Kids can’t wait until June to get their swimming fix? No need to fret. Indoor water parks and pools abound in southeast Michigan and beyond. Check out this list of a few cool spots below, and before you visit, peek at some commons do’s and don’ts for your water park trip.
Want even more indoor water park fun? Peek at our list of some of the best indoor water parks in southeast Michigan and beyond, or our roundup of outdoor spray grounds and splash parks if you’re looking for summer fun.
Avalanche Bay Indoor Water Park at Boyne Mountain Resort, Boyne Falls
- Address: 1 Boyne Mountain Road, Boyne Falls
- Phone: 855-688-7046
More than 88,000 square feet of wet and wild fun awaits at this Northern Michigan water park, the largest in the state. Popular attractions include water slides, a shallow kiddie pool, a lazy river, activity pools and a surf simulator. At a comfortable 84 degrees, it can be easy to forget snow covers the slopes just outside the resort.
Consider the Splash package for overnight accommodations at Boyne Mountain Resort, unlimited waterpark access, a breakfast buffet and more. Or if you’d like to do some skiing, too, look into the “Ski & Splash” package including an overnight stay, open-to-close lift ticket, tubing and a hot buffet breakfast starting at $51 per night for a family of four.
Bavarian Inn of Frankenmuth
- Address: 713 S. Main St., Frankenmuth
- Phone: 855-652-7200
This fun center in Michigan’s Little Bavaria offers a waterpark that features four unique indoor pools, three whirlpools and two waterslides, The Bavarian Blast and the Tower Twister. You’ll also find a mega arcade and an 18-hole indoor golf course. The fun center is open 8 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and until midnight Friday-Saturday with poll maintenance from 8-8:30 p.m. Admission to the waterpark is free to hotel guests.
Great Wolf Lodge, Traverse City
- Address: 3575 N. US Highway 31 S, Traverse City
- Phone: 866-478-9653
If skiing isn’t your thing or you simply want a break from the snow action, Great Wolf Lodge (GWL) in Traverse City offers a more temperate alternative. A variety of water slides offers options for all ages. GWL favorites include a lazy river, tube slides, a multi-story tree house offering splash features and the zero-depth-entry Cub Paw Pool ideal for little ones. The water park is reserved for overnight guests, but admission is included in an overnight stay. Great Wolf Lodge is currently running its “More Fun for Less” promotion. Guests can save up to 25 percent on a two or more night stay for dates between Feb. 9-April 10, 2018.
Surfari Joe’s Indoor Wilderness Waterpark, Watervliet
- Address: 8258 Arnt Blvd., Watervliet
- Phone: 269-463-7946
Your travels on Interstate 94 may have yielded a glimpse into the fun inside Surfari Joe’s. That’s because two brightly colored tube slides protrude out of the building and are viewable to commuters passing by on the freeway. Riders may not even realize their trip down either slide took them briefly outside before dumping them into a waiting pool safely inside. The river run, activity pool and Pygmy Pond play place, which features slides and a play structure, make for great family play for kids of all ages accompanied by adults. Day passes are available and range from $10 to $25. Other packages are available that include overnight stays and water park admission.
Troy Community Center Indoor Aquatics
- Address: 3179 Livernois, Troy
- Phone: 248-524-3484
A splash and tumble zone, twist and plunge slides and walkable lily pads are all for the experiencing at the Troy Community Center Indoor Aquatics area. A lap pool also offers swimming fun for kids. Non-residents can purchase a day pass for $15 before 5 p.m. or $7 after 5 p.m.. Passes residents of Troy cost $10 before 5 p.m. and $5 after 5 p.m. Check the Troy Community Center website for open swim days and times, which vary.
Warren Community Center Indoor Water Park
- Address: 5460 Arden, Warren
- Phone: 586-268-8400
The indoor water park at the Warren Community Center offers more than just lap swimming (though it has that, too). A play structure is situated in the center of a zero-entry pool making water play possible for even young toddlers. Next to the play structure is a small tube slide for those not ready to take on the park’s two-story one nearby. A hot tub for the grown-ups sits sandwiched between the slide and play structure and a large lap pool that includes an area for water basketball and another small tube slide. Warren residents and non-residents alike are welcome to play. The cost of admission is $5 for the former and $10 for the latter. Children under three are free.
Zehnder’s Splash Village Indoor Water Park
- Address: 1365 S. Main St., Frankenmuth
- Phone: 844-207-7309
Frankenmuth is the most visited town in Michigan for many reasons, not the least of which is this 50,000 square foot enclosed water park at Zehnder’s Splash Village. Park favorites include a six-story family raft ride and super loop body slide, zero-entry activity pool with water geysers, a lazy river, a splash landing play area, and four story tube slides. Zehnder’s may be even better known for its famous chicken dinners served just down the road from the water park at the aptly named Zehnder’s Restaurant. Water park visitors can enjoy both by taking advantage of the “Splashtastic Family Getaway” package or the “Eat and Sleep” package, both of which include some level of hotel accommodations, water park admission and dinner at Zehnder’s Restaurant. Half- and full-day passes are available for those not looking to spend the night.
This post was originally published in 2016 and is updated regularly.
