Where's the world's largest indoor waterpark?
You might be forgiven for answering "Wisconsin Dells": a smallish town that caught indoor-waterpark fever some years ago, and now has a host of these year-round playgrounds. Every year, one or another adds a new extravaganzas so they can boast about "the biggest" and "the best": About's Guide for Theme Parks keeps tracks on who's got Wisconsin Dells' biggest water park.
Despite all that, however, the world's largest indoor water park is in Miyazaki, Japan: the Ocean Dome is a giant indoor beach, with retractable roof, and is part of the Seagaia resort complex.
Seagaia is on Japan's southern island, Kyushu, about 1500 km south of Tokyo and with a warmer climate. Seagaia is seaside near a forest, and stretches ten kilometers (6.2 miles) and covers 1,730 acres, with hotels, restaurants, and outdoor recreation spaces including golf, of course, and a wildlife park.
World's Largest Indoor Waterpark: Ocean Dome
Ocean Dome can hold 10,000 people, and its "Great Bank" artifical beach has waves, 450 feet of sandy beach, palm trees, even mechanized parrots. A perfect beach, always warm, and without sunburn; and by the way, there's also a real -- if deserted-- beach outside.
Every 15 minutes, the Mount Bali Hai volcano smokes, and once an hour it lets out flames. Then it's time for "surf's up": beach loungers can watch professional surfers ride big waves, or try a bit of boogie-boarding themselves.
Also on the agenda: waterslides circle Mount Bali Hai; guests can take a ghost-train ride in in the Lost World "rainforest", or a white-water raft ride down the Phoenix River. And there's afternoon Caribbean carnivals, and stage shows at night.
Check Ocean Dome for updates about entertainment and other activities. And if none of this wet fun appeals to you, Ocean Dome also has a motion-simulator Adventure Theater.
Almost the World's Largest Indoor Water Park...
...and currently the largest indoor water park in North America, is a second behemoth that's not quite so far away for most of us. Located in Alberta, Canada, the mega West Edmonton Mall-- in addition to hundreds of stores-- specializes in places to play, and holds the gigantic World Waterpark:
- five acres, tropical temperature
- world's largest indoor wave pool
- miles of tube slides and waterslides, all levels including Extreme
- several kid zones
West Edmonton Mall also has: Galaxyland Amusement Park, Deep Sea Adventure in a real submarine, minigolf, rock-climbing wall, haunted castle, and much more. Stay in the theme rooms at Fantasyland Hotel; several styles-- such as "Igloo"-- have bunk beds.
Alberta, by the way, is the Canadian province above Idaho and the western part of Montana. Capital city Edmonton is a reasonable driving distance from the Rockies' star tourist towns, Banff and Jasper.
*photo courtesy of West Edmonton Mall.
