FacebookTop 10 Midwest Waterpark Resorts
Top 10 Midwest Waterpark Resorts Overview
Planning a vacation to America’s Midwest can be a lot like planning any other vacation: what should we do? How will you keep everyone entertained? It also presents some challenges you may not find for other destinations, namely: what will the weather be like? Fortunately, there’s a solution for all of this. Spectacular waterpark resorts are located all across the Midwest, and many of them offer far, far more than just a swimming pool and a waterslide. You’ll be surprised. You’ll be thrilled. You’ll be motivated! Here are our Top 10 Midwest Waterpark Resorts!
Great Wolf Lodge - Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
Another good reason is that Great Wolf Lodge has defined and redefined the concept of a family waterpark vacation. Along with its immense indoor waterparks – the Traverse City location alone has a 51,000-sq.-ft. entertainment center with six swimming and activity pools, eight waterslides, a 100-game arcade and more – each Great Wolf Lodge offers full-service spas for adults and tweens, a variety of onsite restaurants and whimsically themed suites. It’s a total vacation, without ever leaving the resort. If you’re looking for Great Wolf Lodge in Sheboygan, you’ll find it under the name of Blue Harbor Resort. While the other Great Wolf locales feature a grand yet charming Northwoods theme, the Blue Harbor experience is slightly upscale and definitively nautical – a fitting casual elegance on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Double JJ Resort - New Era, Michigan
If you want to get technical, the Double JJ has horseback riding, a 60,000-sq.-ft. indoor waterpark and an 18-hole championship golf course. But clearly, the waterpark is a main attraction with its crazy/lazy river, water basketball, water fort and the tallest indoor waterslide in western Michigan. That’s especially true in the winter, when it’s tough to golf but still just as much of a thrill to get wet. That’s not to overlook the ranch, either. The Double JJ offers horseback riding year round, with trail rides for all ages and levels of experience. And the accommodations are just as varied as the activities, including the Lofts Hotel with Deluxe, Jacuzzi and Studio rooms and suites, family cabins and log homes, plus condominium lodging. What more could you ask for?
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Chula Vista Resort - Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
Start with Lost Rios – the 80,000-sq.-ft. indoor waterpark. This alone, with features like the Flyan Mayan roller coaster, Mount Montezuma’s Mayan Temple and the Rio Rapido Action River, is a Wisconsin Dells vacation. But there’s also the breathtaking 120,000-sq.-ft. Adventure Lagoon outdoor waterpark here, which features an incredible assortment of thrills and relaxation. The Wavepool is one; the Sport Pool and the Kiddie River area ensure that everyone of every age can have a blast at Chula Vista. A major difference between Chula Vista and any other Dells waterpark is its location. Instead of in town, where the parks are often across the street from one another, Chula Vista is located a discrete distance to the east, along the Wisconsin River and surrounded by nature instead of bustle. Vacation better, indeed.
Zehnder’s Splash Village - Frankenmuth, Michigan
It must have been kind of strange for people in 2004 to see part of the 137-room Bavarian Haus being demolished, but they were amazed afterwards. Zehnder’s Splash Village is now a 152-room hotel with a 30,000-sq.-ft. waterpark. We’ll leave it up to the wildest imaginations to figure out how they got the 400-gallon dumping bucket in there, or who designed the four-story tube slides and named them the “Perilous Plunge.” But even in minds like this, there was obviously room for more. There’s also an arcade, and refreshments at Elf Hollow Café. For good measure, check out the tree in the hotel lobby – complete with a gas fireplace built into the trunk. Actually, elves and such seem to be a recurring theme at Zehnder’s Splash Village. All part of the fun!
Kalahari Resort - Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
It’s not just the themed twist you’ll find here, with attractions including the Splashdown Safari interactive play area and imaginative waterslides like Swahili Swirl, Zimbabwe Zipper and the Wild Wildebeest. The African fun continues at Kalahari’s indoor theme park – featuring an African-themed carousel and a six-story glass-enclosed Ferris wheel. Together with mini-golf, a sprawling arcade and a 24-lane bowling alley, this is the kind of environment that has put Kalahari on the tip of many people’s tongues for waterpark vacations. The theme even continues into the spacious rooms and suites. You’ll never doubt where you are in a Nomad or Desert Room, not to mention the African Queen or Safari Suites. Actually, you may not doubt that you’re in Africa. But the whole time you’ll be in Wisconsin Dells on an unforgettable waterpark vacation!
Grand Harbor Resort and Waterpark - Dubuque, Illinois
At Grand Harbor Resort and Waterpark you'll find 25,000 square feet of Mississippi-themed water fun. Your kids will love the thrilling watersides, the exhilerating inside/outside tube ride, rope ladders, waterspouts, water chutes, squirt guns and powerful water cannons. Parents, you will enjoy chillaxin' on the Lazy River or in one of the waterpark's two giant hot tub whirlpools. And after a day of splashtastic fun, you can eat at The River's Edge Cafe then simply walk back to your comfortable hotel room. Rooms at Grand Harbor Resort have magnificent views of historic downtown Dubuque and the sparkling Mississippi River. You'll also find they offer spacious suites that are perfect for families!
Castle Rock Resort and Waterpark - Branson, Missouri
The indoor waterpark at Castle Rock Resort and Waterpark offers you the perfect vacation whenever you visit. Always 84 degrees, rain or shine, this weather-proof vacation destination offers fun for the whole family. They offer two different three story thrill water slides, two 500 gallon dump buckets, Multiple Indoor and Outdoor activity pools, lazy river and more! When you need a break from all that waterpark fun, stop by the on-site Tower Grill for breakfast, lunch, or dinner with classically American options like catfish nuggets and foot long corn dogs. And, at the end of the day, your room is waiting with cozy beds and plenty of comfort.
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Key Lime Cove - Gurnee, Illinois
This is a tropical island-themed getaway under one roof, and the roof happens to be in Gurnee, IL. The waterpark is known as Lost Paradise, but it’s hard to believe it’s all that lost considering its proximity to Chicago, Milwaukee and Rockford. The only time you won’t feel positively Floridian is when you’re spinning through the Hurricane Vortex or flying down the gigantic Wahoo and Screaming Banshee tube slides. Which means plenty of tropical fun in the wave pool, on the lazy river or somewhere within Toukie’s Big Deluge play structure. Being a boring adult is great, too. Shopping and live entertainment abound at Key Lime Cove, and the full-service Paradise Mist Spa has a full menu of services for women, men, groups and even teens and tweens. That doesn’t include the face painting, stilt walkers, fortune tellers…the list goes on and on.
Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark - Boyne Falls, Michigan
What do you put inside a structure so large? In this case, it’s a Swiss-Austrian village. In the winter. With lots of snow. The only disruption to this atmosphere is the fact that it’s always 84 degrees at Avalanche Bay, perfect for year-round Michigan family fun. And if you’re wondering why it’s called Avalanche Bay, you’ll soon find out as you climb the Splasherhorn, hear the horn blow and get doused by 800 gallons of water cascading down the mountainside. There’s also the Vertigo tube slide – the name speaks for itself – along with a vertical climbing wall, floating icebergs, a Super G slide and Rip Zone, and a surf simulator. Surfing in Switzerland? You bet! There’s also a wide range of more relaxing pursuits, wet and dry, and after a full day, your lodging awaits in the Mountain Grand Lodge and Spa connected to the waterpark. Could you ask for more?
Wilderness Territory - Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
If you’re wondering what America’s largest waterpark resort looks like, think four outdoor waterparks, four indoor waterparks, seven indoor attractions including the new Tombstone Town and Haunted Hotel, six restaurants and two bars and lounges. That’s for starters. The accommodations range from standard hotel rooms to five-bedroom cabins, which pretty much ensures you’ll get the right surroundings for your Dells waterpark vacation. Of course the wilderness is a prevalent theme at Wilderness Territory, but you’re far from roughing it – besides the 3.2-acre Lost World outdoor waterpark, the 70,000-sq.-ft. Wild West indoor waterpark, the indoor arcade and two indoor mini golf courses, Wilderness Territory features the Wild Rock 18-hole championship golf course. Year-round Dells vacation, anyone?
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