Living in a warm climate for so long, the concept of an indoor waterpark had previously not been a part of my world. To my way of thinking, you lathered on the sunscreen, climbed dozens of flights of stairs and toughed it out in the sweltering heat. But these Northern folks have the right idea — Indoor Waterparks! Wow, what a concept — although certainly not new, it was my first experience and what a delightful one it was.

I don’t know how Splash Lagoon, in Erie, PA compares to other smilar parks, but as far as I was concerned, this is where I want to do all my romping and sliding. The entire place was so well heated, water as well as ambient room temperature, that I was quite comfortable no matter where I ventured. Our oldest daughter was tall enough to ride whatever she wanted and I could lounge in the jacuzzi and watch her climb stairs and arrive at the bottom with a great vantage point. And our youngest delighted in the kiddie area that had all the “big kid stuff” in pint sized versions — just enough to make her feel in total control while dad looked on from the sidelines.

The decor was gorgeous, tropical meets whimsical and everywhere you turned there was a gadget to spray or a fountain to conquer for the little ones. I also loved the strong presence of lifeguards at every station and they rotated every 15 minutes (I believe so as not to become complacent with their observations).

Our hotel was connected to the waterpark itself, so a short walk from the elevator had us right in the middle of things, despite the fact that it was snowing outside. Once inside, you forgot that you weren’t at the beach! And on top of everything else, the food was fantastic! Not just the traditional fare, but gourmet burgers, a supreme pan pizza that rivaled the larger chains and these cute little slushies served in coconuts carved into a monkey. (Were those supposed to be just for the kids?)

All in all we had a fabulous day and the next time we are yearning to get a little bit of sunshine when there’s a foot of snow on the ground, I know that we can take a two hour drive and be “splash dab” in the middle of it all! You can check out Splash Lagoon here: http://www.splashlagoon.com/

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