The Midwest's 5 Best Water Parks, According To Reviews

When it comes to outdoor fun, theme parks hold a special place in the American experience. During the summer, however, water parks reign supreme, especially in the Midwest. While states like Florida and California enjoy balmy weather year-round, Midwesterners can only enjoy water parks for part of the year, which makes them something of a seasonal event.

With that in mind, here are our picks for the Midwest's five best water parks, based on online reviews. Before diving in (pun intended), it helps to clarify what qualifies as the "Midwest" to avoid confusion. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 12 states make up this region, including the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. So, if your favorite water park isn't featured and isn't located in one of those states, that's likely why.

From the water park capital of the world, Wisconsin Dells, to the city of Santa Claus, Indiana, we're getting wet and wild throughout the Midwest. Best of all, some of these parks are indoors, so no matter what the weather looks like outside, you can still have a blast. Let's put on our swim trunks and jump in!

Don't worry if you've never heard of Berne, Indiana, before now. This tiny town is located about 50 minutes south of the dynamic and underrated Midwest city of Fort Wayne, out in the middle of nowhere. Pine Lake Water Park, however, has helped put it on the map. At the time of this writing, the park holds an average rating of 4.7 stars across over 1,600 reviews on Google, earning it the top spot on our list.

Part of what sets Pine Lake Water Park apart is that it's built onto an actual lake. The water relies on natural spring water rather than a traditional chlorinated pool system, allowing you and your family to enjoy nature while having fun. The water park itself even has a classic, timeless feel, thanks to its wooden structures that are reminiscent of playgrounds of the past. Considering the original park was built in 1922, it makes sense that it maintains that old-fashioned vibe.

Pine Lake features four unique slides, a rope and log bridge, a cable zip line, and a massive splash pad with a climbing structure and tipping bucket. According to reviewers, one of the best reasons to add Pine Lake to your itinerary is its affordability. At the time of this writing, tickets are just $10 for guests 10 and up, and $8 for children between 4 and 9. It's such a great deal, in fact, that one reviewer commented, "We drove around a hundred miles one way and worth every mile."

Santa Claus, Indiana – known as "America's Christmas Hometown" – may be busiest during the holiday season, but it's also a summer destination. Splashin' Safari at Holiday World ranks second on our list, with an average rating of about 4.6 stars on Google and more than 16,000 reviews. With such an impressive pedigree, you'll want to add this water park to your Indiana itinerary, even if you're not necessarily close to town.

According to reviewers, the park is clean and well-maintained, and they rave that it's a ton of fun for all ages, from small children to adults. One guest commented, "Little ones had super fun on kid rides as well as big kids riding roller coasters and big water slides." Reviewers also appreciate the free drinks offered throughout the park, which is a nice perk compared to other theme parks of this size. Also, Holiday World offers free sunscreen in case you forgot yours, which is helpful when standing in the hot sun while waiting in line for a slide.

If you've never been to Holiday World, the non-water park section is themed around holidays, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Halloween. As the name suggests, Splashin' Safari is jungle-themed and includes a lazy river, intense slides, a wave pool, and a giant playground area. Because Holiday World has so many attractions, tickets cost $74.99 as of this writing.

Next on our Midwestern water adventure, we're heading up to the home of Michigan's largest restaurant, the family-favorite destination known as Zehnder's. However, this spot is more than just a place to get world-famous chicken dinners. It's also home to Zehnder's Splash Village, an indoor water park that allows you to swim year-round, even during Michigan's cold winters. At the time of this writing, Splash Village has an average rating of 4.5 stars on Google with over 6,200 reviews.

According to guests, the water park is great for children of all ages, but because it's on the smaller side, it may be best suited for younger kids. One guest commented, "The water park is great for younger kids, 12 and under." Other visitors remark that the park is kept clean and organized, and that the staff members are friendly. Another point we should mention is that management responds to nearly every review, both good and bad, so even if you have a negative experience, you should be able to get the problem resolved.

But coming to Zehnder's is more than just an excuse to have fun in the water. As we mentioned, you can head up the road to visit the restaurant and experience the mouthwatering buffet. Alternatively, you can go next door to the world's biggest Christmas shop, Bronner's Christmas Wonderland. Best of all, it doesn't have to be the holiday season to shop for decorations and ornaments, as Bronner's is open year-round. You can also just head into the Bavarian-style town of Frankenmuth and take in the sights.

As we mentioned, we could literally write an entire list of our top picks for water parks in Wisconsin Dells, since there are so many options. Narrowing it down to just one was a mighty undertaking, but based on online ratings, we ultimately chose Kalahari Resorts & Conventions. With over 17,000 reviews and an average rating of 4.4 stars on Google, it beats the competition and secures the number four spot. But the reviews are hardly the only impressive thing about this indoor water park. The Wisconsin Dells location covers over 200,000 square feet, so it's virtually impossible to run out of things to do when visiting, even if your vacation lasts a whole week.

Based on visitor comments, the main benefit of visiting Kalahari is that it's so large that you don't really have to leave the resort during your stay. With multiple dining options, shopping areas, attractions, and lodging options, Kalahari has more than enough to satisfy you and your family. That said, based on one particular review, you might want to rethink booking a stay if you have an infant. According to the guest, "For how expensive everything is, I was hoping for more areas to go with her." They also mentioned that infant life jackets can be uncomfortable. However, if you have toddlers or older children, they'll have a blast.

As for water-based activities, Kalahari offers a lazy river, a surfing simulator, multiple pools, a lagoon, and many slides to accommodate thrill seekers of all levels. Once you're done in the water, you can have fun in the adventure park, which itself spans over 100,000 square feet. There, you can enjoy the arcade, go-karts, rides, bowling, and much more. Then, for meals, you can choose from casual eats like burgers and chicken to more refined fare like steaks, seafood, and sushi. Day passes at Kalahari cost $49.99 as of this writing.

Our final destination brings us to the "Las Vegas of the Midwest," full of glitzy, kitschy entertainment, Branson, Missouri. Since this tourist-friendly town has pretty much everything families need to enjoy during their vacation, it makes sense that it would also host a water park with a high enough rating to make our list. At the time of this writing, White Water, which is part of the Silver Dollar City Parks and Resorts family, has an average of 4.4 stars and over 3,800 reviews on Google. These stats also put White Water as the best-rated water park in Branson.

While White Water and Silver Dollar City are operated by the same company, they are separate parks located about 10 minutes apart, and admission is not shared between them. However, there's plenty to do at White Water; you can easily spend the whole day in the pools and on the slides and never get bored. The whole park is island-themed, so you get a taste of the tropics even though you're in landlocked Missouri.

According to guests, the two attractions that get the most love are the wave pool and the lazy river, which almost seem to make the ticket price worthwhile on their own. One guest commented, "The lazy river was by far my favorite. I'll definitely be going back." It's easy to see why the river is so popular; it's over 800 feet long, flanked by tropical plants on either side, and has a 30-foot-tall water tower, bubblers, and misters throughout. Other guests also suggest bringing water shoes, as the concrete can get pretty hot during the day.

With so many fabulous water parks in the Midwest, narrowing our list to the top five was daunting, to say the least. So, for our purposes, online reviews were our primary guide. While other roundups helped identify potential candidates, our final decision came down to which parks ranked higher than others, both in star rating and the number of reviews. Also, as we mentioned previously, the official definition of the Midwest guided the list, which avoided including parks outside the region.

Another point we wanted to avoid was mentioning multiple water parks in a particular area, especially in Wisconsin Dells. The area is already known as water park central, so if you're planning a vacation there, you'll likely want to hit at least a couple of parks, regardless of whether we mentioned them or not. Thankfully, using reviews as a baseline allowed for geographic variety and helped surface destinations across the region, which could, in turn, assist you in easily adding one or more to your next vacation.