Indoor Water Parks in Pennsylvania
I am a huge fan of waterparks, having worked at several in my youth. As an adult, now we have indoor water parks! I mean, how come no one thought of this before?
I recently had the opportunity to go with my family and try the new Kalahari Water Park and Resort in the Poconos. I was excited to do so because we’ve wanted to visit an Indoor Water Park in PA. We just never got around to it. Now, I’m saying, get around to it! We loved it!
The Kalahari Resort is an African-themed resort that has a hotel, several restaurants, conference facilities, water slides full arcade and the largest indoor water park in Pennsylvania. Prior to our visit, we poked around on their website, and let me tell you, pictures do not do it justice.
Until you are there, seeing this Poconos Indoor Water Park in person and getting a 360 view, it’s really hard to describe. It was much more than I expected.
Pennsylvania, for all of its bad weather, really has some of the best indoor water parks!
Indoor Water Parks in Pennsylvania
If you are going to the Pocono Mountains area, you have several waterparks to choose from. We chose Kalahari Resort because it was the newest indoor water park and largest indoor water park in Pennsylvania.
But, there is also a Great Wolf Lodge and Camelback Resort Waterpark. I have been to another Great Wolf Lodge, but not this one. We have not tried Camelback yet. We have been to many waterparks on the east coast, but mostly outdoor and mostly in the summer.
Overnight Stay at Indoor Water Parks
My only regret is that we only stayed one night. I would have liked to have stayed longer, we just couldn’t fit it in among all our other commitments.
But 24 hours was not enough and my kids were asking for more.
We have visited many water parks in PA, but this one is our favorite! It is definitely the best. Scroll down to see an offer they gave me to offer my readers.
They have a swim up bar which is super cool, and I’m pretty sure I saw hot tubs.
We arrived around noon because even though check-in isn’t until 4 pm, you can use the facilities beginning at noon. We had lunch at one of the lobby restaurants.
My 6-year-old finished his lunch first. And then, while the rest of us were finishing up, he got up and went over to “The Last Bite” several times to check out their candy and treat selection. Yes, we let him indulge.
Great Place for Family Fun
Our room was ready early, so we put on our swimsuits and spent the afternoon at the water park. It is really amazing. I was most impressed with their huge variety of slide and play options for babies and toddlers.
I mean, the assortment of water slides, activity pool, lazy river, body slides, kiddie slides and a retractable roof! We were there in cooler weather, which is why an indoor water park is so amazing. The fun isn’t just limited to summer.
Typically when you hear “waterpark,” you think of older kids, so I was really surprised to see all that they had for the whole family. If you have younger kids, there is plenty for them to do. Don’t think that you have to wait until they are older to visit.
There was plenty for my 6-year-old to do. He is a decent swimmer. He enjoyed the water slides and the lazy river. We could not get him to try the bodysurfing/bodyboarding. My husband and I both tried it and it was fun.
We both also tried the “big slides” and whoa! They have slides for all ages and abilities. They have something for everyone, from babies to thrill seekers. Babies will love the splash lagoon area.
The body surfing or bodyslide thing seemed to be one of the main attractions.
Food at Kalahari Resorts
They also have a swim up bar which is really cool to see. And, the water basketball court, we loved that! After we swam for a few hours, we went back to our room to dry off for dinner.
For dinner, we went to the Brandberg restaurant and it was very good. I had a flatbread with goat cheese, tomatoes and balsamic. Mmmmmm, it was good. The restaurant is a bit dark, so I couldn’t get a picture.
If you go during the fall and winter, you may run the risk (the horror!) of going when there are football games on.
But, as you can see from the above photo, there are plenty of TVs in the bars and restaurants so no one will miss a single score. And anyway, there are apps for that now!
Arcade Games and Game Rooms
After dinner, we went to the arcade. I did some hand-over-hand things with Kevin, like Whack a Mole which he seemed to enjoy.
Brian loves video games so he was in heaven with the Star Wars games, black light mini golf, and many other options. I really liked how much they have in one spot.
Travel Tips for taking kids to Kalahari Water Park
- They have refrigerators and microwaves in the rooms if you need to bring special dietary things or refrigerated medications.
- Even if you do not require a special handicap-access room (which they have), know that the hallways can be long. It was a moderate walk from our room down to the water park. Kevin did fine, but sometimes he does a ‘flop and drop’ and refuses to walk. If that had happened, I certainly would have been wishing that I had requested a room that was closer to the activities.
- Both the indoor water park and the arcade are noisy. I don’t know how you would avoid the noise in the indoor water park, inserted ear protection maybe? Kevin did fine with both, though he had enough of the arcade after about 90 minutes.
- I saw several gluten-free options for celiac disease, but did not see anything about food allergies and forgot to ask.
- The Brandenburg restaurant was our favorite, but it is dark. If your child is visually impaired, give it a preview yourself first so that you can navigate it successfully.
- All of the water slides and attractions appeared to be accessible and they have life jackets there for your use.
- If your child struggles with transitions or not getting what they want, or stopping a fun activity, make sure you prep them ahead of time. There is a lot to do, but of course, you don’t want your day ruined because of a huge end of day meltdown due to sensory needs or transition troubles.
- I saw several family restrooms and changing rooms.
- We were there during a very slow, uncrowded day which was wonderful! We pulled the kids out of school because Kevin just doesn’t always do well with crowds. But, I did not see anything like an access pass for lines or waiting. Ask at the Concierge Desk if that is something you need.
If you would like to try the Kalahari Resort (and I suggest you do!), here is more information:
Kalahari Discounts
- Valid October 1 – November 24, Sunday – Thursday. $199 per night with a $100 Family Entertainment Center card. To book, call 1-877–KALAHARI with the promo code: iConnect. Restrictions Apply. Offer subject to availability. Does not include taxes or fees. (this was from a few years ago, not sure if it’s still valid)
- Kalahari Resorts on Twitter
- Kalahari Resort on Facebook
I know of several people and organizations who organize conferences, and I am definitely going to suggest Kalahari to them. I hope you like it too.
This post is reviewed and edited periodically. And each time I update this, I can’t believe that we still have not been back to the best indoor waterpark in Pennsylvania! I really want to go, and I should probably check out a few others too.
