It may look like a hotel from the front (and in fact, half of it is), but the curling thicket of tubes from the northeast tower are the give-away. This well-equipped water park – branded the Water Park of America – is the tallest indoor water theme park in the US. Here, you can shoot down a water-filled tube, ride a surfboard atop raging white water or chill out in a hot tub.
The Water Park of America was built (together with the adjoining Radisson hotel) in 2006, not far from the Mall of America. By having hotel, leisure and shopping facilities together within such a close distance, the aim is to provide the ultimate getaway package for retail holidaying. And on the leisure side of that package, the Water Park certainly has an impressive list of aquatic thrills.
The tallest water slide, the Eagles Nest, is also a family-friendly raft ride. As long as your kids are wearing one of the Park's free life savers, they can experience the rush of descending down the tube from the 10th floor of the building. There are also three other tube slides and two body slides. These may not be as high as the raft ride, but they are tighter, faster and better-suited to adrenaline junkies.
The main pool is home to a large wave pool, which deepens to more than 1.5 metres. It's invariably packed with wave-riders once the wave machine kicks off. If you'd rather have a go at surfing the waves, then the Flow Rider, with its shooting sluice of water running at 56 kph, may be for you. You can ride the boogie boards in a supreme test of balance that's not that different to a real surfing experience.
Around the main pool is the Lazy River, a slow-flowing stream that’s made for gentle tubing. It passes under bridges, past thundering waterfalls and through neon-lit “caves”. For those with younger kids, the Fort Snelling Activity Pool is the place to go. This play fortress is filled with climbing equipment, trick waterfalls and only inches of water. And if you need to wind down after all that frenetic activity, try the Water Park's hot tubs, which are designed to resemble bubbling hot-water cave springs.
