Part of Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, this family lodge sits on relaxing wooded grounds and boasts amenities like a championship golf course, an arcade and Moose Mountain Falls, a 50,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor water park. Overnight guests get four complimentary passes to the facility’s twisting slides, lazy river and heated pool. Kids will especially love climbing ropes at the activity Read more...

Within walking distance of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is the 30-acre Adventure Island water park. Offering mat-racing slides, corkscrews, a lazy river and more, all with Key West-inspired decor, this outdoor water park gives you plenty of ways to cool off on a hot Florida day. If you’d rather work up a sweat, challenge your clan to a game in Read more...

This family resort just north of Great Smoky Mountains National Park combines lodging with a recreation center and indoor and outdoor water parks. At the three water parks, guests have access to 17 waterslides, nine pools and multiple rides. Lake Wilderness Outdoor Waterpark and its array of slides is a must for teens during the summer months, while Salamander Springs Read more...

Branson is all about country music and family-friendly fun. One of the city’s most thrilling attractions is this 13-acre water park, which features rides like KaPau Plummet, a dual-slide option that begins with a plunge through a drop floor, and the four-lane Kalani Towers Mat Racer. If little ones are in tow, drift in a tube in the Aloha River Read more...

Opened in May 2017, Universal’s Volcano Bay was designed around the idea of a volcano created by the mythical god Krakatau and the Waturi tribes who found it. Admission covers access to nearly 20 rides, plus a waterproof TapuTapu wristband, which guests can use to book rides, report wait times, pay for meals and open lockers. The wristband also triggers Read more...

Situated roughly 45 miles southeast of Niagara Falls, this 10-acre water park is part of the Darien Lake amusement park complex, which has entertained families seasonally for more than 50 years. Splashtown offers seven slides, such as the 70-foot-tall Brain Drain and 700-foot-long Big Kahuna. In addition to slides, visitors can float in the heated lazy river, play in the Read more...

Raging Waters features three California water parks, but its most impressive is Raging Waters Los Angeles. Situated less than 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, this water park is the state’s largest. It’s home to a FlowRider surf simulator, a seven-story drop slide and Aqua Rocket, a four-person hydromagnetic water coaster, among other attractions. If you’d rather chill during Read more...

This massive tropics-themed water park sits about 55 miles northeast of Philadelphia. Just as the adjacent Six Flags Great Adventure theme park is known for big coasters, the 45-acre Six Flags Hurricane Harbor (which is one of several in the country) is popular with water lovers. It features more than 25 thrill slides, including the multilane Big Wave Racer and Read more...

Take 66 acres resembling a failed ski resort, add a snow-capped Mount Gushmore, sprinkle some pixie dust and enjoy endless thrills at one of two Walt Disney World Resort water parks. Older kids will love the 120-foot-tall Summit Plummet waterslide, which drops riders 350 feet at speeds of up to 55 mph. From the Tike’s Peak toddler play area to Read more...

Young builders will love this park’s Lego-themed rides, slides and splash pads. Kids can even customize rafts for the lazy river using soft Lego bricks. Cartoon Network fans will especially appreciate the Lego Legends of Chima section that’s based on the popular kids television show. Noteworthy features of this area include a spot for kids to design, build and race Read more...