Best Water Parks Near Madison 

You and your family can float upon a lazy river, scream as you hurdle down towering water slides and hitch a ride on the crest of a wave while visiting this quaint little town outfitted with more than 20 water parks, including the country’s largest. Whether the sun is shining or the snow is falling, Wisconsin Dells’ indoor water parks provide big-time thrills, while the outdoor parks buzz with activity between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends. Regardless of the season, you’re sure to find water park fun in Madison.

Chula Vista Water Park

It’ll be like heading south of the border when you visit the Mexican-themed Chula Vista Water Park, where indoor and outdoor facilities combine for 26 water slides and more than 200,000 square feet of fun. Open year-round, Lost Rios Indoor Water Park lets you defy gravity on the Flyan Mayan Uphill Water Roller Coaster. Challenge your friends to a high-speed contest down Matador Mat Racers water slide and watch your little ones get soaked with the 500-gallon dump bucket at Mount Montezuma’s Mayan Temple play area. The outdoor park is home to the 350-foot-long Rattlesnake Run slide and a 6-inch-deep Kiddie River.

Noah's Ark

Covering 70 acres, Noah's Ark is an outdoor-only venue that earns the title of the nation’s biggest water park. Twist through total darkness alone down the Black Thunder water slide or experience a pitch black tunnel on a four-person raft on Dark Voyage. Not daring enough for you? There's also Scorpion’s Tail, a 10-story, near-vertical water chute, and Quadzilla, a head-first, four-lane racing slide. Little daredevils can fly out of cannonball shoots, jump across lily pads and shimmy down body water slides at the kid-friendly Paradise Lagoon.

Kalahari Waterpark

Venture into the African desert at the indoor/outdoor, safari-themed Kalahari Waterpark. A 920-foot lazy river winds through the massive 125,000-square-foot indoor park. While inside, you can also take a plunge in the wave pool or enjoy a soak in one (or more) of the five whirlpool spas. The activity-filled Crocodile Cove caters to your kiddies with its water basketball court. Try to catch your breath on Screaming Hyena, a 60-foot trap-drop slide that sends you barreling 25 miles per hour through the roof of the park. There are plenty of thrills to be had in the outdoor area as well, including Extreme Rush, a 400-foot, zigzagging slalom slide. Elephant and monkey motifs add to the festive atmosphere at the Splash Down Safari playground.

Disney's Typhoon Lagoon BEACH

What happens when a typhoon destroys a tropical paradise? You’ll find out — and more — when you and your family gather at Typhoon Lagoon, the most visited water park in the world. What packs 'em in? The Disney reputation may help, but check out these attractions: the Crush 'n Gusher, where super water jets send you soaring; the Humunga Kowabunga, where you zip along through enclosed slides at 39 miles per hour; Castaway Creek boasts 2,100 feet of continuous river, where you travel by inner tube through rain forests, open grottoes, waterfalls and caves.

Mt. Olympus Water Park

Have more fun than Zeus himself at the indoor/outdoor Mt. Olympus Water Park. Grab a buddy and visit Medusa’s Indoor Water Park, where together you can share a raft down the Boa Tube Slide or travel through a lush landscape along the Mayan Raging River. The Sacred Well Whirlpool and Jaguar Hot Tub provide a calm, tranquil setting at the end of the day. Don't forget to visit Mt. Olympus Outdoor Water Park, where you can battle 9-foot crests in the Poseidon’s Rage wave pool or plummet five stories in a raft with your family on the Triton’s Fury water slide. The Lost City of Atlantis, a six-story water fortress, entertains your children with its numerous geysers, dump buckets and slides.

Ready to travel? Find hotels in Madison and Wisconsin Dells and check out our Wisconsin travel guide.