Staying at a hotel or resort with a water park, over-the-top pool area, or incredible lazy river can turn an average family vacation into one for the ages. These kinds of amenities aren’t just available when the weather outside is warm, either.
Some of the best family resorts in the U.S. boast indoor water parks filled with slides for riding and pools for splashing. And when they have a lazy river to float around on while the weather outside is frightful, it’s even better. Here are my favorite U.S. family resorts with indoor lazy rivers that range from totally relaxing to action-packed.
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1. Gaylord Opryland Resort and SoundWaves Water Park
Nashville, Tennessee
The massive Gaylord Opryland Resort truly offers something for everyone. Guests here can play a round of golf, book a spa treatment, take a boat ride through nine acres of indoor garden atriums, and catch country superstars and up-and-comers on stage at the Grand Ole Opry. And that’s just scratching the surface. Christmas is an especially magical time at the resort, when everything’s all done up for the holidays and the annual ICE! show is on display.
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You can make a splash at any time of the year at SoundWaves, the resort’s water attraction that has a seasonal outdoor area and maybe the prettiest indoor water park I’ve ever seen. The bright and airy indoor space includes rides with catchy music-themed names like the Crowd Surfer double FlowRider simulator and the Record Launch slide with speakers to provide a soundtrack along the way. There’s both a Down Tempo Lazy River for a traditional relaxing float (complete with LED lighting and music) and the Up Tempo Rapids River for an experience with a little more action.
Note: You must book the SoundWaves Experience Package to get access to the water park with a stay at the resort.
2. Camelback Lodge and Aquatopia Indoor Water Park
Tannersville, Pennsylvania
Book a room at Camelback Lodge and you get access to Aquatopia Indoor Waterpark. Pennsylvania’s largest Texlon roof lets in natural light for an indoor-outdoor vibe as you’re riding the park’s 14 water slides, including the new Mountain Mayhem choose-your-own adventure slide. You can also float down the almost-500-foot Lost River, where LED underwater lighting, sound and water special effects, waterfalls, and other features make it a little less lazy than the norm.
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The lodge and water park are part of Camelback Resort in the Pocono Mountains, an easy drive from both New York City and Philadelphia. There’s a lot to keep the whole family busy here, from skiing and snow tubing in the winter to zip lining, a mountain coaster, and an outdoor water park during the warmer months of the year. Back inside, Arcadia Adventures includes activities like a rock-climbing wall, ropes course, laser tag, arcade, and bumper cars.
3. Kalahari Resorts & Conventions – Round Rock
Round Rock, Texas
Kalahari Resorts are home to some of the largest indoor water parks in the country, and the brand’s largest is at its Round Rock location. There’s 223,000 square feet of indoor slides, rides, and other thrills, including an 842-foot lazy river that travels throughout the water park, plus a lazy river just for little ones in the Tiko’s Watering Hole area. For even more excitement, the family can ride the new Adventure River in the outdoor water park, which has a zero-depth entry, waterfalls, and a section where waves speed riders along.
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Water park admission is included with a stay at the African safari-themed resort, and rooms and suites have plenty of space for the whole family. The kids will especially love the King Bunk Suite, where they’ll feel like they’re sleeping out in the wild. And there’s tons to do here beyond the water parks, including an arcade, bowling alley, escape rooms, mini-golf, and even indoor amusement rides.
4. Wilderness at the Smokies and Wild WaterDome Indoor Water Park
Sevierville, Tennessee
Located near Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Wilderness at the Smokies is home Wild WaterDome, Tennessee’s largest indoor water park—which is itself home to one of the coolest indoor lazy river experiences in the country, called Kaleidoscope Kavern. As riders float along, they travel through an immersive tunnel with kaleidoscopic lighting and intriguing sounds inspired by the nearby landscape. The park also has a wave pool and lots of thrilling slides, plus a Foil Tec roof that lets the sun shine through. (So don’t forget your sunscreen.)
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Wilderness at the Smokies offers a variety of ways to stay, including suites, villas, and cabins, plus two seasonal outdoor water parks for when the weather’s warm. No matter the time of year, you can head to the 25,000-square-foot Adventure Forest indoor family entertainment center for mini-golf, bowling, arcade games, and other fun activities. Kid-friendly dining options range from a shake shop to a food hall with lots of choices.
5. The Kartrite Resort and Indoor Waterpark
Monticello, New York
A great budget-friendly resort option for families, The Kartrite Resort and Indoor Waterpark offers all kinds of adventures for the whole crew. Think a ropes course, escape room, arcade, and miles of hiking trails to explore outdoors. One-, two-, and three-bedroom suites provide lodging options for small families, multigenerational groups, and everything in between.
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The Catskill Mountains resort is also home to New York State’s largest indoor water park, where it’s always 84 degrees inside even in the middle of winter. There are thrill slides for older kids, a section for little ones, and a surf simulator to see if you can hang ten. Grab a tube to float along Empire Bay, the park’s “not-so-lazy adventure river” where sprinklers and rain showers might get you a little extra wet along the way. Admission to the water park for up to four guests is included with a stay.
6. Massanutten Resort
Massanutten, Virginia
There’s already a lot to love about the indoor/outdoor water park at Massanutten Resort. The indoor portion is heated to 84 degrees year-round and features rides and attractions like waterslides, a water playhouse, a triple-jet FlowRider Endless Wave, and the Blue Ridge Rapids indoor adventure river. An outdoor section is open during the summer months, with more slides and a wave pool. And a major expansion of the indoor area with an early 2026 completion date will add even more to the fun, with new additions that include a racing slide, family raft ride, and an enhanced area for little kids.
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The 6,000-acre, four-season resort in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley is an easy drive from cities like Baltimore, Richmond, and Washington, DC, and offers 12 different lodging options that range from traditional hotel rooms to multibedroom vacation homes. There’s skiing, snowboarding, and snow tubing in the winter and ziplining, hiking, golfing, summer tubing, and mountain biking at other times of the year.
7. Boyne Mountain Resort and Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark
Boyne Falls, Michigan
This North Michigan all-seasons resort is home to Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark, the state’s largest indoor water park. Within its 88,000 square feet, you’ll find rides like The Big Couloir drop slide and the Downhill Mat Racer slides, a surf simulator, and the Boyne River that winds throughout the site. The resort’s Mountain Grand Lodge and Spa is connected to Avalanche Bay, but other lodging options here include condo-style accommodations at Deer Lake Villas and three- and four-bedroom Mountain Cabins.
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There’s a wide range of activities here to keep you busy throughout the year. During the winter, you could spend your stay snow biking, cross-country and downhill skiing, and snowshoeing. At other times of the year, golf, hiking, tennis, pickleball, and paddleboarding are just some of the choices. No matter when you visit, taking in the views from Skybridge Michigan, the world’s longest timber-towered suspension bridge, is a must-do.
