New England Travel

An indoor water park with two New England locations just ranked among the best in America

And families can save big during a one-day sale on May 1.

Visitors enjoy a water slide at Great Wolf Lodge in Fitchburg. Suzanne Kreiter

By Kristi Palma

1 minute to read

An indoor water park with two New England locations is making a big splash in the U.S.

USA Today named the top 10 indoor water parks in America on Wednesday, part of its 2026 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, and Great Wolf Lodge, which has locations in Fitchburg and Mashantucket, Conn., ranked No. 9.

“Whether it’s snowing, raining, or just too hot to play outside, indoor water parks offer an opportunity for a splashing good time no matter the weather or season,” wrote USA Today.

Here’s what USA Today wrote about Great Wolf Lodge, which has 22 U.S. locations:

Great Wolf Lodge Resorts is a pack of indoor water park getaways across the U.S. and Canada, where swimsuits are always in season. Each resort splashes out with tube rides, wave pools, water slides, hot tubs, surfing simulators, and at select locations, there’s outdoor water fun when the weather warms up.

The No. 1 indoor water park is Kalahari Resorts, which has locations in Pennsylvania, Texas, Ohio, Wisconsin, and a new one opening in Virginia in late 2026.

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For the 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards lists, USA Today travel experts select 20 nominees in topics from food to lodging, destinations to things to do. Then the publication asks readers to cast votes to determine the top 10.

Check out USA Today‘s list of 10 best indoor water parks.

Great Wolf Lodge has partnered with AJ McLean from the Backstreet Boys and Joey Fatone from NSYNC for its annual one day “It’s Gonna Be May” sale.

On May 1 only, families can save up to 51% off their next Great Wolf Lodge stay by using the code BEMAY when booking. The offer is valid for stays from May 1 to Aug. 13 at all U.S. resorts.

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Kristi Palma

Travel writer

 

Kristi Palma is the travel writer for Boston.com, focusing on the six New England states. She covers airlines, hotels, and things to do across Boston and New England. She is the author of the award-winning Scenic Six, a weekly travel newsletter.

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