A utopia of cascading waterfalls and tropical foliage, bubbly whirlpools and misty river coves—during the harshest winter months, a visit to a warm-weather paradise seems unattainable without a passport and a hefty chunk of change. But at indoor waterparks, fantasy-themed decor and an array of summertime water recreation are commonplace elements for these increasingly popular winter destinations.

The Water Capital
During the frigid Arctic chill of the Midwest off-season, Wisconsin Dells is an oasis of recreation and revelry. The formerly glacial city now boasts the highest concentration of indoor waterparks in the world covering more than 450,000 square feet in 18 different resort facilities. The long-time leading locale for water-based amusement only has a population of 4,000, but attracts a whopping 2.5 million guests a year, with almost half commuting by car during the slow months from September to April.

“[The Dells] is about an hour away from Madison, Wis.,” says Bonnie Sierlecki, Public Relations Director for the Wisconsin Dells Visitor and Convention Bureau. “That’s why it’s been such a drive-to destination. Everyone knows there are so many [waterparks] here; people know they can come to us for that.”

Six national indoor waterpark leaders, most of them still family-owned, reside at the Dells and offer a variety of themes, activities, slide lengths and sizes, and adventure levels to attract family-adventurers and play-seekers to their resorts: Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort; Treasure Island Waterpark Resort, featuring some of the tallest and longest indoor waterslides in the world; Polynesian Resort & Suites; Kalahari Resort & Convention Center; Great Wolf Lodge; and Chula Vista Resort, which offers the world’s largest indoor whirlpool.

“We started developing the indoor waterparks as a way to catapult us into being a year-round destination,” Sierlecki says, “and it sure worked. We kept building more and now the Dells is almost synonymous with waterparks, especially the indoor waterparks.”

A Day at the Beach
Another international location that has become virtually synonymous with “waterpark” is Miyazaki on Kyushu Island in Japan. Miyazaki is home to the Seagaia Phoenix Resort and its centerpiece, “the world’s largest all-weather indoor waterpark,” Ocean Dome. However, in Japan, the term waterpark has taken on a different connotation—Ocean Dome is, in fact, an indoor ocean and beach experience. The facility is characterized by its fully retractable roof, which is kept open when warm weather permits; its computerized wave-making system; and its indoor Sugar Beach, which gives the illusion of a white sandy beach, but is in fact composed of crushed and polished nonstick Chinese marble. A constant air temperature of 86 degrees and water temperature of 82 degrees keeps Ocean Dome’s man-made paradise undeniably inviting, while hourly surfs are generated by multi-vacuum wave chambers and churned into the crystal clear chlorinated and salt-free “sea.”

One of Ocean Dome’s most surreal features is the Water Crash ride, a simulated rafting trip that whips up raging rapids and tumultuous whirlpools to give guests the rush of a white water excursion minus the risk factors and dangerous natural elements, such as sharp rocks and inclement weather. Just down the beach rests a festive promenade of novelty shops, bars and restaurants offering guests an almost-genuine boardwalk experience, with a beach carnival spreading under the dome daily to reinforce the gaiety of the virtual habitat.

Northern Exposure
Soon to open this year is another indoor waterpark in an unlikely location: Anchorage, Ala. Plans for H2Oasis indoor waterpark are being finalized and the park is scheduled to open in March, according to a recent report by KTUU Channel 2 News. H2Oasis will be Alaska’s first and only indoor waterpark, and will feature a water-propelled indoor coaster called Master Blaster, the first North American indoor waterpark to do so. It will also offer a wave pool, 575-foot long lazy river, and a children’s lagoon, as well as several tanning beds to draw attendees from Alaska’s 200,000 inhabitants.