Top 22 Indoor Water Parks in Chicago for Family Fun
Parents, let's hear your reviews for the best indoor water parks in Chicago and the suburbs - along with any Wisconsin favorites! Chime in to share your favorite places for year-round water fun, from local indoor aqua parks near you to kid-friendly hotels with water parks worthy of a family getaway.
Use our interactive map to find an indoor waterpark near you, and check out parent recommendations for the best outdoor waterparks around Chicago, too.
Kroc Center Chicago Aquatic Center
The Aquatic Center at the Kroc Center includes (8) 25-yard lap lanes, 2 diving boards, lazy river, giant waterslide, and zero-depth play area.
Splash Landings (Glenview Park District)
Glenview Park District’s four-pool indoor aquatic center has been voted the North Shore's best water park, and includes the Splash Landings Play Pool, which slopes from zero-depth to 3 ½ feet, has an air traffic control tower-themed waterslide and interactive water play features. Their indoor pool is open during the winter months only.
Family Aquatic Center (Oak Brook Park District)
Kristy Pepping: This pool is great! The splash pad outdoors generally opens up earlier than most for the season. I want to say a week before Memorial Day weekend. It's a great option if you have little ones that are not in school full time. Just note they do not allow you to bring your own pool toys for the outside splash pad.
Community Recreation Center Indoor Pool (Wheeling Park District)
The Wheeling Park District's indoor pool features a zero-depth leisure pool, mini lazy river, interactive water play structures, a 4-lane, 23.5-yard lap pool, and a toddler slide.
Pelican Harbor Indoor/Outdoor Aquatic Park (Bolingbrook Park District)
Kristy Pepping: This is a very clean facility! The staff is great as well! They have a large waterpark outdoors. Inside offers two waterslides and a zero-depth pool with a smaller slide. We hosted my daugher's birthday party here and thought it was a great option especially for an indoor winter party!
Pavilion Aquatics Center (Elk Grove Park District)
Elk Grove Park District's Pavilion Aquatics Center offers a few different swimming pools and amenities including their indoor zero-depth lagoon with water spray features and 72-foot water slide.
Arlington Ridge Center (Arlington Heights Park District)
Alexandra F.: The ARC is such a great space for family recreation. The indoor pools are especially awesome, and we love them for lap swimming year round, as well as splashing and sliding in the family rec pool. They have a little slide and a big slide, and some water features for younger kids to splash and play with in the shallow area. We hosted one of our kid's birthday party there one year, too, and it was lots of fun and easy to execute thanks to the helpful staff.
Great Wolf Lodge Gurnee
Whether your children need towering water slides, baby pools or anything in between, Great Wolf has an impressive array of watery fun. Great Wolf offers day passes as well as a hotel for a weekend escape, and sits just across the way from Six Flags Great America.
The Water Works (Schaumburg Park District)
Gina I.: This place is really fun, and kids can easily stay entertained for a few hours. They also have a hot tub for adults, so parents can take turns getting in some relaxation time!
Splash Central (Bartlett Park District)
Bartlett Park District's Splash Central Indoor Aquatic Center offers both lap swimming and a water-play area with a slide, toddler slides, and spraying water features atop ankle high water. They offer lots of hours of indoor swim fun all year long.
Vaughan Aquatic Center (Fox Valley Park District)
Fox Valley Park District's Vaughan Aquatic Center offers an indoor water park, an eight-lane 25-yard-by-25-yard competition lap pool and warm water therapy pool. The Water Park features a zero-depth entry with a two-story enclosed slide, body slide and interactive water play elements.
Adventure Island (Elgin Parks & Recreation)
Adventure Island offers year-round indoor water park fun. Zoom down the 20 foot high water slide; jump off the one-meter or three-meter diving boards; stay fit by swimming laps in one of the (8) 25 yard lap lanes; enjoy the warm water therapy pool to relieve joint/muscle pain; or just play in their leisure pool with tumbling toucans, floor geysers, a boat slide, spray arches, or spinning vortex.
Pirate’s Cay Indoor Waterpark (Holiday Inn Fox River Resort)
This year-round indoor water park hotel has a facility enclosed completely in glass so you still have views of the outside even when the weather may not be ideal for outdoor activities. Even better, the roof is retractable for nice summer days! There is also easy access to a casual dining area for quick snacks or meals. The park features a lazy river, water slides, pirate ship playscape, arcade room, locker rooms, and a retail shop. The water park is open to the general public, though guests staying at the resort receive a discounted rate.
Timber Ridge Lodge & Water Park
Timber Ridge Lodge & Water Park offers climbing, swimming and an on-site restaurant. The waterpark has 50,000 square-feet of slides, a lazy river, swimming pool and more. The park also features an arcade, arts and crafts, pool swings, toddler water play area and more. This water park is exclusive to hotel guests only.
Breaker Bay Waterpark (Blue Harbor Resort)
This 54,000-square-foot entertainment area and waterpark is always 84 degrees, making it an ideal year round destination for both Milwaukee and Chicago families. Blue Harbor Resort's indoor waterpark features an expansive activity pool, tube slides, lazy river, surf simulator, and more. Day passes are available. Stay the night and explore many other special amenities, too!
Primary photo: Grand Bear Resort
Upparent collects community-submitted recommendations and reviews, and any ideas that are shared reflect the opinions of individual contributors.