Indoor Water Parks in Virginia

About Virginia

Located on the Atlantic coast and rich with colonial history, Virginia is a popular tourist destination not only for its history but also for its stunning natural beauty, including lush mountain ranges and pristine forests. The temperate climate ranges from below freezing to nearly 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and though the winters are mild the balmy 84 degrees in an indoor water park is always a welcome diversion, either from the summer sun or winter’s chill.

Visiting Indoor Water Parks in Virginia

Virginia is home to several indoor water parks, with more resorts being planned as the popularity of these destinations increases. When guests plan their indoor water park getaway, however, they should take care to remember that resort prices are higher in the summer when more tourists visit the state’s theme parks and historical attractions. At the same time, adding an indoor water park to a vacation itinerary can be a fun way to enjoy multiple attractions with flexibility and ease even in Virginia’s unpredictable weather.

Currently, Virginia is home to two popular indoor water park resorts – the Great Wolf Lodge and Massanutten Resort – with a third large resort in development.

Great Wolf Lodge

The Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg is ideally located for guests to enjoy the area’s deep historical roots and the Busch Gardens Europe theme park while still indulging in splashtastic fun. The resort has more than 400 suites in 11 different configurations to suit different families’ needs, and amenities include a fitness center, luxury spa, themed family restaurants, gift shops, extensive meeting space, and an arcade with more than 100 games. As if that isn’t entertainment enough, guests can also enjoy an eight minute show from the elaborate animated clock tower in the main lobby, complete with woodsy theme to coordinate with the resort’s rustic décor.

The indoor water park, Bear Track Landing, is 67,000 square feet of liquid fun, including:

• Family and adults-only whirlpools
• 9 different water slides, including body, tube, and kiddie slides
• A FlowRider surfing simulator
• An interactive water fort
• An outdoor pool (open seasonally)
• Indoor and outdoor cabanas to rent

With more than 300,000 gallons of water supervised by a staff of more than 60 certified life guards, guests can stay splash-happy at the Great Wolf Lodge. For more information, visit the official website.

Massanutten Resort

Massanutten Resort is an all season resort located ten miles east of Harrisonburg in western Virginia. Guests can enjoy numerous outdoor activities throughout the year, including skiing and snowboarding, mountain biking, fishing, golf, and more. Resort amenities include numerous dining venues and gift shops, such as a Teddy Bear Factory and other souvenir stores. Both hotel and condominium accommodations are available, and both guests and residents can enjoy the immense indoor water park that includes:

• Both body and tube slides
• The Frog Pond kiddie area with a maximum depth of 12 inches and fun activities such as small slides and water swings
• An active river with sprays and waterfalls
• A family pool
• An indoor/outdoor hot tub
• A multi-story water fortress with cannons, multiple slides, and a tipping bucket

In addition to the indoor water park features, Massanutten Resort also includes seasonal outdoor water park attractions including a wave pool, large activity pool, and a mat racer slide.

Africa is coming to Virginia.

For more information about Massanutten Resort, visit the official website.

Kalahari Resort

With the great success of the initial two indoor water parks in Virginia, other companies are investigating adding to the state’s aquatastic lineup. The Kalahari Resort has announced plans to build a new indoor water park near Fredericksburg, just 55 miles south of Washington DC, that will include 125,000 feet of indoor activity fun as well as an even larger outdoor water park section. Kalahari Resorts have two other locations -- one is part of the lineup of indoor water parks in Ohio and one in Wisconsin Dells -- and this $200 million resort will be the third. It will include many of the familiar features of its other resorts, including the African theme and spectacular service the parks are known for. While construction plans have not been finalized as of this writing, completion is tentatively projected for December 2009.

With two indoor water parks in Virginia already enjoying immense popularity and another on the way, guests to this eastern state are sure to enjoy all the liquid fun they can find diving into pools, speeding down slides, or relaxing in hot tubs, all without a care for whatever the weather may be.