3 of the Best Indoor Water Parks in New Jersey - The Family Vacation Guide (2024)

Nothing ruins a day at the water park like a storm. You’ve got your towel, your bathing suit, and a cooler full of treats, but the rain threatens to cancel your fun.

Indoor water parks provide protection from the threat of inclement weather. These encased resorts have all the rides and slides of an outdoor park with none of the risk.

Those visiting New Jersey for its water parks may be disappointed to learn the state only has three. Don’t despair; those three parks are well worth the trip.

We’ve already looked at the best water parks in New Jersey, but here we look at the best indoor water parks in New Jersey, their rides, and their amenities to help you decide the best course to plot for your vacation if you’re not wanting to cisit an outdoor attraction.

DreamWorks Water Park

DreamWorks Water Park is North America’s biggest indoor water park at 8.5 acres. The facility remains at a steady 81 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. Guests will be thrilled to see their favorite movie and television characters represented in the rides and slides filling the park.

Skyboxes

Skybox suites designed by Jonathan Adler provide visitors with a place to relax when they’re not swimming or enjoying the water. The boxes on each floor adhere to a theme.

The ground floor’s theme is Tulum. Its modern decoration evokes a stylish Mexican city and provides plenty of room for groups to spread out and relax. The box is roomy with a table, chairs, and comfortable couches. Its luxurious room has curtains guests can draw for privacy—it may just be nicer than the hotel room you’re staying in.

The second-floor sky boxes represent Bali. Though done in cooler, more relaxed colors, these boxes are equally luxurious. The room offers guests a sweeping view of the park if they choose to partake. Like the Tulum boxes, Bali has closable curtains for those hoping to take a nap to restore their energy for more slides and rides.

Finally, the third-floor boxes take inspiration from Capri. The highest level wants you to feel like you’re in the sky, simulating a bright, Italian day’s colors, looks, and textures.

Visitors may be tempted to spend their entire stay in the skyboxes. Their amenities include:

• A 65-inch flat-screen television
• Sofa
• Coffee Table
• Sink
• Dining Table
• Chairs
• Access to the VIP hot tub
• Refrigerator/Freezer
• Lockable door
• Gratis co*ke products
• Private changing room

Of course, this luxury comes at a price. The chart below compares the optics of the skyboxes and their costs based on the sizes available:

Each box theme—Tulum, Capri, and Bali—is available in all three sizes.

Poolside Cabanas

Guests hoping for privacy with a lower price tag can rent a poolside cabana. Privacy curtains surround these cozy enclaves, allowing visitors to decide whether they want to hide away or people watch their fellow guests.

Each cabana features two loveseats and accommodates up to five ticketed visitors.

Rides and Slides

While the cabanas and luxury boxes are excellent, the rides are the stars of DreamWorks Water Park. The massive amusem*nt center provides slides and experiences for every age and thrill level.

DreamWorks houses over 40 rides and slides, many unique in their class. The park claims the world’s tallest speed slide, the largest indoor wave pool in the world, and the world’s longest and tallest water rollercoaster.

DreamWorks’ kid-friendly rides include:

• Kungfu Panda Temple of Awesomeness
• Bubbly Lazy River
• Far Far A Bay
• The Penguins Frozen Fun Zone

The intermediate rides, certain to delight the entire family, include:

• Lemur Leap
• Toothless’ Trickling Torpedo
• Soakin’ Surfari
• Dragon Racers
• Zany and Zanier Zigzag
• Dragon and Dronkey’s Flight
• Tube It

Fearless visitors will love:

• The Carnivortex
• Thrillagascar and Jungle Jammer
• Speeding Frenzy
• Shrek’s Sinkhole Slammer
• Swamp n’ Splash
• Skudin Surf
• Surfari Slider
• Penguin Plummet and Majunga Jump
• Mad Flush

DreamWorks’ superior rides earned them the 2021 Leading Edge Award from the World Waterpark Association.

Passes

Whether you plan to go a little or a lot, DreamWorks has a ticket option for you.

The Splash Pass allows holders daily access to the park throughout the season. Visitors can only use the pass once daily and must be the pass holder.

Turbo Passes provide quick access to 15 rides and slides for impatient guests. The cost of a Turbo Pass also covers the price of a tube rental for the wave pool. This privileged access costs $40 per pass.

All-access passes cost $69 on non-peak days and $79 on peak days.

Coco Key Water Resort New Jersey

One of Fun New Jersey’s top 50 attractions in New Jersey, Coco Key Water Resort offers both enjoyable wet and dry activities for the whole family. The park covers 55,000 square feet and houses 150,000 gallons of water.

Coco Key uses its 150,000 gallons of water wisely, offering an assortment of fun activities and water slides.

Parrot’s Perch

Parrot’s Perch is designed to provide active fun to visitors of all ages and heights. The jungle gym provides:

• Zero depth entry
• Water Gallons
• 300 gallons of bucket dumping
• 3 slides

Each slide corresponds to different height levels, so taller swimmers can have adventurous fun while little visitors slide safely.

Coconut Grove Lazy River

Coco Key guests ready to relax need look no further than the Lazy River. The 300-foot attraction melts your stress away as you tube down the calm waterway. While the river houses some surprise splashes, the sailing is smooth enough for visitors of all ages.

Dip-In

Dip-In is an entire mini park for children. The foot-deep wading pool offers little swimmers (and their adult chaperones) a view of the whole park. Coco Key ensures their miniature visitors have as full of an experience as their grown-ups; the Dip-In includes a baby bungee and baby waterslides.

Palm Grotto Indoor/Outdoor Spa

Coco Key provides more than fun. The indoor/outdoor spa’s enormous whirlpools encourage the adult-only crowd to relax. Hot water is therapeutic, encouraging relaxation and soothing sore, tired muscles.

Lily Pad Adventure

Coco Key refers to Lily Pad Adventure as an “activity pool” because it incorporates many different types of movement and challenges. All ages are welcome to test their dexterity, balance, and strength as they traverse the attraction.

Coral Cove’s Slam Dunk

Coral Cove’s Slam Dunk fuses two beloved pass-times, swimming and basketball, into one fun attraction. Players of all ages can test their hoop skills in the three-foot-deep combination pool and basketball court.

Water Slides

Every water park enthusiast knows the slides make the attraction. Coco Key may not have as many slides as some indoor parks, but they more than make up for the quantity with quality.

Coco Kay houses almost 1,000 feet of water slides. They have three major ones, not including the slides in other attractions: Sharks Slam, Barracuda Blast, and Pelican Plunge.

Sharks Slam

Not for the faint of heart, Sharks Slam offers four stories of sliding fun. Riders of the 300-foot-long ride must be at least 42 inches tall. The slide includes several twists and turns to thrill guests for the duration of the descent.

Barracuda Blast

Barracuda Blast is best suited to a more advanced slider. The ride is 350 feet of turns and twists in a tubed slide. The ride’s length allows visitors ample time to build momentum and speed before they are deposited into the pool. Sliders must be at least 48 inches tall.

Pelican Plunge

The Pelican Plunge is the smallest of Coco Key’s slides, but that doesn’t diminish any of its fun. The slide features many turns and twists between the top of the ride and the release into the pool. Riders must be at least 48 inches tall.

The Arcade

Visitors who’ve exhausted the water park’s ride and swum to their heart’s content can check out the arcade. The facility is equipped with a plethora of modern video games, as well as many midway-style activities like ski ball.

Players purchase a play card to access the games. The rates are:

• 16 game credits: $5
• 36 game credits: $10
• 80 game credits + 20 bonus credits: $20
• 200 game credits + 40 bonus credits: $50

Enthusiastic players who use all of their credits can reload their play cards at discounted rates. The play cards have no expiration date, so frequent visitors can fill the same device season after season.

Admission

Coco Key welcomes its juvenile and senior visitors for free. Children under the age of two and guests over 65 years old enter at no cost.

Coco Key offers a variety of admissions packages for visitors between 2 and 65 years old. These include:

Coco’s Best Value Water Resort Package

This includes an overnight stay at Hotel Mount Laurel and two-day access for four guests at the water park. The ticket provides breakfast for two adults and two children at Talia’s Restaurant. Additionally, this package features $50 worth of game credits for the arcade and a Coco Key gift pack.

Coco’s Best Value Multi-Night Water Resort Package

This package offers visitors two or more nights at the Hotel Mount Laurel. The tickets provide multi-day access to the water park for four guests and breakfast at Talia’s Restaurant for two adults and two children. Guests receive $50 worth of game access to the arcade and a Coco Key gift pack.

Water Resort Package

This simpler admission package provides guests with a one-night stay in Hotel Mount Laurel and two days of water park access for four visitors.

Advance Purchase Water Resort Package-10% Off

Booking at least 14 days in advance earns you a 10 percent discount. The admission package includes a one-night stay at the Hotel Mount Laurel and two days of water park access for four guests.

2-Night Water Resort Package

This package provides a two-night stay at the Hotel Mount Laurel and multiple days of water park access for four visitors.

Coco Splash Food and Fun Water Resort Package

This admission package provides an overnight stay at Hotel Mount Laurel and two days of water park access for four guests. Additionally, visitors receive a complimentary breakfast buffet at Talia’s Restaurant for up to two adults and two children. This deal also provides guests with dinner at the water resort, consisting of a large pizza and four fountain drinks.

Speed Raceway and Water Resort Package

This package offers guests one night of accommodations at the Hotel Mount Laurel and four passes for the water resort, usable for two days. Two guests receive two sets of racing passes. Purchasers get two Speed Raceway licenses.

Skyzone Indoor Trampoline Park and Water Resort Package

Purchasers receive one overnight stay at Hotel Mount Laurel and two days of water park access for four visitors. The purchase also includes two passes for two-hour visits to Skyzone.

Single Day Splash Package

This package provides visitors a one-night stay in the Hotel Mount Laurel and one day of access for four guests at the water park.

Big Kahuna’s Indoor Water Park

Big Kahuna’s, formerly Sahara Sam’s, is a multi-attraction activity center for the whole family. The facility includes an indoor and an outdoor water park, eateries, and an arcade. Its indoor water park alone is 60,000 square feet of wet fun for all ages. The facility features a one-of-a-kind retractable roof.

Visitors have a wide variety of rides to choose from.

Raging Rivers

Raging Rivers is a ride and a competition. Sliders go down side-by-side tubed slides on mats, racing to see who reaches the pool first.

Riders compete for bragging rights, but everyone wins as they speed down the five-story high slides.

Riders must be at least 42 inches tall and weigh no more than 300 pounds.

The Hidden Oasis

As the name suggests, the Hidden Oasis is a center for respite and calm in Big Kahuna’s enjoyable chaos. The indoor pool features benches for those hoping to relax fully.

The relaxing waters are an excellent place for the family to kick back and recharge their batteries between rides. Adults must accompany children below 48 inches tall; any guests below 42 inches tall need to wear life jackets.

Tiki Tides

The Tiki Tides tours visitors through the Big Kahuna facility. The ride is a lazy river streaming around the park’s perimeter, allowing riders to enjoy the sights of the Big Kahuna.

Tiki Tides allows park visitors a chance to relax and let the water take them. Guests float in inner tubes through the part’s sites. Adults need to accompany children under 36 inches tall. These riders must also wear life vests.

Flow Rider

Flow Rider allows visitors curious about surfing but nervous about sharks and waves to try the sport. The surf simulator is the only of its kind in New Jersey.

Flow Rider surfers must belly-board; stand-up surfing is prohibited for safety reasons. Riders must be at least eight years old and 42 inches tall.

Jungle Hideout

The Jungle Hideout is an activity center, allowing visitors to explore the platform and slides.

The attraction is modeled after a jungle treehouse village. An overhead water bucket douses unsuspecting guests. Adults must accompany children under five years of age.

Snake Eyes

The Snake Eyes tube slides surround the outside of the building. Guests ride on friction-eliminating tubes, reaching impressive speeds as they rush down the slide. Children below 42 inches must ride with an adult. Solo riders must be at least 48 inches tall.

Mount Kilimanjaro

Mount Kilimanjaro is the rare family-accommodating slide. The tubes are wide, and guests ride rafts down the chutes. Each raft comfortably seats between three and four riders. Visitors under 42 inches need to ride with an adult.

Riptide

The Riptide delights guests with 350 feet of tube, creating immense speed. Riders who enjoy a fast slide will love the Riptide. The ride is 50 feet long, so guests have ample time to slow down. Riders must be at least 42 inches tall for the single-rider-only slide.

Komodo Crossing

Fans of American Gladiators won’t want to skip Komodo Crossing. The attraction challenges guests to use cargo ropes to guide themselves over platforms that spin and bob in an effort to unbalance visitors. Komodo Crossing tests guests’ dexterity and balance. Visitors must be at least 42 inches tall.

Aqua Arena

The Aqua Arena allows visitors to challenge each other to basketball-related games—whether that means a friendly round of “HORSE” or a hoop shooting contest is entirely up to the guests.

The spacious arena gives players plenty of room to enjoy the competition. Adults must accompany kids under 42 inches tall, and they need to wear life vests.

Little Lizard Landing

The Little Lizard Landing reserves a space, especially for Big Kahuna’s tiniest visitors. The attraction knows little kids want the same variety as their larger counterparts and offers variety beyond just a wading pool. The Little Lizard Landing has proportionally sized slides and rides for visitors below 48 inches—in fact, anyone over that height is prohibited.

Paradise Cove

Paradise Cove provides adults with a hidden enclave to relax. Big Kahuna keeps the Paradise Cove water warm, so guests who run cold can warm up in the secret paradise. The attraction is for adults only; visitors must be at least 18 years old.

Cabanas

Big Kahuna’s allows guests to rent cabanas to relax in. These pleasant accommodations include:

• Four water bottles
• Two deck chairs
• Two chaise lounge chairs
• A table

Cabanas are available either for the weekend at $99.99 or $65.99 on weekdays.

Admission

Big Kahuna’s sells day passes for the park. Buying the passes online saves visitors considerable expense. Check out the company’s website for special promotions and discounts on admission costs.

Final Thoughts

These indoor resorts provide the perfect mix of relaxation and action. Whether you want to speed down a twisty slide or float on a lazy river, New Jersey has an indoor water park ride for you.

These three are New Jersey’s only indoor water parks, but they’re comparable to the best in the country.