I love having a vacation to look forward to. Even if that vacation is only an hour away for a quick weekend! A couple of weeks ago we planned a short indoor water park weekend and I have to say my expectations were exceeded. It was a stress-free weekend with five adults and three toddlers. Here are my tips for planning a fun indoor water park trip of your own.

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UPDATE: We have now gone to the Wisconsin Dells in winter for an indoor water park trip with extended family three different times. It’s always great (and exhausting with six kids ages six and under)!

1. Go With Enough Adults

The ages of any children who might be coming with you to the indoor water park will determine the ideal adults to kids ratio.

We had planned this trip as part of my Dad’s birthday/Christmas gift because he is not easy to shop for (I refuse to buy him another pair of gym shorts). We had five adults and three toddlers which worked out great.

By having extra adults along we were able to manage meltdowns, nap time, cooking, water rides, etc without any issues.

I have a friend who plans an indoor water park weekend every year with a ton of extended family and then they all drink together in the resort hallway after the kids have gone to bed.

If possible, having other adults to laugh with and help wrangle the children will make your stay at an indoor water park that much more fun.

2. Get a Condo

That being said, I would highly recommend getting a condo for your stay at an indoor water park.

This ended up saving us a ton of money because we were all able to stay in the same accommodations, split the bill, and we were able to cook all our meals.

Our 2 bedroom condo at The Wilderness Resort had a bedroom with two queens, a bedroom with a king, and a pull-out couch. We also easily fit a pack ‘n play in both bedrooms. Each family had their own space for sleeping and there were two LARGE bathrooms. The common living space and kitchen were situated in between the bedrooms making it ideal.

When looking at prices, getting multiple regular resort rooms would have cost a lot more plus a kitchen would not have been included.

3. Be Flexible With Your Dates

To score the best deals you are going to need to be flexible with the dates of your family getaway.

I know this isn’t always possible. With limited time off of work, kids’ activities, and a multitude of other things that take over your calendar it can be hard to find any time to take a trip.

That being said, if you want the best deal try to go during the week. This will obviously save you a ton of money as demand for weekends is much higher.

Even if you have to go on a weekend price search first. You’d be shocked how some weekends are much more expensive than others!

Also, don’t forget to look at the resort’s site as well. The only way I was able to get such a great deal is that I looked on the website and called about a special I saw. If I had booked online the deal wouldn’t have been an option.

4. Bring Your Own Food & Drinks

Going back to the condo recommendation, my family brought all our food with us for the entire weekend thus saving a ton of money.

For every trip, we create a shared Google Doc where we list out each dinner and divide up who is bringing what (including booze).

We kept it simple. She brought a prepared lasagna to throw in the oven for our first night (plus salad) and I made pizzas for the second night with store-bought pizza crusts.

Purchasing food and drinks for the whole family could get outrageously expensive at an indoor water park. Bring your own food and drinks to eat in your room.

We did bring some snacks and beverages to the pool areas (even though there were signs posted against it). No one said anything and we weren’t obnoxious about it. Plus, with babies and toddlers, no one was going to care about the snacks we brought.

5. Don’t Buy Into All the “Extras”

Your indoor waterpark resort will most likely offer a bunch of added packages. Some have indoor go-carts, rock walls, and/or arcades. Others will offer food deals.

Before you purchase any of these add-ons really think if they are necessary. Will you or the kids need to do anything besides the water park? The water park passes are included, hopefully, that in and of itself can provide enough entertainment.

Your resort might also offer some free activities, find out what those are first!

6. Take Advantage of Time at the Waterpark(s)

At the Wilderness, we were able to use the waterparks starting at noon the day of arrival even though check-in time wasn’t until a couple of hours later. On the day of departure, we could use the waterpark the entire day. I say take advantage!

On the morning we left, we packed everything up and went to one last water park to swim and play as much as possible before leaving. You’ve paid for it so why not! Just remember to have warm comfy clothes to change into. Plastic bags for wet swimsuits were provided for us in the changing rooms.

7. Consider Wearing Water Shoes

I am so glad I packed water shoes for my toddlers. There were definitely parts of the indoor water park flooring that were a little rough (we saw a lot of scraped knees on kids). My husband even commented that he wished he had brought some water shoes. Water shoes also help with traction when walking and the overall grossness factor.

8. Consider Bringing Your Own Life Jackets

With one two-year-old and two one-year-olds, life jackets were a must for us. Yes, the resort provided life jackets at each of the three indoor waterparks and it always looked like there were plenty. But I’m glad we brought our own.

By bringing our own life jackets we could have them already adjusted perfectly for each child. The three life jackets easily fit in a large bag for one of the adults to carry. Plus, it was easy to keep an eye on our kids in their unique life jackets.

Only one of the waterparks required our kids to be in a life vest at all times. We chose to keep our children in their life jackets at all times at each of the water parks regardless of the rules.

This is the lifejacket we prefer to use with our kids under 30 pounds and then we switch to these puddle jumpers.

9. Research the Water Slides Ahead of Time

Because there were three water parks, I wanted to determine which waterparks had the best slides for little kids. It turns out each of the indoor waterparks had great baby/toddler areas.

What I didn’t research was the different restrictions on each of the slides. Our two-year-old surprisingly loved the waterslides (even the pitch black ones!). A few times we would get in line for a slide not realizing she wasn’t tall enough for it – causing a few meltdowns.

I wish I had gone into each water park knowing exactly the rides she would be allowed on and what type of tube to get. A few of the double tubes had one hole with a mesh screen that was perfect for her to sit in.

10. Take Turns Watching the Kids

One night, my dad stayed in the condo after the kids were sleeping so the rest of the adults could go to the indoor/outdoor hot tub for some late-night drinks and relaxation.

Even at the water parks, we took turns going down slides, the lazy river, holding a sleeping baby, etc.

Make sure the water park vacation isn’t ALL about the kids.

If you don’t have extra adult hands consider getting a condo with extra amenities. Our two-bedroom condo had a jetted tub in the bonus room off the main living space with a television and sliding doors.

11. Don’t Forget the Swim Diapers

Whether you use disposable or reusable make sure you bring enough swim diapers.

TIP: I dress my baby in a swim diaper and swimsuit then I put on a regular disposable diaper OVER her swimsuit until we get to the indoor water park.

12. Bring Sweats to Throw On Over Your Suit

Clutching a wet towel around you as you make your way back to your room isn’t ideal. Instead, throw some sweats in a bag to bring with you to put on after swimming.

I made sure to pack two pairs of sweats because my first pair was still wet the next day.

For the children, I packed robes to throw on over swimsuits. You’ll also want slip-on waterproof shoes or sandals to wear.

13. Bring a Large Bag with Zippers

One water park was so busy that my family was not able to claim a table. Luckily, we found a dry space on the floor to store our belongings.

We had one large bag containing three life jackets. A large zippered bag filled with wallets, room keys, phones, snacks, and water bottles. Lastly, a bag full of dry clothes to put on over our swimsuits when it was time to leave.

14. Bring More Than One Swimsuit

Obviously, putting on a wet swimsuit from the day before (or that morning) is not pleasant. Bring plenty of swimsuits so you can always have a dry one.

Furthermore, consider if your swimsuits are going to work for you at the water park. Are you worried your bikini top might fly off when going down the body slides? If you will have to be picking up a toddler are you concerned your boobs will fall out of your top? It is not enjoyable to have to constantly adjust your swimsuit. Pack suits you are comfortable in and won’t easily come undone.

15. Bring Your Own Beach Towels

At our resort, provided towel cards could be exchanged for towels. Guests could choose to either leave the towels or towel cards in the room when checking out. But if you still plan on using the waterpark after check-out what will you dry off with?

Use the resort’s towels as much as you can but I recommend bringing a few of your own as a backup.

UPDATE: This tip is no longer relevant. They now give your group plenty of towel cards. You can exchange wet towels as often as needed. It’s a non-issue.

16. Baby Proof Upon Arrival

I don’t know about your kids but my kids can ruin a place really fast. My advice is to remove anything that is easily breakable off of surfaces they can reach and bring outlet covers.

Also, I was really happy I brought a bed sheet to cover the carpet under the table. Our kids are super messy eaters. At the end of our stay, I gathered up the sheet full of crumbs and food stains to wash at home.

17. Bring Along Extra Entertainment

Everyone in your group will most likely wake up, nap, and go to bed at different times. Keep in mind the water parks don’t open until 9 or 10 in the morning! If there are children along you are going to need to have things to keep them entertained in the room at different times of the day. Bring some movies to watch, books, and toys without a lot of parts that could be lost under the couch.

18. Decide if You’ll Want to Bring a Stroller

People do bring strollers but a word of warning – if you are going between indoor water parks there can be a lot of stairs. I saw families hauling wagons up and down who looked very unhappy.

My preference is always to wear my babies and young toddlers in a carrier but you do what works best for you.

19. Invest in a Waterproof Phone Case

I saw a bunch of people with these waterproof cellphone cases around their necks and I wish I had thought of it! A case ensures that you can take pictures without worrying about dropping your phone into the water. I would have loved pictures of my girl about to go down a huge slide.

UPDATE: This tip is a bit unnecessary now as cell phones have become extremely waterproof but the case still might be handy for hanging around your neck.

20. Plan Out Each Day

I believe a planned trip is a successful trip. A day’s plan can always change or be altered but without one chaos can ensue.

Each morning check to see which indoor water parks open at what times. This seems to vary every day. We checked it with the provided QR code from the resort.

You might want to plan when and where to; eat together, nap kids, meet up, etc. If you don’t constantly have your phones on you how are you going to communicate? Picking meet-up times and spots can be helpful!

21. Don’t Overschedule Yourself

After a trip to an indoor water park, you will be exhausted. Water really takes energy out of you.

Try to give yourself a few easy days following the getaway to unwind and unpack. We overscheduled ourselves by spending the last morning at a water park, having the girls take a quick nap on the car ride back to get home in time for swim lessons. In hindsight, we should have skipped swim lessons that week.

I hope you’ve found these tips helpful in planning your next trip to an indoor water park.

If you are looking for another great midwest family vacation destination check out my post on Door County!