An indoor water park is a type of

water park A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...

that is located inside a building. An indoor water park has the ability to stay open year-round, as it is not affected by weather conditions.

History

Some of the first indoor water parks are at

Duinrell Duinrell is an amusement park situated in Wassenaar, Netherlands. Its main character is Rick the Frog. It also contains a caravan park and a camp-site. A variety of accommodation is also available including lodges, tents and static caravans. Bike ...

(The Netherlands, 1984), Nautiland located at

Haguenau Haguenau (; Alsatian: or ; and historically in English: ''Hagenaw'') is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department of France, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is second in size in the Bas-Rhin only to Strasbourg, some to the south. To the ...

(France, 1984), the Aqua Mundo at Center Parc De Eemhof located at

Zeewolde Zeewolde () is a municipality and a town in the Flevoland province in the central Netherlands. It has a population of approximately 22,000 (2017). It is situated in the polder of Flevoland with the small lake called the Wolderwijd to the east. To ...

(The Netherlands, 1980) and (Switerland, 1977). In 1985 an indoor water park was open in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

, Alberta, Canada at the

West Edmonton Mall West Edmonton Mall (WEM) is a shopping mall in Edmonton, Alberta, that is owned, managed, and operated by Triple Five Group. It is the second most visited mall in Canada, after the Toronto Eaton Centre in Toronto, followed by Metrotown Mall in B ...

. It is called the

World Waterpark World Waterpark is a water park located within the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Opened to the public in 1986, it is the second largest indoor water park in North America, after American Dream's DreamWorks Water Park which op ...

and is over . It was a success for the mall and remains as one of the largest indoor water parks in the world. In 1985 opened in France. Another indoor water park in Europe was built in

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

in 1986. It is called the Sandcastle Water Park. The first indoor water park in the United States known as the Polynesian Resort Hotel and Suites in the small tourist town of Wisconsin Dells, WI. The hotel opened in 1989 and the water park in 1994. It was built in an effort to make the Dells a year-round tourist destination, rather than just a summer one. Since then, the Great Wolf Lodge brand has expanded, with multiple locations in the U.S. and a single venue in Canada, at

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...

. The

DreamWorks Water Park DreamWorks Water Park is an indoor water park within the American Dream shopping and entertainment complex, at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. The park opened on October 1, 2020. The water park incl ...

, originally slated to open in late 2019, will be the United States' largest water park upon opening.

The indoor water park craze

Since the opening of the first park, the indoor water park business has become increasingly popular, especially for

in Canada, and Wisconsin Dells in the U.S., which proclaims itself as the "Water Park Capital of the World". The Dells has five water park resorts that have at least one water park bigger than . This includes

Great Wolf Lodge Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

Kalahari The Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savanna in Southern Africa extending for , covering much of Botswana, and parts of Namibia and South Africa. It is not to be confused with the Angolan, Namibian, and South African Namib coastal de ...

(Wisconsin's Largest Indoor Water Park),

Chula Vista Resort Chula Vista Resort is a southwestern-themed waterpark resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. The resort is located on the Upper Dells of the Wisconsin River, north of downtown. History Chula Vista has been in existence since the late 19th century, ...

(Lost Rios),

Wilderness Territory Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort is a large water resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. It is one of the largest indoor waterpark complexes in the world with a combined size of . It is part of a chain of two resorts, the newer and smaller one being ...

(Wild West, Klondike Kavern, Wild WaterDome), and the Hotel Rome at Mt. Olympus. Wisconsin has the most indoor water parks in one state. Other states in the U.S., especially in the midwest, are building more indoor water parks separate or to existing hotels so they can become a year-round destination. More water parks are also being built in Canada,

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

Tropical Islands Resort Tropical Islands Resort is a tropical water park located in the former Brand-Briesen Airfield in Halbe, a municipality in the district of Dahme-Spreewald in Brandenburg, Germany, 50 kilometres (31 mi) from the southern boundary of Berlin. I ...

(

Krausnick-Groß Wasserburg Krausnick-Groß Wasserburg (Lower sorbian: ''Kšušwica-Wódowy Grod'') is a municipality in the district of Dahme-Spreewald in Brandenburg in Germany. Tropical Islands Resort, the biggest free-standing hall in the world, is located in Krausnick. ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

) with an area of 66,000 m² (710,000 sq feet) is currently the largest indoor water park in the world. File:Tropical Islands 5.jpg, Tropical Islands Resort - inside File:Tropical Islands Innenansicht.jpg, Tropical Islands Resort - inside, with the dome-shaped roof of the building visible File:Krausnicker Berge Aussichtsturm Blick auf Tropical Islands.JPG, Tropical Islands Resort - outside File:Great Wolf Lodge Mason, Ohio.jpg,

at Mason,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

Features

Most major indoor water parks have: *

Water slides A water slide (also referred to as a flume, or water chute) is a type of Playground slide, slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and therefore size. Some slides re ...

*Body slides *Speed slides *Children's Play Area with sprayers, tipping buckets, slides, and geysers. A typical example might be "Canada's Wonderland" "Pump House" attraction. *Family rides (Ride that can occupy over 3 guests) *

Lazy river A lazy river is a water ride found in water parks, hotels, resorts, and recreation centers, which usually consists of a shallow () pool that flows similarly to a river. There is generally a slow current, usually just enough to allow guests to g ...

s or torrent rivers *

Wave pool A wave pool is a swimming pool in which there are artificially generated, large waves, similar to those of the ocean. Wave pools are often a major feature of water parks, both indoors and outdoors, as well as some leisure centres. History T ...

*Water Coaster (Master Blaster) *Other attractions ( FlowRider, Mat Racing Slides, Tornado Vortex Ride, Pro Bowl/Behehmoth Bowl, etc.)

References

{{Reflist Water parks Buildings and structures by type

History

The indoor water park craze

Features

See also

References