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Other stories in "Travel with kids"

• Baraboo's gilt complex
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• The first American Girl
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• Madison for all ages
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• Lake Michigan with kids
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• In Caddie and Laura's back yard
  In western Wisconsin, a loop tour explores the homeland of two real-life heroines.
• Gooseberries on ice
  In winter, the beloved North Shore waterfalls turn into a big, frozen playground.
• Fast times in Nisswa
  Swift turtles mix with power shoppers in a Minnesota lake-country oasis.
• Chicago with kids
  For curious children, this inviting city overflows with treasures.
• 15 great places for kids in Minnesota
  There's a world of adventure waiting in the Land of Lakes.
• Making waves
  The ever-expanding indoor water parks in the Wisconsin Dells have so many rides and slides, it's hard to know which one to pick.
• Snow asylum
  In northeast Wisconsin, Afterglow Resort stays on top of the heap.
• Autumn on horseback
  For a treat, enjoy the fall scenery on a guided trail ride.
• A zeal for zip lines
  There's a boom in zooming over the tree tops.
• Escape to Eagle Bluff
  A center near Lanesboro welcomes families for weekends filled with nature and good food.
• Braking for jelly beans
  With the siren call of free samples, factories reel in visitors.
• Agate stampede
  Every year, Moose Lake introduces budding rockhounds to the thrill of the hunt.
• 15 great places for kids in Wisconsin
  From farm to city to beach, the state is one big playground.
• Packer country
  Like Oz, Green Bay glows green and gold.
• Critter races
  In Minnesota resort towns, creatures great and small run for the money.
• Living like a pioneer
  At day camps in forts, fur posts and frontier homesteads, kids go back in time.
• Farmers for a weekend
  At peaceful inns, guests relish the simple pleasures of country living.
• Renting a vacation house
  If you have pets, small children or teens to feed, try making someone else's home your castle.
• Traveling with a pet
  Got a dog? More and more places invite families to sit and stay.
• Grand sand
  Along Lake Michigan, the Sleeping Bear Dunes are a giant playground for all ages.
• Scenes from the fur trade
  At re-created forts, meet the adventurers who shaped the Upper Midwest.
• Fun with kids
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• Little pageants on the prairie
  A scrappy pioneer family is brought to life each year in two towns that played a prominent role in the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder.
• Whiskey and cherubs
  In downtown St. Paul, a cluster of family attractions make the city's origins a distant memory.
• The last Little House
  Laura Ingalls Wilder's home in rural Missouri was the final stop on a famously winding path.
• Laura land
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• A week at the lake
  Other destinations beckon, but few can beat the classic summer vacation.
• Playtime in Milwaukee
  For children, this easygoing city is just the right size.
• Going abroad in Bemidji
  At Concordia Language Villages' family weekends, parents get to join the fun.
• Break on the lake
  A week at a full-service, family-run resort is a Minnesota tradition.

Water, water, everywhere

The Dells were first, but now indoor water parks are popping up all over.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the Wisconsin Dells must be very, very flattered.

Indoor water parks are everywhere now and still opening. Now that many people don't have money for a spring-break trip to Florida or Mexico, they're likely to become even more popular.

Water-park hotels are busiest in spring, when people are tired of cold weather, and room rates reflect that. Look for specials on-line and travel midweek if you can; weekday rates stay low until late March, when school breaks start.

Some resorts are better than others; the quality of the water features and design of the park matter more than square footage. If you're wondering about a certain place, check on-line reviews.

The Wisconsin Dells still have the biggest and flashiest indoor parks. For a comparison of the big water-park hotels there, see Making waves.

But now, there's likely to be one closer to you. Below are some to consider. And if you live nearby or don't want to stay overnight, many sell day passes.

Wisconsin

In Wausau, the Grand Lodge by Stoney Creek has a 50,000-square-foot indoor water park.

On the shore of Lake Michigan in Sheboygan, Blue Harbor Resort has a 43,000-square-foot indoor water park.

The Tundra Lodge in Green Bay has a 30,000-square-foot indoor water park.

In Lake Geneva, the Timber Ridge Lodge and Waterpark at Grand Geneva includes Moose Mountain Falls, a 30,000-square-foot indoor park.

In Milwaukee, the Hilton Milwaukee City Center, a block from the beloved Milwaukee Public Museum, has a nice 20,000-square-foot water park called Paradise Landing.

In the western Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha, the Country Springs Hotel includes a 45,000-square-foot water park.

Minnesota

In Alexandria, two hours west of the Twin Cities, Arrowwood Resort has a nicely designed 38,000-square-foot water park.

There are three indoor water parks in Brainerd/Baxter. The Lodge at Brainerd Lakes includes the 30,000-square-foot Paul Bunyan Water Park, the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites includes the Three Bear Waterpark and Rapid River Lodge, a Comfort Suites hotel, has a large park. All three sell day passes.

The Edgewater Resort & Waterpark in Duluth, on the shores of Lake Superior, has a 35,000-square-foot Polynesian-theme park.

The Water Park of America next to the Radisson Hotel Bloomington (and the Mall of America) in the southern Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington has a 70,000-square-foot park. It sells day passes.

At The Depot near the downtown Minneapolis riverfront, Marriott has a 15,000-square-foot water park between its Depot Minneapolis and Residence Inn hotels. It sells day passes.

In Owatonna, less than an hour south of the Twin Cities, the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites has a 14,000-square-foot water park called Great Serengeti.

It sells day passes. Cabela's and the Medford Outlet Mall are nearby.

Just south of Thief River Falls in northwest Minnesota, Seven Clans Casino has a pleasant 40,000-square-foot water park.

In the northern Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park, the Ramada Grand Rios Indoor Water Park Hotel has a 45,000-square-foot park. It sells day passes.

Iowa

On the shore of the Mississippi in Dubuque, the Grand Harbor Resort and Waterpark is attractive and well-run, with a 25,000-square-foot indoor water park and fun activities for kids. It sells day passes.

The Clarion Inn of the Amana Colonies includes the Wasserbahn Waterpark Resort. It sells day passes and is near a Tanger Outlet Mall.

Illinois

In the northern Chicago suburb of Gurnee, KeyLime Cove Indoor Waterpark Resort includes the 65,000-square-foot Lost Paradise Waterpark.

in Rockford, near the Wisconsin border, there's a 65,000-square-foot Co-Co Key Water Resort at the Clock Tower Resort.

Western Michigan

At Boyne Mountain ski resort in Boyne Falls, near Charlevoix, the 88,000-square foot Avalanche Bay is Michigan's largest.

Great Wolf Lodge has a water-park resort in Traverse City.

In Rothbury, near Muskegon, the Double JJ Resort has a 60,000-square-foot indoor water park.

Last updated on January 1, 2012