The waterpark at Big Splash Adventure is made up of 40,000 square feet of indoor water fun. All rooms have a flat-screen TV with satellite channels, free WiFi, and in-room coffee- or tea-making capabilities. Several rooms are equipped with kid-friendly bunk beds and have names like Pirate’s Fortress, Pirate’s Hideaway, and Sun Splash Suite. Guests can choose from a variety of room combinations rooms and suites, which are all non-smoking and don't allow pets. You can make reservations for Big Splash Adventure online or through one of the usual hotel booking sites such as Travelocity.Big Splash Adventure Indoor Water Park Resort is located in Southern Indiana and features a large indoor water park with a retractable roof. You also can get acquainted with kangaroos, tropical birds, and an iguana.
New since I was there is the Grizzly Encounter: no touching but lots of learning about these big bears. There aren’t too many places in the United States that one can get up close and personal with giraffes and elephants - hand-feeding the former and bathing the latter.
Let’s see: there’s a zipline course, side-by-side ATV tours, and horseback riding - but that’s not what drew me there. I could spend a week just exploring all the facets of this unique attraction. My favorite of the “sisters” was, hands-down, Wilstem. Additional dining options can be found at Gasthof Amish Village. Shotz features indoor laser tag, a nine-hole indoor “cosmic” miniature golf course, and an 18-hole outdoor miniature golf course. In the unlikely event your family gets bored with the waterpark and arcade games, you can head out to one of the hotel’s “sister” properties. The third choice? Its a snack bar next to the Buccaneer Bay waterpark entrance. Those over 21 can head for Lee Wally’s lounge (yes, it’s a bar), while everyone else settles in at The Boatyard, with a full menu of family favorites including bacon-cheddar fries and that Hoosier classic, a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich. When mealtime rolls around, there are three options (one of which is adults only). Big Splash Adventure is a completely smoke-free, pet-free facility.įor the water averse, there’s a “Treasure Chest” arcade with twenty different games to try. All the rooms have flat-screen televisions a refrigerator, microwave, and coffee maker - plus that current essential for guests of all ages, WiFi. Bringing four kids? The “Pirate’s Hideaway” has four bunk beds plus the king-size. There’s a king-size bed, two bunk beds and a sofa that can turn into a bed. I was booked into a “Pirate’s Paradise”, which is perfect for families of four or five. (Attention grandparents: there’s a discount for those 60 and over.) Buccaneer Bay also features “talking” parrots, a mega waterfall, tunnels to barrel through, and stairways to climb.Īll of this is available to hotel guests, of course - but the waterpark is popular enough to attract day visitors. There’s a “lazy river” to float along, buoyed by giant sky blue inner tubes forts and swings, and a humongous waterslide to explore, and intermittent jets of water shooting up from the floor to surprise the unwary. (Yes: the parents were having as much fun as their children.) Getting wet was definitely the objective in this enormous glass pavilion. When I was there last August, the roof was closed, but kids of all ages were squealing with delight as they played in the water. It’s a child’s dream vacation: Big Splash Adventure, 8524 West State Road 56, French Lick, Indiana, has a 40,000 square foot indoor water park with a retractable roof.