Phone and Location:
952-698-8888
Down the street from the Mall of America in Bloomington (near Minneapolis), Minnesota
Water Park of America Admission Policy and Radisson Hotel Bloomington Rates:
Open to registered guests of the Radisson Hotel Bloomington (guaranteed admission at a reduced rate). Daily tickets are also available at the door and online for the general public, but subject to availability.
Compare rates for Radisson Hotel Bloomington at About.com's booking partner, Kayak.
Indoor Water Park Square Footage:
70,000
Water Park of America Directions:
I494W to 24th Ave. exit, left towards Mall of America. Right on American Blvd.
I494E to Bloomington Ave. exit. Head south. Left on American Blvd.
Complimentary shuttles available from (and to) the Mall of America and Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport.
Indoor Water Park Features:
Surfing simulator ride, family raft ride, tube and body water slides, interacitve water play structure, children's pool, sports activity pools, hot tub spas, and lazy river.
Radisson Hotel Bloomington Resort Info:
The comfortable and stylish hotel offers over 400 guest rooms. Configurations range from standard rooms with a single bed and a sofa bed up to a family suite with a separate bedroom, a living room with bunk beds, and two bathrooms. All rooms include refrigerators, microwaves, and complimentary wireless Internet service.
Amenities include the reasonably priced Trillium Spa; three restaurants including the Split Rock Grille, which serves tasty food, delivers big portions, and offers great value; a well-appointed fitness room; and the Northern Lights arcade, which offers redemption and other video games.
More Water Park of America Info:
Official Web Site:
Water Park of America Overview:
The Water Park of America is one of the country's biggest indoor water park hotel resorts. Located around the corner from the humongous Mall of America, its name both plays off of its famous neighbor's name and its neighbor's size.
The centerpiece of the 70,000-sq.-ft. indoor water park is its audacious 10-story tall water slide complex, the tallest of any indoor water park (and one of the tallest of any water park, outdoor or indoor). Enclosed, climate-controlled, translucent tubes send riders zooming outside down 100 feet for a dizzying family raft ride. There are also body and tube slides that zip out and around the huge tower.
The park also offers an unusually long lazy river that detours into a wave pool, and a FlowRider surfing simulator that gives riders an opportunity to body surf using a boogie board. Other attractions include the usual water park suspects: an activity pool with water basketball and floats; an interactive play center with a tipping bucket, and two soothing whirlpool spas (which are relatively small and can quickly become crowded on busy days).
The woodsy themeing is reminiscent of the Great Wolf Lodge chain of indoor water parks, but not quite as elaborate. The park is a bit skimpy on lounge chairs. There is an underused loft area in one corner of the park that offers dining tables and could serve as a place for guests to park their belongings when there's no room on the main floor of the park.
The attached Radisson Hotel Bloomington resort is quite lovely. The Grand Suites are especially spacious with wide hallways, a large living room, a separate bedroom, a bunk bed alcove, and a bathroom with a whirlpool tub, separate stall shower, and two facing vanities. As with all rooms, the suites come with mini fridges, microwaves, sinks, and dining areas. Thrifty guests could cart in their own food and save on restaurant fees.
In the minor quibbles department, the hotel is near the airport and a highway and was a bit noisy during our stay. Inexplicably, the stall shower had no soap dish. And, like many hotels these days, the pillows were tiny and (in my estimation, anyway) somewhat uncomfortable.
As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary accommodations for the purpose of reviewing those services. While it has not influenced this review, believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.
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