The World's Largest Indoor Water Parks

The Largest Indoor Waterpark in the World

There is one park that, ahem, blows all of the others out of the water. The champion of the world—timpani, please—is Suntago Waterworld at Park of Poland in Warsaw. Opened in 2020, it boasts more than 721,000 square feet, barely edging out the longtime champion, Tropical Islands in Germany (see below). Suntago Waterworld includes 32 water slides (including one at 320-meters that is the longest in Europe), 18 swimming pools, and 10 hot tubs. It can accommodate 10,000 visitors at once.

The Second Largest Indoor Waterpark in the World

Tropical Islands in Brand, Germany is housed in a hangar structure designed for, of all things, a zeppelin. The park spans over 710,000 square feet and is the largest freestanding building in the world. Tropical Islands reigned as the world’s largest indoor water park for many years. It can welcome up to 7,000 visitors. The park offers a variety of attractions in addition to its indoor beach and water rides.

North America's Largest Indoor Water Park

It's opening was delayed a number of times, but when it finally debuted in October 2020, DreamWorks Water Park at the American Dream mega-complex in New Jersey laid claim to North America’s largest indoor water park at more than 370,260 square feet, or 8.5 acres. The massive wave pool alone occupies 1.5 acres (making it the world’s largest indoor wave pool). By the way, at 142 feet, the park’s Thrillagascar and Jungle Jammer attractions are the tallest water slides on the continent (at either indoor or outdoor water parks).

Canada’s Largest Indoor Water Park

Long before the hotels in Wisconsin Dells kicked off the indoor water park phenomenon and resorts started battling it out for bragging rights, the West Edmonton Mall in Alberta, Canada, opened World Waterpark. At five acres, or roughly 225,000 square feet, the mall's water park used to lay claim as the largest indoor water park in North America. It now comes in second to DreamWorks Water Park in New Jersey. However, Wilderness in Wisconsin Dells may be able to claim the second spot (which we will discuss later). 

World Waterpark is the second largest indoor water park in the continent under one roof. Unlike most of the other parks included in this feature, however, it is not a water park resort. A standalone water park, it is one of the attractions at the West Edmonton Mall (which also includes Galaxyland, an indoor theme park). But the mall does offer some onsite hotels, so it could be argued that the mall itself is one giant resort. Similarly, American Dream in New Jersey offers the Nickelodeon Theme Park along with a host of other attractions, and has plans for a hotel.

America's Second, Third, and Fourth Largest Indoor Water Parks

As outlined above, DreamWorks Water Park in New Jersey is the country’s largest indoor water park. But it's the claim for the second spot that gets interesting.

The Kalahari chain of indoor water park resorts boasts large parks. In fact, its newest location, which opened in November 2020 in Round Rock, Texas, claims to be the largest in the U.S. The 350-acre property includes about 1,000 hotel rooms, a 200,000-square-foot convention center, an indoor family entertainment center with rides, and a 223,000-square-foot indoor water park. That barely eclipses the Kalahari in Pennsylvania (see below) and almost (but not quite) matches the size of the World Waterpark in Alberta. But, at 370,260 square feet, the DreamWorks Water Park is considerably bigger. Why, then, does the Kalahari make the claim as America’s largest indoor water park? Beats us.

Kalahari’s Texas location is the nation's second largest indoor water park under one roof. Let us explain.

The Wilderness in Wisconsin Dells spreads its indoor water parks among four separate buildings. The combined square footage of the three indoor water parks in the main part of the resort (which guests can access by padding through its labyrinth hallways) stands at 205,000 square feet.

The Wilderness Territory resort includes the nearby, but detached Wilderness on the Lake. It offers its own small indoor water park, Cubby's Cove. Adding the fourth water park to the total puts the combined square footage of the indoor water parks at the Wilderness at 240,000 square feet, which would make the Wilderness bigger than the Kalahari (and World Waterpark). But it is a bit strange that its parks are not all in one place.

The Kalahari Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania expanded in 2017 and doubled the size of its water park to 220,000 square feet. That's just a few thousand square feet shy of its sister park in Texas and Canada's World Waterpark.

Other Parks That Claim the Title

"North America's largest waterpark hotel." That was the claim made by Fallsview Indoor Water Park in Niagara Falls. Before it opened, Fallsview's developers said that it would be 90,000 square feet. As it was being built, its designers added a mezzanine and outdoor pool which brought the total up to 125,000 square feet.

Hang on a sec. We've already established that there are North American indoor water parks that are much bigger. The Fallsview folks, however, claimed their complex included 1,200 affiliated hotel rooms, which was the most hotel rooms of any indoor water park resort. So, the park is not the largest in square footage (although it is large); it's the largest in terms of the number of hotel rooms. Whew! That's a stretch. Note that despite its relatively large size, Fallsview doesn't have the number or variety of water attractions, nor the marquee slides and rides that indoor water parks of similar size offer.

Another park that once claimed to be "the biggest indoor water park in America" was the Water Park of America, near the Mall of America. At 70,000 square feet, the Minnesota park was certainly big, but it didn't come close to approaching the size of some of the country's biggest indoor water parks. Great Wolf Resorts has since purchased the Water Park of America and rebranded it as a Great Wolf Lodge indoor water park resort.

The centerpiece of the Water Park of America was its audacious 10-story tall water slide complex, which used to be the tallest of any indoor water park. So, it used to be fair to say that it was the tallest indoor water park, but it was a leap to call it the "biggest."

Interestingly, the Mall of America, which is owned and operated by the same group that runs the West Edmonton Mall and the American Dream complex in New Jersey, has plans to build an indoor water park. It will likely be enormous and may vie for the largest indoor water park title in the U.S.

More Huge Indoor Waterparks in the United States

There are other enormous indoor water park resorts, many of which rival well-stocked outdoor water parks in terms of the number, variety, and flashiness of its slides and attractions. At 173,000 square feet, Kalahari in Sandusky, Ohio was the country's largest indoor water park for many years, until the chain topped itself at its other properties. Two of the biggest and best (and among the industry's early pioneers) are in the water park capital of the world, Wisconsin Dells: Kalahari at 125,000 square feet and Chula Vista at 110,000 square feet.

Aquatopia at Camelback Lodge in Pennsylvania is 125,000 square feet. The largest properties in the Great Wolf Lodge chain are Great Wolf Lodge Garden Grove in California at 121,000 square feet and Great Wolf Lodge Niagara Falls (on the Canada side) at 103,000 square feet.