Texas is a big state in the US that is filled with plenty of tourist spots and attractions. Some of the best attractions in the state are the indoor water parks, which are considered by some people to be better than outdoor water parks, as the roofing in indoor parks provides shade for kids and adults from the sun to prevent sunburn and other conditions that sunlight can cause to people.
There are many indoor water parks in Texas, but only a few are considered to be the best of the best when it comes to the pools they provide and their customer service. Here are the best indoor water parks that you can visit in Texas.
Great Wolf Lodge (Grapevine)
One of the most popular indoor water parks in Texas is the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine. This indoor water park is 80,000 square feet in size and has numerous slides and rides that kids and adults can enjoy, like tube slides, water coasters, and body slides. There is even a hot springs area in the water park that is family-friendly, which basically means that everybody can use the area.
The Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine has two very popular attractions, Howlin’ Tornado and Fort Mackenzie. Howlin’ Tornado features a raft that drops into a funnel that is six stories in height. On the other hand, Fort Mackenzie is a water fort that is designed like a treehouse that has slides and water toys. [1]
Great Wolf Lodge is just one of the water parks owned by Great Wolf Resorts, which was founded in May 1997, in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. The company is currently headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and as of 2022, they are managing and operating more than 15 different Great Wolf Lodges in the United States. The Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Texas, was opened in 2007.
The Cove at the Lakefront (Little Elm)
Another famous indoor water park in Texas is The Cove at Lakefront located in Little Elm. The Cove at the Lakefront is 42,000 square feet in size and features glass roofing so that a little bit of sunshine can still pass through for lighting and to make the various rides and slides at the water park look better. In The Cove at the Lakefront, you will find pools with floats, tower slides, and even non-water attractions like a rock-climbing wall and a cliff jumping area.
Besides the fun rides, The Cove at the Lakefront also offers kids and adults different programs like swimming lessons and water aerobics seminars. If you have the budget, you can also rent a space in The Cover at the Lakefront if you want to organize birthday parties, team building, and other events in the water park.
The Cove at the Lakefront opened on March 6, 2021, making it one of the newest indoor water parks in Texas. The ribbon-cutting for the water park occurred on the said day, but the grand opening of the location for the public happened in May.
Waterpark at the Villages (Flint)
Next on the list is Waterpark at the Villages, which is located in Flint. Waterpark at the Village is a very accessible water park for locals and tourists, as it is just a few miles away from Dallas and San Antonio, two of the most visited cities in Texas. At Waterpark at the Villages, you will find jungle splash pads, a wave pool, rope bridges, and tube slides.
This indoor waterpark is 19,000 square feet in size and is considered a part of the Holiday Inn Club Vacations Villages, a resort that has rooms and villas that you can book if you want to stay in Flint for two days or more. Waterpark at the Villages opened in January 2008 and has been a popular Texas vacation destination for locals and tourists for many years.
Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark (Grand Prairie)
The Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark is an 80,000-square-foot attraction in Grand Prairie. The roofed water park has 11 fun slides that can be enjoyed no matter the weather. So, if it is too sunny outside, guests wouldn’t have difficulties swimming or enjoying the rides inside the water park since the temperature inside the location is much more controlled.
Aside from the 11 fun slides inside the water park, there is also a brand-new ride that guests can enjoy, and this ride is called the Locura. The Locura is a ride that has a slide that is seven stories tall and loops around several times downwards. What’s fun about the Locura is that people that ride it would slide down at a speed of 35 mph. The Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark opened on January 12, 2018. The waterpark also offers swim lessons for kids and event rentals for those that want to celebrate their birthdays or other special occasions in a fun location.
Schlitterbahn Waterpark (Galveston)
If you are planning to visit Galveston, a city that has an island aptly named Galveston Island in the southeast of Texas, then you should check out the Schlitterbahn Waterpark. This indoor water park has swimming areas, rides, slides, wave pools, and rivers that can be enjoyed by toddlers, kids, teenagers, and adults.
The pirate-themed water coaster is arguably one of the most popular attractions in the Schlitterbahn Waterpark, and this water coaster is designed to look like a shipwreck. Other rides and attractions that you can try in the Schlitterbahn Waterpark include Kristal Cove, Kristal Bay, Swim Up Bar, Faust and Furious, and the Blastenhoff Heated Pool. [2]
The Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Galveston is one of the resorts operated by Schlitterbahn, a brand of water parks and resorts that is owned by an amusement park company called Cedar Fair. The water park in Galveston was opened in 2006. The water park’s water coaster, MASSIV, was the record holder for the world’s tallest water coaster before losing the said record to Hurricane Harbor Chicago’s Tsunami Surge in 2021.
Kalahari Indoor Water Park (Round Rock)
One of the US’s largest indoor water parks is the one found inside the Kalahari Resort at Round Rock, a city located between the center and the southeast of Texas. The Kalahari Indoor Water Park is 223,000 square feet in size, and this measurement proves that it is much larger compared to the other water parks in this list. Inside this water park, you will find plenty of tube slides and body slides, as well as a raft ride, a lazy river, a wave pool, and a zero-depth swimming pool. [3]
In the same water park, you will also find a swim-up bar for adults, and even a bowling alley and escape room that families can enjoy. Near the Kalahari Indoor Water Park, you will have access to an escape room (a popular form of mystery game played by families or groups of friends) and an indoor amusement park.
The Kalahari Resort at Round Rock was opened on November 12, 2020, and it is owned by Kalahari Resorts and Conventions, a water park resort chain that was founded in 2000 in Wisconsin. The water park at Round Rock is Kalahari’s fourth resort, with the first three being the ones located in Wisconsin, Sandusky (Ohio), and Poconos (Pennsylvania).
Lubbock Water Rampage (Lubbock)
The Lubbock Water Rampage is an indoor water park located in Lubbock, a city located to the northwest of Texas. There are plenty of rides and water play places inside the Lubbock Water Rampage, and some of the most popular ones are the Pirate Ship Playground, Baby Pool, Big Wave, and the Lazy River. These rides are separated into different sections like Lost World and Caribbean Adventure.
In addition to the fun rides, the Caribbean Adventure section of the Lubbock Water Rampages hosts movie nights, where they will play past and relatively recent movies on a big screen installed in front of a large wave pool. The Lubbock Water Rampage was opened in 1985, thus making it the oldest water park on this list. Despite being relatively older than most indoor water parks in Texas, the Lubbock Water Rampage still looks very modern since it has been renovated and improved over the years.
However, the water park, which was previously called the Texas Water Rampage, once closed and went out of business in May 2008 due to not having enough funds for renovation and experiencing a decline in attendance. Fortunately, the water park reopened with a new name (Lubbock Water Rampage) on June 1, 2009.
And those are some of the best indoor water parks that you can visit in the different cities of Texas. If you are currently planning for a summer vacation in Texas, the indoor water parks we mentioned above will surely be worth adding to the list of must-visits in the state.
