Splish, splash then take a nap at these 15 best US hotels with water parks
There are plenty of family-friendly destinations where you can visit a water park, but it's even better when you can hit the waves without ever leaving your hotel. That's why we rounded up the best U.S. hotels with water parks for your next family vacation.
With few exceptions, water park access is included in your stay, making these 16 water park hotels so much more than just a place to sleep (though you may need a good night’s rest after splashing all day).
The Kartrite Resort & Indoor Waterpark
Anyone who has visited New York’s Catskill region knows it can get a bit chilly outside of the summer months, but it’s always a balmy 84 degrees at The Kartrite Resort & Indoor Waterpark.
Kartrite’s indoor water park is the largest in the state of New York. It boasts separate play areas for toddlers and big kids, private cabanas, multiple slides, a lazy river, a surf simulator, and an indoor-outdoor swimming pool.
Rates start at around $200 per night, which includes water park passes for up to four guests.
Grand Hyatt Indian Wells Resort
The Grand Hyatt Indian Wells is home to the HyTides water park, the largest water park in Palm Springs. Families can race each other down the 200-foot dueling waterslides, float along the 450-foot lazy river, swim in one of seven pools and splash in the kids play area. If you time your stay right, you can attend one of the hotel's complimentary nighttime Glow Parties, with a DJ, colorful neon lights, face painting, late-night waterslide rides and more.
Related: Forget Coachella: Why Palm Springs is a great option for families
Room rates start at around $320 or 21,000 World of Hyatt points per night. There is a daily resort fee of $45, which is waived on reward stays.
Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa
The Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa in Bonita Springs, Florida, is only a short ferry ride from the beach, but you don’t even need to leave the resort for a splashing good time.
The on-site water park has four pools, a lazy river and five waterslides, including a set of dueling racers, a corkscrew slide, a kid-size slide and a double tube slide. There’s also a pool and hot tub just for adults and cabanas available to rent.
Room rates start at around $270 or 21,000 World of Hyatt points per night. The $45 daily resort fee is waived for reward stays.
Timber Ridge Lodge & Waterpark
There are more than 50 water parks in Wisconsin, and Timber Ridge Lodge & Waterpark in Lake Geneva is one of the best. The spacious guest suites have all the comforts of home (including a full kitchen), and the 50,000-square-foot water park brings the great outdoors in with a realistic woodland theme.
The water park has both indoor and outdoor attractions, including a toddler pool, an activity pool for older kids, a lazy river and a pair of 35-foot-high slides — one of which throws in music and colorful lights to enhance the experience.
Related: 5 reasons to love Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport
Rooms start at around $140 per night, not including taxes and a $35 daily resort fee. One-bedroom suites come with four water park passes and two-bedroom suites come with six passes.
JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa
JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa has several family-friendly activities on-site, including a kids club, fish and hummingbird feeding, and an outdoor lawn with games like cornhole and table tennis. But the hotel's AquaRidge WaterPark is likely where you'll spend most of your time.
AquaRidge has a waterslide tower with three slides, a lazy river, a splash pad for young kids and several swimming pools. If you are visiting without kids (or they are at the kids club), you can pay an additional fee to visit the adults-only Sky Island pool complex.
Room rates start at around $300 (including a $55 nightly resort fee) or 44,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night.
Related: Fun in the desert sun: A family guide to Scottsdale, Arizona
Great Wolf Lodge
Great Wolf Lodge San Francisco/Manteca in Northern California is one of the water park resort brand’s newest locations, though there are more than 20 locations across the U.S.
This particular location has a treehouse-themed water play area for kids, a wave pool, a lazy river, water-based activities like basketball and an obstacle course, a family raft ride, and slides for all ages and heights.
The resort also has a ton of other activities included in the cost of your stay, like yoga, arts and crafts, dance parties, and character meet-and-greets. For an additional fee, you can also enjoy bowling, a ropes course, minigolf and more.
Room rates start at around $200 per night, which includes a $40 daily resort fee. Your stay includes water park access beginning from the time you arrive (even if your room isn't ready yet) until the water park closes on the day you check out.
Okana Resort & Indoor Water Park
The newly opened Okana Resort & Indoor Waterpark splashed down in Oklahoma City in April. The 404-room resort is home to both an indoor water park and an outdoor adventure lagoon (open from Memorial Day to Labor Day).
At the indoor water park, you'll find waterslides, an interactive splash playground, a wave pool, a FlowRider surf simulator and and adults-only hot tub. Outside, the Okana Beach water park has additional slides, a large pool, an inflatable obstacle course, a swim-up bar and more.
In addition to standard rooms and multiroom suites, bunk bed suites are also available. Room rates start at $130 per night, plus taxes and fees.
Kalahari Resort
With an unparalleled concentration of indoor and outdoor water parks, Wisconsin Dells has been called the Water Park Capital of the World. You’ll find the state’s largest indoor water park and an equally fabulous outdoor water park at Kalahari Resort.
Related: The tallest waterslide in America is now open in Wisconsin
The safari-themed park has all the requisite features you’d expect at a world-class water park, as well as a water coaster, trapdoor waterslide and two funnel slides. In the fall of 2026, the resort will debut an $85 million indoor water park expansion, with new slides, a whirlpool spa, an adult swim-up bar, a large pool and a retractable roof so visitors can enjoy the summer sun.
Room rates start at around $215 per night plus taxes and a $45 daily resort fee.
Gaylord Opryland Resort
Many hotel water parks have design concepts that are distinctly geared toward kids, but the SoundWaves water park at Gaylord Opryland Resort is the exception to that rule. The mostly white interior has pops of blue and wood accents for a sophisticated, contemporary feel.
Related: Something for everyone: 6 things to know before you visit a Gaylord resort
Indoors, you’ll find a kids play area, lazy river, rapids river, surf simulator, activity pool and waterslides. Outside, there’s a wave pool, an adults-only pool, and additional slides and play areas.
Room rates start at around $460 per night plus taxes and a $25 daily resort fee for packages that include water park access for a family of four. Reward redemption rates start at around 36,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night, but you will have to pay extra for water park access.
Orlando World Center Marriott
The Orlando World Center Marriott is less than 10 minutes from Disney World but has a water theme park all its own. The hotel's Falls Pool Oasis has a lagoon-style pool, splash pad, hot tub and three waterslides, and the adjacent River Falls Water Park boasts three multirider tube slides, a lazy river and a zero-entry area where young kids can play in the shallow water.
Related: The best hotels near Disney World you can book with points
You can also enjoy daily pool activities like animal encounters, arts and crafts, and games. There is also a nightly laser show at the main pool area and, on select nights, you can attend a Mermaids & Glow Party.
Rooms start at around $230 (including a $47 nightly resort fee) or 33,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night.
Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa
The Lost Pines Water Park at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa has a smart layout that you don’t see at many other water parks.
Related: Best points hotels in the US where kids are treated like VIPs
The 1,000-foot-long lazy river winds around and connects the other features of the water park, including a zero-entry pool with a sandy beach area, an adults-only pool, a float-up bar and a waterslide.
Room rates average around $400 or 21,000 World of Hyatt points per night.
The Grove Resort & Water Park
The Grove Resort & Water Park is less than 15 minutes from Disney World and its popular water parks, but there’s no need to pay the extra cost for Disney’s pools and slides when there’s a water park at your hotel.
Related: The best Orlando hotels for large families
Access to the Surfari Water Park is included in the cost of your stay, and the park offers a lazy river, waterslides, pool, kids splash pool, and a FlowRider surf simulator. If you book a cabana or premium seating, you’ll have a dedicated server to deliver food and drinks from the poolside restaurant.
Room rates start at around $230 per night, which includes water park access and a $45 daily resort fee.
Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort And Spa
The water park at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa in San Antonio distinguishes itself from similar parks with an organic design that almost makes you feel as if it were built by Mother Nature herself.
Related: Hotels with the best lazy rivers to beat the heat and float away
The lazy river was made with a dark bottom and is surrounded by trees and greenery for an authentic-feeling river float experience. Even the pools have a naturally carved feel. There’s also a waterslide, kiddie pool, zero-entry pool and FlowRider surf simulator.
Room rates start at around $345 (plus taxes and a daily $35 resort fee) or 17,000 World of Hyatt points per night.
Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa
At the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa, you don’t have to choose between the beach and the water park. This Hawaiian resort is only a short walk from Shipwreck Beach, but you can swim in the multilevel pools and saltwater lagoon, float along the lazy river (more of an exploration path than a typical circular lazy river), and slide down a 150-foot waterslide without ever leaving the hotel.
Related: Best Hyatt hotels in the world
The grounds of the pristinely maintained resort — including the water park — are planted with colorful tropical plants and towering palm trees, echoing Hawaii’s lush, natural beauty.
Room rates average around $675 or 35,000 World of Hyatt points per night.
Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa
Disney’s been in the family vacation game for decades, and it knows what families want. When it opened Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa on the island of Oahu, Disney knew just any old pool wouldn’t do.
Related: Hotels with saltwater lagoons for swimming without the swells
The expansive water park at Aulani has multiple pools, a lazy river, interactive splash zones for kids and waterslides all built into realistic rock formations. For an additional fee, you can explore the resort’s private snorkeling lagoon.
Room rates start at around $700 per night, excluding taxes and fees, but you can save up to 50% when you rent Disney Vacation Club points through David's Vacation Club Rentals.
Bottom line
When you travel, it’s unlikely that you’ll stay exclusively at your resort without venturing out to explore your destination. When you stay at one of these top water park resorts, however, you may find enough on-site fun that you never want to leave.
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| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.
Rewards Rate
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.