Best Water Parks in Minnesota (2026)
Minnesota gets serious winters, and that one fact shapes everything about its water parks. When it is 10 below in January, a warm indoor water park stops being a luxury and becomes a sanity strategy. That is a big part of why the biggest name in the state now sits a few minutes from the Mall of America.
But Minnesota summers are short and glorious, and the outdoor parks make the most of them. You get everything from a combined waterslide-and-go-kart hill on the St. Croix River to well-run municipal parks in the Twin Cities suburbs that cost less than a movie ticket.
Below is every open Minnesota park in our database for 2026 with verified prices. Where a resort only sells access with a room or prices dynamically, I mark it Varies rather than guess. You can browse the full Minnesota water park directory for the complete list.
At a glance: Minnesota's headline parks
| Park | City | Type | Adult price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Mountain Waterslides | Taylors Falls | Outdoor | $43.00 |
| Great Wolf Lodge Minnesota | Bloomington | Resort | $30.00 |
| Bunker Beach | Coon Rapids | Outdoor | $20.50 |
| Paul Bunyan Water Park | Brainerd | Resort | $20.00 |
| Seven Clans Casino and Waterpark | Thief River Falls | Indoor | $20.00 |
| Cascade Bay | Eagan | Outdoor | $14.00 |
| Soak City | Shakopee | Outdoor | Varies |
| Edgewater Resort and Waterpark | Duluth | Resort | Varies |
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For a year-round indoor day, Great Wolf Lodge near the Mall of America is the anchor. For summer, Wild Mountain gives you slides plus go-karts on one ticket, and the Twin Cities municipal parks (Bunker Beach, Cascade Bay) are the value plays. Up north, Duluth and Brainerd have solid resort parks, and Seven Clans keeps far northwestern Minnesota covered indoors.
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How Minnesota water parks break down
Minnesota is a year-round question in a way warmer states are not.
The indoor parks carry the winter: Great Wolf Lodge near the Mall of America, Seven Clans in the northwest, and resort parks in Duluth, Brainerd, Baxter, Alexandria, and Maple Grove. The outdoor parks pack their whole season into roughly June through August: Wild Mountain on the St. Croix, the Twin Cities municipal parks, and Soak City inside Valleyfair. So your first question is always the calendar, and your second is which metro you are closest to.
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Great Wolf Lodge Minnesota was formerly Water Park of America, one of the tallest indoor water parks in the country when it opened. Great Wolf took it over and reopened it in December 2017 at the same Bloomington address.
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The Minnesota water parks worth planning around
Great Wolf Lodge Minnesota, Bloomington
Great Wolf Lodge Minnesota is the state's marquee indoor park, sitting in Bloomington near the Mall of America. It opened as Water Park of America and reopened under the Great Wolf brand in late 2017. The indoor park is kept around 84 degrees year-round and comes free with a resort stay.
Public day passes start at $30, priced dynamically by date, and they can sell out. It is one per-person price for ages 3 and up, under 2 free. Pairing a Great Wolf stay with a Mall of America day is one of the most reliable winter family trips in the Upper Midwest. Book at greatwolf.com/minnesota. If you are comparing it to the big Wisconsin Dells resorts, my Great Wolf Lodge versus Kalahari piece is a useful read.
Wild Mountain Waterslides, Taylors Falls
Wild Mountain up in Taylors Falls, on the St. Croix River, is my favorite Minnesota summer pick because it is more than a water park. It combines the water slides with an amusement side, so one ticket can cover go-karts and the alpine slide too.
The Superday full-park day pass (water park plus the go-karts and alpine slide) is $43, the water-rides-only day pass is $29, and a season pass runs $99. The 2026 season is June 6 through September 7 daily, plus select fall weekends. For a family that wants variety beyond slides, the combined ticket is a genuinely good deal. Details are at wildmountain.com/waterpark.
Bunker Beach, Coon Rapids
Bunker Beach is the Anoka County outdoor water park in Coon Rapids, and it is one of the strongest municipal water parks in the Twin Cities. General admission is $20.50 a day, seniors 62 and up are $16.25, and kids under 18 months are free. After 4pm, the twilight rate drops to $16.25 general.
There is no separate child rate, so everyone over 18 months pays general admission. The 2026 season runs June 6 through August 30, daily from 11:30am to 6:30pm. For a north-metro family, this is a lot of outdoor water park for the money.
Cascade Bay, Eagan
Cascade Bay is Eagan's municipal outdoor park, and it works a little differently than most: it sells timed sessions rather than open all-day admission. Guests over 42 inches are $14 a session, under 42 inches are $12, seniors 62 and up are $11, and under 12 months are free.
If you want the full day, the All-Day Access ticket (both sessions plus mini-golf) is $20. Daily ticket rates are the same for residents and non-residents. The 2026 season runs June 5 through August 30. It is one of the best value south-metro options for families with younger kids.
Soak City, Shakopee
Soak City is the water park inside Valleyfair in Shakopee, and for 2026 it has been renamed Superior Shores Waterpark under new operator Enchanted Parks. The important thing to know: it is included with Valleyfair general admission, with no separate water-park ticket.
Gate pricing is dynamic and unpublished, so it shows as Varies here, but the practical takeaway is that your Valleyfair admission already covers the water park. It is a seasonal outdoor park opening May 23, 2026. If you are a Valleyfair regular, the water park is a bonus you have already paid for.
Seven Clans Casino and Waterpark, Thief River Falls
Seven Clans Casino and Waterpark in Thief River Falls is the indoor option for far northwestern Minnesota, an area with almost nothing else close. It is $20 per person plus tax, a flat rate for ages 4 and up, with kids 3 and under free with an adult wristband and a discounted rate for Red Lake Tribal ID holders.
It is open to the public and to hotel guests without requiring registration, subject to daily capacity, and runs daily from 9am to 10pm. For families up in that corner of the state, it is a genuinely useful year-round option.
Paul Bunyan Water Park, Brainerd
Paul Bunyan Water Park at the Lodge at Brainerd Lakes is the indoor park for the Brainerd Lakes vacation area. It is $20 per person plus tax, a flat rate for all ages, and it is included with most room rates for hotel guests. Non-guests can get in based on occupancy.
One honest heads-up: the water park has been going through upgrades, so some features may be unavailable when you visit. Call ahead if a specific slide is the reason you are going.
Edgewater Resort and Waterpark, Duluth
Edgewater Resort and Waterpark is Duluth's indoor water park, a solid add-on to a Lake Superior trip. Day passes exist for non-guests, but the price is not published online (it is occupancy-based, so you call to reserve), which is why it shows as Varies.
Everyone needs a wristband, and wristbands are not included in every room rate, so confirm what your booking covers. For a North Shore weekend, having an indoor water park in town is a real asset when the Lake Superior weather turns.
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Two Minnesota parks catch people off guard. Soak City in Shakopee is included with Valleyfair admission, so you cannot buy a water-park-only ticket. Cascade Bay in Eagan sells timed sessions, not open all-day entry, unless you buy the All-Day Access pass. Check exactly what your ticket covers before you show up.
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More Minnesota water parks
These are the rest of the open parks in our database. All are resort or hotel-guest parks where access comes with a room, so the adult day price shows as Varies.
| Park | City | Type | Adult price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Splash at Arrowhead Resort | Alexandria | Resort | Varies |
| Rapid River Lodge and Waterpark | Baxter | Resort | Varies |
| The Venetian | Maple Grove | Indoor | Varies |
A note on these three. Big Splash at Arrowwood Resort in Alexandria and Rapid River Lodge in Baxter are indoor resort parks that lean toward overnight guests, with day-pass pricing not clearly published. The Venetian in Maple Grove is hotel-guest only, bundled into the room rate, with no public day passes at all.
How to choose your Minnesota water park
Quick framework:
- Winter trip? Indoors, which usually means Great Wolf near the Mall of America, or a resort park in Duluth, Brainerd, or the northwest at Seven Clans.
- Summer in the Twin Cities? Bunker Beach (north metro) or Cascade Bay (south metro) are the value plays, and Soak City comes free with a Valleyfair day.
- Want slides plus more than slides? Wild Mountain, where one ticket adds go-karts and the alpine slide.
- Up on the North Shore? Edgewater in Duluth is the indoor backup when the lake weather turns.
- Chasing the best lazy river or a cabana day? My guides to water parks with the best lazy rivers and water parks with cabanas go deeper.
:::tip{title="Play the season, not the sticker price"}
Minnesota's short outdoor season makes the math interesting. If you will only go once or twice, single-day tickets at Bunker Beach or Cascade Bay are cheap enough that a pass rarely pays off. But if the water park is a summer routine for the kids, the Wild Mountain season pass at $99 or a Valleyfair pass that includes Soak City can beat singles by the third visit. Count your realistic trips before you buy.
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Minnesota is a two-season water park state, and the smart move is to plan around the calendar. Great Wolf and the resort parks carry you through winter, the Twin Cities municipal parks and Wild Mountain deliver value all summer, and the north keeps its own options open year-round. Pick by season and metro, buy online, and confirm resort day-pass availability before you drive.
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Prices and details verified as of 2026 from park sources. Water parks change hours, rates, and ride lineups without much warning, so confirm directly with the park before you travel.
Brian Williams
Brian has been passionate about water parks since childhood and worked at one as a teenager. He founded Water Parks World to help families find the best water park experiences across America.
