These 10 Florida water park resorts that offer fun, sun, rides and slides

Tarah Chieffi
·5 min read

There are thousands of hotels where you can rest after a long day exploring Florida’s world-class theme parks or relaxing on its sandy beaches, but as the weather warms up, what you really need is a place where you can unwind and cool off.

Florida’s fun-filled water park resorts offer comfortable accommodations and options for swimming, sliding and sunning. Here are 10 resorts sure to make a splash with everyone in your travel party.

Margaritaville Resort Orlando

Kissimmee

Margaritaville Resort Orlando offers a taste of island life in Central Florida. Rooms and cottages are done up with coastal decor, and welcome cocktails are handed out upon arrival. Next to the resort is Island H2O Live!, the world’s first social media-themed water park.

The slides have names such as “Live Streaming” and “Profile Plunge,” and an included wristband syncs with your phone, so you can snap photos, check wait times and personalize your experience. Water park admission requires an extra fee, but hotel guests receive a discount.

Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center

Kissimmee

The Crystal River Rapids at Gaylord Palms Resort is part of a $158 million expansion that includes additional guest rooms and meeting space.
The Crystal River Rapids at Gaylord Palms Resort is part of a $158 million expansion that includes additional guest rooms and meeting space.

The decor, dining and activities at Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center pay homage to all the wonder and charm Florida has to offer. Each of the three gorgeous glass atriums is themed to a different area of the Sunshine State, and the Cypress Springs Water Park is named for the natural beauty of Florida’s Everglades. At Cypress Springs, you’ll find pools, water slides, a surf simulator, a water playground for kids and the newly opened Crystal River Rapids ride.

CoCo Key Hotel & Water Park

Orlando

CoCo Key offers 54,000 square feet of water park fun, much of it under an oversized shade canopy.
CoCo Key offers 54,000 square feet of water park fun, much of it under an oversized shade canopy.

With 391 renovated rooms, CoCo Key Hotel & Water Park is smaller and easier to navigate than some of Orlando’s larger resorts. Hotel features include an arcade, multiple onsite dining options and a fitness center.

Hotel guests receive four water park passes with each room reservation, which gets them access to 14 water slides, four heated pools and a tropical splash area for little ones. The oversized shade canopy covering a portion of the park provides a welcome break from the hot Florida sun.

Encore Resort at Reunion

Kissimmee

Encore Resort at Reunion’s private residences offer the comforts of home with the amenities of a luxury resort, including a 10-acre water park.
Encore Resort at Reunion’s private residences offer the comforts of home with the amenities of a luxury resort, including a 10-acre water park.

If you’ve always wanted a vacation home in Florida, but it’s not quite in your budget, Encore Resort at Reunion has just what you need. Each private residence has pools, full kitchens, food delivery and up to 7,000 square feet of living space.

The 10-acre water park has speedy slides for thrill-seeking guests, a Surfing Safari area for children and a pool and private cabanas where the whole family can hang out together.

Marriott’s Harbour Lake

Orlando

With onsite mini golf, sports courts, dining and waterpark, there’s enough to do at Marriott’s Harbour Lake that you really never have to leave.
With onsite mini golf, sports courts, dining and waterpark, there’s enough to do at Marriott’s Harbour Lake that you really never have to leave.

A Marriott Vacation Club property, Marriott’s Harbour Lake has standard guest rooms and one or two-bedroom villas that sleep up to eight guests. The Key West style of the lobby and guest rooms extends to the resort’s Florida Falls pool complex.

Billed as a “water playground,” the park features a winding waterslide, swimming pool, whirlpool, splash pad and a Shipwreck Landing pool for kids outfitted with a playful pirate ship.

Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld

Orlando

Guests at the Renaissance Orlando can enjoy the onsite water park or the attractions at nearby SeaWorld, Aquatica and Discovery Cove.
Guests at the Renaissance Orlando can enjoy the onsite water park or the attractions at nearby SeaWorld, Aquatica and Discovery Cove.

Accommodations at the upscale Renaissance Orlando are plush, roomy and offer views of the sparkling outdoor pool, open-air atrium or the nearby coasters at SeaWorld. Catch some R&R in the poolside cabana beds, go for a swim in the large pool or let loose at the R Aqua Zone water park. The park has slides and activities for kids of all ages, as well as lounge chairs and tropical cocktails for parents.

Tradewinds Islands Resorts

St. Pete Beach,

The massive inflatable water slide at Tradewinds St. Pete Beach draws onlookers from up and down St. Pete Beach.
The massive inflatable water slide at Tradewinds St. Pete Beach draws onlookers from up and down St. Pete Beach.

At Tradewinds Islands Resorts, you don’t have to choose between the beach and a water park. Tradewinds has a ride-on mechanical shark, inflatable surf simulator and three-story-tall water slide, all on the white-sand shores of St. Pete Beach.

For an additional fee, you can try your hand at paddleboarding and jet skiing or relax on a floating cabana. Choose from a variety of rooms and suites, including whirlpool tub rooms for couples and spacious suites for families and larger groups.

The Grove Resort & Water Park

Winter Park

In addition to slides, pools and splash zones, the Grove Resort & Water Park’s FlowRider Double surf simulator allows multiple riders to surf at once.
In addition to slides, pools and splash zones, the Grove Resort & Water Park’s FlowRider Double surf simulator allows multiple riders to surf at once.

The Grove Resort & Water Park is a short drive away from Disney, but the serene lakeside location makes it feel a world away. Room sizes range from standard hotel rooms to three-bedroom, fully equipped suites.

Dining options run the gamut from upscale to poolside snacks and entry to the onsite Surfari Water Park is free with your stay. You can laze the day away on the lazy river, slip and slide on the two water slides or enjoy family-friendly fun in the kids activity pool.

Four Seasons Resort Orlando

Golden Oak

The Explorer Island water park at Four Seasons Resort Orlando is set among tropical foliage and cascading waterfalls for the ultimate in relaxation.
The Explorer Island water park at Four Seasons Resort Orlando is set among tropical foliage and cascading waterfalls for the ultimate in relaxation.

With its lakeside gardens, lush greenery and Spanish Revival style, Four Seasons Resort Orlando is a luxury escape right in the middle of Walt Disney World. Rooms and suites are elegant yet cozy, some with theme park views.

Indulge at the world-class salon and spa, tee off at the onsite golf course or dip your toes into the water at Explorer Island, the resort's 5-acre water park. There’s something for everybody, including an adult-only pool, lazy river, two water slides a splash zone for kids and more.

Disney’s Vero Beach Resort

Vero Beach

On Florida’s Treasure Coast, Disney’s Vero Beach Resort reminds visitors of an old-fashioned Northeastern coastal retreat.
On Florida’s Treasure Coast, Disney’s Vero Beach Resort reminds visitors of an old-fashioned Northeastern coastal retreat.

Disney’s Vero Beach Resort is a peaceful retreat a two-hour drive from Disney World. The resort has all the comforts of home. Studio rooms have a kitchenette and private porch or balcony and villas have a full kitchen, living room and stacked washer/dryer.

In addition to outdoor activities such as tennis, fishing and water sports, guests can cool off at the onsite pool and water play area. Take a swim in the Mickey-shaped pool, zoom down the Pirate's Plunge water slide or channel your inner swashbuckler at the pirate-themed Tiger Lily Wet Play Area.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida's best water parks: Margaritaville, Tradewinds, The Grove

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