History

The first ever indoor waterpark was built in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1985 at the West Edmonton Mall. It is called the World Waterpark and is over 200,000 sq ft (19,000 m2). It was a success for the mall. The first indoor waterpark in the U.S. was built in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin at the Polynesian Hotel. They built it in 1994 so it could make the Dells a “year round destination”, as the Wisconsin Dells tourist season was from Memorial Day to Labor Day before it was built.

The Indoor Waterpark Craze

Since the opening of the first park, the indoor waterpark business has become increasingly more popular, especially for the Edmonton area in Canada, and in the Wisconsin Dells in the U.S., which proclaims itself as the “waterpark capital of the world”. The Dells has 5 Waterpark Resorts that have at least 1 waterpark bigger that 55,000 sq ft (5,100 m2). This includes the Kalahari Resort (Wisconsin’s Largest Indoor Waterpark), Chula Vista Resort (Lost Rios), Great Wolf Lodge, Wilderness Territory (Wild West, Klondike Kavern, Wild WaterDome), and the Hotel Rome at Mt. Olympus. Wisconsin has the most indoor waterparks in one state. Other states in the U.S., especially in the midwest, are building more indoor waterparks separate or to existing hotels so they can become a year-round destination. More waterparks are also being built in Canada, Europe and Asia.

What Does a Major Indoor Waterpark Consist Of?

A view of the Children’s Play Area at the Water Park of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Most major indoor waterparks over 50,000 sq ft (the average size for an indoor waterpark in July 2008) have:

2-3+ Tube Slides

2-3+ Body Slides

1+ Speed Slides

Children’s Play Area with sprayers, tipping buckets, slides, and geysers

1+ Family Rides (Ride that can occupy over 3 guests)

Lazy River or Torrent River

Wave Pool

Water Coaster (Master Blaster)

Other Attractions (FlowRider, Mat Racing Slides, Tornado Vortex Ride, Pro Bowl/Behehmoth Bowl, etc.)

North American Indoor Waterparks

Main article: List of waterparks

Top 30 Largest Indoor Waterparks

(As of 8/09)

1. Kalahari Resort’s Waterpark in Sandusky, Ohio (255,000 sq ft total & North America’s Largest Indoor Waterpark Under one roof

2. World Waterpark in Edmonton, Alberta (225,000 sq ft & is North America’s/Canada’s Largest Indoor Waterpark, the first one ever built)

Wilderness Territory’s 3 indoor waterparks in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin (200,000 sq ft total & wisconsin’s Largest Indoor Waterpark With Total Square Footage)

4. Kalahari Resort’s Waterpark in Wisconsin Dells (125,000 sq ft)

5. Great Wolf Lodge’s Waterpark in Niagara Falls, Ontario (103,000 sq ft)

6. Splash Lagoon in Erie, Pennsylvania (102,000 sq ft)

7. Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark at Boyne Mountain in Boyne Falls, Michigan (88,000 sq ft)

8. Chula Vista Resort’s Lost Rios Indoor Waterpark in Wisconsin Dells (80,000 sq ft)

9. Great Wolf Lodge’s Indoor Waterpark in Grapevine, Texas (80,000 sq ft)

10. Great Wolf Lodge’s Indoor Waterpark at the Pocono Mountains in Scotrun, Pennsylvania (78,000 sq ft)

11. Great Wolf Lodge’s Indoor Waterpark at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio (78,000 sq ft)

12. Great Wolf Lodge’s 3 Waterparks in Wisconsin Dells (76,000 sq ft total)

13. Wilderness at the Smokies’s (Owned by Wisconsin Dells’ Wilderness Resort) Indoor Waterpark in Sevierville, Tennessee (75,000 sq ft)

14. Water Park of America in Bloomington, Minnesota (70,000 sq ft)

15. Great Wolf Lodge’s Indoor Waterpark in Concord, North Carolina (70,000 sq ft)

16. Great Wolf Lodge’s Indoor Waterpark in Williamsburg, Virginia (67,000 sq ft)

17. KeyLime Cove’s Indoor Waterpark in Gurnee, Illinois (65,000 sq ft)

18. CoCo Key Water Resort at the Crowne Plaza Boston North Shore in Danvers, Massachusetts (65,000 sq ft)

19. CoCo Key Water Resort at the Holiday Inn Omaha Convention Center in Omaha, Nebraska (65,000 sq ft)

20. Great Wolf Lodge’s Indoor Waterpark in Grand Mound, Washington (60,000 sq ft)

21. Wild Bear Falls Indoor Waterpark in Gatlinburg, Tennessee (60,000 sq ft)

22. Fort Rapids Waterpark Resort in Columbus, Ohio (60,000 sq ft)

23. Sahara Sam’s Oasis Indoor Waterpark in West Berlin, New Jersey (58,000 sq ft)

24. CoCo Key Water Resort at the Courtyard by Marriott in Fitchburg, Massachusetts (55,000 sq ft)

25. CoCo Key Water Resort at the Holiday Inn Sports Complex Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri (55,000 sq ft)

26. H2Oasis Indoor Waterpark in Anchorage, Alaska (55,000 sq ft)

27. Medusa’s Indoor Waterpark at Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park in Wisconsin Dells (55,000 sq ft)

28. Caribbean Cove Indoor Waterpark in Indianapolis, Indiana (50,000 sq ft)

29. CoCo Key Water Resort at the Crowne Plaza Cincinnati North Hotel in Cincinnati, Ohio(50,000 sq ft)

30. Lodge at Cedar Creek in Rothschild, Wisconsin (50,000 sq ft)

Large Waterparks Under Construction

Las Vegas Wet in Las Vegas, Nevada (opening 2012 – size TBD, but will be North America’s largest indoor waterpark when completed)

Kalahari Resort in Fredericksburg, Virginia (Opening date not set – 200,000 sq ft)

Grand Cambrian Resort Indoor Waterpark in Wisconsin Dells (Opening date not set – 50,000 sq ft)

Wedge Adventure Resorts in Wisconsin Dells (Opening not set yet – size TBD)

Large International Indoor Waterparks

Tropical Islands Waterpark in Brandenburg, Germany (710,000 sq ft & it is the World’s Largest Indoor Waterpark/Indoor Pool)

Former Indoor Waterparks

Transvaal Park in Moscow, Russia (Had its glass roof collapse in 2004)

Ocean Dome in Miyazaki City, Japan (322,752 sq ft & it was the World’s Largest Waterpark with a retractable roof. It closed in 2007.)

Bay of Dreams Indoor Waterpark in Wisconsin Dells (Was once part of the old Family Land/Treasure Island Complex, but was bought by Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park and became Medusa’s Indoor Waterpark. The waterpark will soon change its treasure theming to Greek to match with the rest of Mt. Olympus. It was recently repainted from green to tan.

References

^ Hotel-Online.com 2008 Waterpark Guide

^ Hotel-Online.com Indoor Waterpark Resorts Supply and Demand Mid-Year 2009 Update

^ About.com: U.S. and Canada Indoor Waterparks

^ 2008-2009 Largest Waterpark Resorts by the IT Book and Waterpark Resorts Today

^ Portion of the 2009-2010 IT Book

External Links to Waterparks Listed

Wilderness Territory Landing Page for all Resorts

Kalahari Waterparks (Main Site)

Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark

Chula Vista’s Lost Rios Indoor Waterpark

Great Wolf Lodge Waterparks (Main Site)

Water Park of America Website

KeyLime Cove Website

CoCo Key Waterparks (Main Site)

Las Vegas WET Main Site

Google Map of US Waterparks

Categories: Water parks | Water parks in Wisconsin | Wisconsin Dells, WisconsinHidden categories: Articles lacking reliable references from October 2008 | Articles needing cleanup from October 2008 | All pages needing cleanup
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