resort's towering playhouse for a good overview of all the water cannons and waterfalls, as well as the giant tipping bucket. Then, make your way over to the Blue Ridge Rapids to float past the artificial falls. Adventure seekers will want to check out the park's 39-foot-tall body slides or try surfing the Pipeline, which pumps 48,645 gallons of water per minute.

Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark, Texas

This water park outside in Grand Prairie, near Dallas is as epic as its name suggests, with a famously long lazy river, six slides, a surf simulator, and its own arcade room. You'll feel like you're swimming outside in the Texas sunshine with the giant glass dome roof. One of the highlights, the Yellow Jacket Drop, spits you out onto a steep Boomerango, where you'll experience weightlessness as you free fall.