The start of the new school year signals an abrupt end to summer and time to say goodbye to sandy beaches and rolling waves but there's still hope for those looking to keep their feet wet through the long fall and winter months: indoor water parks.
These resorts offer all the amenities of an outdoor park, but allow patrons to take the plunge despite the time of day or weather conditions.
Indoor water parks are becoming more popular with every passing year and they are not as far away as some may believe. Take a short trip across the Rainbow Bridge into Canada and you can find two great water parks right in Niagara Falls.
First up on the trip across the border is the Waves Indoor Water Park located at the Americana Conference Resort and Spa. The park contains a spa, arcade, activity pool, retractable roof and a variety of tubes and body slides that reach up to three stories tall.
The park remains open throughout the week and keeps a comfortable swimming temperature of 84 degrees all year long. Weekend adult passes can be purchased for the affordable price of $29.95 on Saturdays and $24.95 on Fridays and Sundays. Suites include passes for the water park and are available for around $199 per night.
In order to get the ideal experience when it comes to indoor water parks, travel further north and head on over to the Great Wolf Lodge. Keeping in stride with its neighbor, the lodge features a year-round water park along with resort style suites and gift shops.
But what puts this park ahead of the competition is its size. While Waves Indoor Water Park rings in at a considerable 25,000 square feet of aquatic adventure, while Great Wolf features a massive 103,000 square foot facility.
With 13 waterslides, four pools, and a four-story tree house water-fort, there is more than enough fun to bring out the kid in any college student.
The experience at the Great Wolf Lodge is quite different than Waves and a stay at the resort is the best way to go. Six-person rooms can be booked for $199 during the week and $299 on the weekends. Included in this price are water park passes, restaurants at the resort and the Elements spa and salon.
If a quick trip over the national border isn't far enough for a weekend away from school, then make the commute over state lines to Splash Lagoon Indoor Water Park Resort in Erie, Pa.
Splash Lagoon offers fun in the form of five slides, two extreme rides called the Cyclone and Hurricane Hole, a massive spa at Paradise Cove, 70,000 square feet of water fun and a bar and grill.
Day passes can be purchased for $34.95 and the ninety-mile trip to Pennsylvania certainly should include a stay at the resort.
Rooms at Splash Lagoon include water park passes. Reservations can be made for around the same price as at the Great Wolf, but there are always deals available to help cut the cost of a weekend getaway.
Summer may be quickly abandoning the Buffalo area, but the aquatic fun of these past few months doesn't need to hibernate. With three great choices to consider, a weekend trip to escape studying and put on swimming trunks is as easy as hopping in a car and booking a room.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
