Indoor water parks: Why wait for summer?

It can get pretty cold in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Vermont, even in March. That doesn't mean, however, that folks in those states and elsewhere aren't barreling down water slides, cruising around lazy rivers, or getting huge buckets of water dumped on them. They just move the fun inside at indoor water parks.

On average, indoor parks may be considerably smaller than their outdoor counterparts. However, surprisingly wild and flashy slides and other attractions await daredevils at many climate-controlled parks. Pack your Speedo this spring and check out eight of the wildest and flashiest indoor water park rides.

Claim Jumper Challenge – Wilderness Resort, Wisconsin Dells, Wis. 

The indoor water park phenomenon started in Wisconsin Dells, which boasts some of the country's biggest and best resorts. One of the largest, the Wilderness, recently introduced Claim Jumper Challenge. The two interactive Slideboarding rides combine the skills of a video game with the fun of a water slide. Passengers on tricked out rafts soar down the enclosed slides and press onboard buttons that correspond to the colors projected in the tubes. By correctly matching the colors, they score points. Players can compare their scores on a screen in the park and keep track of their points using phone apps.

Venus Slydetrap –​ Aquatopia at Camelback Resort, Tannersville, Pa. 

At this resort in the Poconos, you can ski down a mountain and careen down a water slide on the same day. One of the craziest attractions, the Venus Slydetrap, combines multiple experiences. Up to six passengers pile into a circular raft, rush down an enclosed, winding tube, travel up and down the walls of a mini funnel, and navigate a half-pipe element before being deposited into a splash pool.

La Chute – Pump House at Jay Peak, Jay, Vt. 

Another water park at a ski resort, the Pump House has one of the wackiest and nerve-wracking indoor slides. Riders in La Chute enter a launch capsule 65 feet in the air and anxiously wait as the count down commences for its trap door floor to open. They then accelerate to 45 mph and circumnavigate the park in a translucent tube that sends them through a harrowing 360-degree rotation. It's not quite upside down, but it's disarmingly close to a vertical loop.

Rendezvous Run – Castaway Bay at Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio

During the warmer months, thrill junkies flock to Cedar Point for its incredible collection of roller coasters. It's only fitting then that the Point's indoor water park, Castaway Bay, features Rendezvous Run, a Master Blaster uphill water coaster. Riders in two-passenger rafts need to hang on tight as blasts of water send them racing through a winding course.

Howlin' Tornado – Great Wolf Lodge, Grapevine, Texas

The largest chain of indoor water park resorts, Great Wolf Lodge has locations across the country. Its Texas park boasts Howlin' Tornado, a funnel ride. Riders climb into cloverleaf rafts, race down a drop, and enter a humungous funnel placed on its side. The rafts climb up and down the sides of the funnel a number of times and deliver stomach butterflies to passengers. To save space, the huge funnel is located outside the park. Because the ride starts and ends inside the building, and the funnel is enclosed, passengers remain toasty warm even in the dead of winter.

Boogie Bear Surf – Six Flags Great Escape Lodge, Queensbury, N.Y.

Many indoor (and outdoor) water parks have FlowRider surfing attractions similar to Boogie Bear Surf. They feature a continuous sheet of water that simulates a cresting wave. Prone or kneeling riders on boogie boards can surf the wave. Getting the hang of it can be frustrating, however, and many novice riders quickly wipe out. What makes the Great Escape Lodge unique is that it offers small-group lessons to help guests get up to speed. The park also allows stand-up surfing and provides lessons for that as well.

Zip Coaster – Kalahari Resort Lodge, Sandusky, Ohio

A number of indoor water parks have Master Blaster-style water coasters such as Rendezvous Run at Castaway Bay. Rather than jets of water, the water coaster at Kalahari uses a more unique conveyor belt system to propel its rafts. Like a grocery store checkout gone bonkers, the belts rev up whenever a raft approaches them, and sends passenger hurtling uphill. Before they can say "Cleanup on aisle eight," riders find themselves experiencing doses of weightless airtime as they cruise around the park's rafters.