For many families, a pool is a must-have when choosing a vacation spot. If it’s got waterslides and other extras, all the better. Cool resort pools are easy to find when traveling during the summer or to warm-weather destinations like Orlando, but things get a little trickier for winter vacations.
While plenty of hotels and resorts offer indoor pools, many tend to be more lackluster than attention-grabbing. But these nine family resorts have indoor pools and water parks that will definitely help you create vacation memories. So, pack your swimsuits and get ready. At these family resorts with the best indoor pools and water parks, you can definitely make a splash.
1. Boyne Mountain Resort
Boyne Falls, Michigan
No matter what time of year you visit Boyne Mountain Resort, there’s lots to keep the whole family busy. That includes the resort’s Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark, with 88,000 square feet of rides like The Big Couloir drop slide and the Downhill Mat Racer slides. There’s also a surf simulator, activity pool, and a zero-depth pool ideal for the resort’s youngest guests.
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Beyond the indoor water park, a winter stay could include activities like cross-country and downhill skiing, snowshoeing, and snow biking. Visit at other times of the year to enjoy a round of golf, paddleboarding and boat rides on the lake, or horseback riding. And no stay is complete without taking in the views from SkyBridge Michigan, the world’s longest timber-towered suspension bridge. Lodging options range from standard guest rooms and suites to condo-style stays and three- and four-bedroom cabins.
2. Massanutten Resort
McGaheysville, Virginia
You’d have to try pretty hard to be bored at Massanutten Resort. This 6,000-acre property in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley offers everything from a Family Adventure Park with a zipline and summer tubing to skiing, ice skating, and hiking. With a Mountain Bike Park, three escape rooms, a spa, and two 18-hole golf courses, there truly is something for everyone in the family no matter when you visit.
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The resort’s indoor/outdoor water park is so popular that the indoor section is undergoing a major expansion scheduled for completion in early 2026 that will add a three-lane mat racing slide, family raft ride, and wave pool. But there’s already a lot to enjoy at the indoor water park, like a triple-jet FlowRider surf simulator, lazy river, and waterslides for all ages. The seasonal outdoor area of the water park has several high-adrenaline slides plus a wave pool.
3. Gaylord Opryland Resort
Nashville, Tennessee
Upscale isn’t a word that’s often used to describe an indoor pool complex. But at Gaylord Opryland Resort’s SoundWaves, the term definitely fits. The bright and airy, high-style site makes swimming and sliding indoors a truly pleasant experience, offering everything from an activity pool and surf simulator to multiple waterslides, lazy and rapid rivers, and an adults-only infinity pool and bar. The seasonal outdoor area is equally attractive, with more slides, a wave pool, and a kids’ play area.
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The water park is just one of many activities sure to keep the family occupied at the sprawling Nashville resort. Scavenger hunts and boat rides help guests explore the impressive atrium, where a nightly light show takes place. There’s also a spa, multiple restaurants, and live entertainment and seasonal special events throughout the year. Note: You must purchase the SoundWaves Experience Package along with your room reservation to visit the water park.
4. Wilderness Resort
Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
Check in to the Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells, and you can make a splash in the country’s largest indoor wave pool. And that’s not the only thing oversized around here: There are four indoor water parks and four outdoor water parks across the resort’s three properties (Wilderness Hotel, Glacier Canyon Lodge, and Wilderness on the Lake), offering everything from a dueling family raft ride and lazy rivers to a slew of body and tube slides.
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If you can get the kids out of the water, there’s even more to do at the resort. High-energy activities include indoor and outdoor go-karts, a zipline, a ropes course, and climbing walls. Hit the arcades, play a round of indoor or outdoor mini-golf, and see if you can master one of the escape rooms. You might not do a lot of relaxing during a stay, but you’ll definitely have a lot of fun.
5. Hershey Lodge
Hershey, Pennsylvania
The Hershey’s Water Works indoor pool complex at Hershey Lodge might just be the sweetest spot for indoor swimming. Where else can you attempt to walk across the water on floating Reese’s peanut butter cups or slide down Twizzlers Twists Slides? There’s also a sandcastle water play structure for little ones and an outdoor splash pad for when the weather’s warm.
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The sweet touches continue throughout the 665-room resort where guests get all kinds of perks for visiting Hersheypark, like shuttle transportation and extra evening and morning hours at the park. Hershey characters make appearances around the resort, and activities like Chocolate Bingo add to the amenities like an arcade, 18-hole mini-golf course, and basketball, tennis, and pickleball courts. And you’ll definitely want to burn some calories with on-site dining options like the Cocoa Beanery serving up ice cream, sundaes, and milkshakes.
6. Jay Peak Resort
Jay, Vermont
If you’re visiting Jay Peak Resort during the winter, odds are you’ll be spending a lot of time on the slopes. But there are lots of reasons to stay indoors too, like the Pump House Indoor Waterpark. The only indoor water park in Vermont, it’s got waterslides, a lazy river, a surf simulator, a kids’ play area, and a deep-water activity pool with a climbing wall and basketball area.
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An ice-skating arena, arcades, climbing gym, and the only slope-side movie theater in Vermont offer more options for indoor fun. When the outdoors is calling, skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and snow biking draw guests when temperatures are cold, while hiking, mountain biking, and golf are popular activities at other times of the year. Lodging choices include hotel studios and suites, condos, townhouses, and single-family homes, and almost everything is ski-in/ski-out and located close to all of the resort’s amenities.
7. Camelback Lodge
Tannersville, Pennsylvania
This 453-suite hotel that’s part of the Pocono Mountains’ Camelback Resort offers multibedroom suites that can accommodate up to 14 guests, perfect for a multigenerational getaway. Dining options like an American brew pub and New York–style pizzeria will appeal to even the pickiest eaters, and outdoor fun can be had throughout the year, whether it’s skiing and tubing during the winter or ziplining when the weather’s warmer.
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North America’s largest Texlon transparent roof extends over Camelback Lodge’s Aquatopia Indoor Waterpark, where you’ll find a surf simulator, multilevel aqua play structure, wave pool, and not-so-lazy river. More than a dozen waterslides include North America’s longest uphill water coaster, a 60-foot free-fall drop slide, and the only indoor head-first mat slide in the area. For even more indoor fun, head to the resort’s Arcadia Adventures, which has a rock-climbing wall, ropes course, bumper car course, laser tag, and arcade.
8. The Kartrite Resort
Monticello, New York
It’s an easy drive from the New York City area to The Kartrite Resort, a Catskills getaway spot home to New York State’s largest indoor water park. Included with a stay at the resort, the water park features all kinds of waterslides, an adventure river, and play areas for kids big and little. It’s always 84 degrees inside, and the world’s largest Texlon transparent roof lets a little bit of the outdoors in.
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There’s a lot to do at the resort both inside and out throughout the year. Six miles of hiking trails surround the property, and an archery range and low-impact paintball appeal to competitive types. Indoor activities the whole family will enjoy include a bowling alley, climbing wall, ropes course, and arcade. And roasting marshmallows around the firepit for s’mores is an oh-so-sweet way to end the day.
9. Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Water Park
Gatlinburg, Tennessee
With accommodations ranging from studios to roomy five-bedroom villas, Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Water Park can handle family getaways of all sizes. While there’s lots to explore in Gatlinburg, there’s almost as much to keep you busy at the resort, including mini-golf, a spa, game room, playground, and a regular schedule of activities.
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And no matter what the weather’s like outside, there’s always fun to be had at the resort’s mountain-themed Wild Bear Falls water park. The largest indoor water park resort in the South and the fifth largest in the country features slides, a lazy river, and an interactive treehouse where kids can make a splash, all housed under a state-of-the-art retractable roof. A snack bar and pizza spot nearby make it easy to refuel without missing a moment of the fun.
Two more options: Great Wolf Lodge and Kalahari Resorts
We’d definitely be remiss if we didn’t include these two indoor waterpark resort chains in this story. Great Wolf Lodge has almost two dozen locations across the U.S., with its newest locations in Naples, Florida, and the Houston, Texas, area. Known for their woodsy cabin vibe, the resorts offer themed rooms and suites for families big and small, indoor water parks kept at 84 degrees year-round, and activities and attractions like story time, crafts sessions, mini-golf, ropes courses, and arcades.
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The African-themed Kalahari Resorts are located in vacation hot spots like Wisconsin Dells and the Pocono Mountains, with the company’s largest water park at its Round Rock, Texas, location. The indoor water park resorts feature wave pools, lazy rivers, surf simulators, and all kinds of waterslides that families love. They’re also home to indoor Adventure Parks with rides, arcades, bowling alleys, and escape rooms, so there’s always something to do.
