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An indoor water park is a type of water park that is located inside a building. An indoor water park has the ability to stay open year-round, as it is not affected by weather conditions.
Some of the first indoor water parks are Tikibad [ nl ] at Duinrell (The Netherlands, 1984), Nautiland located at Haguenau (France, 1984), the Aqua Mundo at Center Parc De Eemhof located at Zeewolde (The Netherlands, 1980) and Alpamare (Pfäffikon) [ de ] (Switzerland, 1977). [1] [2] [3] [4]
In 1985 an indoor water park was open in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada at the West Edmonton Mall. [5] [6] It is called the World Waterpark and is over 200,000 sq ft (19,000 m2). It was a success for the mall and remains as one of the largest indoor water parks in the world.[ citation needed ] In 1985 Aqualud [ fr ] opened in France. [7] Another indoor water park in Europe was built in Blackpool in 1986. It is called the Sandcastle Water Park.[ citation needed ]
The first indoor water park in the United States known as the Polynesian Resort Hotel and Suites in the small tourist town of Wisconsin Dells, WI. The hotel opened in 1989 and the water park in 1994. It was built in an effort to make the Dells a year-round tourist destination, rather than just a summer one. Since then, the Great Wolf Lodge brand has expanded, with multiple locations in the U.S. and a single venue in Canada, at Niagara Falls.[ citation needed ] The DreamWorks Water Park, originally slated to open in late 2019, will be the United States' largest water park upon opening. [8]
Since the opening of the first park, the indoor water park business has become increasingly popular, especially for Edmonton in Canada, and Wisconsin Dells in the U.S., which proclaims itself as the "Water Park Capital of the World". The Dells has five water park resorts that have at least one water park bigger than 55,000 sq ft (5,100 m2). This includes Great Wolf Lodge, Kalahari (Wisconsin's Largest Indoor Water Park), Chula Vista Resort (Lost Rios), Wilderness Territory (Wild West, Klondike Kavern, Wild WaterDome), and the Hotel Rome at Mt. Olympus. Wisconsin has the most indoor water parks in one state. Other states in the U.S., especially in the midwest, are building more indoor water parks separate or to existing hotels so they can become a year-round destination. More water parks are also being built in Canada, Europe and Asia. Tropical Islands Resort (Krausnick-Groß Wasserburg, Germany) with an area of 66,000 m² (710,000 sq feet) is currently the largest indoor water park in the world.
Most major indoor water parks have: [9] [10]
Wisconsin Dells is a city in Wisconsin, straddling four counties: Adams, Columbia, Juneau, and Sauk. A popular Midwestern tourist destination, the city forms an area known as "The Dells" with the nearby village of Lake Delton. The Dells is home to several water parks and tourist attractions. It is about 42 miles (68 km) northwest of Madison, Wisconsin, the state's capital city. Wisconsin Dells has a population of 2,942 people as of the 2020 census.
West Edmonton Mall (WEM) is a large shopping mall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, that is owned, managed, and operated by Triple Five Group. It is the second most visited mall in Canada, after the Toronto Eaton Centre in Toronto, followed by Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby, and the 14th largest in the world by gross leasable area. It is the second largest shopping mall, by square footage, in North America behind the Mall of America. Mall of America encompasses 520,000 m2 and West Edmonton Mall encompasses 490,000 m2. By store count, West Edmonton Mall is the highest in the Western Hemisphere as it currently counts over 800 occupants, in comparison to Mall of America's 520 occupants. The mall was founded by the Ghermezian brothers, who emigrated from Iran in 1959. The mall's major anchor stores are Hudson's Bay, London Drugs, Marshalls, Simons, The Brick, Winners/HomeSense and West Edmonton Mall Toyota.
A water park is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other barefoot environments. Modern water parks may also be equipped with some type of artificial surfing or bodyboarding environment, such as a wave pool or flowrider.
Six Flags Darien Lake is a 1,200-acre (4.86 km2) amusement park and resort located in Corfu, New York, off of Interstate 90 between Buffalo and Rochester. Six Flags Darien Lake features a theme park, water park, campground and lodging. It is owned by EPR Properties and operated by Six Flags.
World Waterpark is a water park located within the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Opened to the public in 1986, it is the second largest indoor water park in North America after American Dream's DreamWorks Water Park which opened on October 1, 2020. It has a maximum capacity of 5,000 guests, an average air temperature of 31 °C (88 °F) and contains the world's largest indoor wave pool with a capacity of 12.5 million liters.
Tropical Islands Resort is a tropical water park located in the former Brand-Briesen Airfield in Halbe, a municipality in the district of Dahme-Spreewald in Brandenburg, Germany, 50 kilometres from the southern boundary of Berlin. It is housed in a former airship hangar, the biggest free-standing hall in the world. The hall belonged to the company Cargolifter until its insolvency in 2002.
Mt. Olympus Water and Theme Park Resort is a theme park and water park resort complex in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. The resort is themed after Ancient Greece, particularly its mythology and gods, and is named after the mountain in Greece where those gods were said to live. Mt. Olympus features an indoor and outdoor water park and amusement park rides, and the complex includes dozens of motel buildings that were acquired by the resort in addition to its purpose-built hotel.
Kalahari Resorts and Conventions is a water park resort chain with locations in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin; Sandusky, Ohio; Pocono Manor, Pennsylvania; and Round Rock, Texas. Named for the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa, the resorts are heavily decorated with African animals and plants, and other African motifs.
Blue Harbor Resort and Spa is a resort, water park and conference center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The resort opened in June 2004 after being built by Great Wolf Resorts.
Center Parcs UK and Ireland is a short-break holiday company that operates six holiday villages in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, with each covering about 400 acres (1.6 km2) of woodland. The company's first village opened at Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, in 1987 and its sixth, at Longford Forest, Ireland, opened in 2019.
Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort is a large water resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. It is one of the largest indoor waterpark complexes in the world with a combined size of 240,000 square feet (22,000 m2). It is part of a chain of two resorts, the newer and smaller one being Wilderness at the Smokies in Tennessee. The chain also includes four small outdoor waterparks.
Great Wolf Resorts is a chain of indoor water parks. The company owns and operates its family resorts under the Great Wolf Lodge brand. In addition to a water park, each resort features restaurants, arcades, spas, and children's activities. Great Wolf Resorts is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
The Atlantis Hotel and Waterpark is a resort hotel with an indoor water park located in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. It has three waterpark areas: two indoor and one outdoor. Admission to nearby Noah's Ark, the largest outdoor water park in the United States, is included with booking. The hotel is owned by Cornerstone Hotel Management.
Chula Vista Resort is a southwestern-themed waterpark resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. The resort is located on the Upper Dells of the Wisconsin River, 3 miles (4.8 km) north of downtown.
Great Wolf Lodge is a resort and indoor waterpark of 30 acres (12 ha) located in Gurnee, Illinois near Six Flags Great America and Gurnee Mills. The resort is operated by Great Wolf Resorts. It was originally opened as Key Lime Cove and was listed as the "Official Resort of Six Flags Great America". The resort is located about an hour away from Chicago and less than an hour from Milwaukee.
Extreme is a 2009 television series that aired on the American Travel Channel. The series covered so-called extreme activities that features "the absolute best of what the US of A has to offer—to the total EXTREME". Produced by Sharp Entertainment, the show traveled around the United States to document and showcase various places, events, things and people that are "extreme" in some way.
The Polynesian Resort Hotel is a water park resort located in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. It was opened in 1989 and became the Wisconsin Dells's first indoor waterpark in 1994.