Brainerd has 3 hotels with their own indoor water park: Holiday Inn Express Baxter, Lodge at Brainerd Lakes and Rapid River Lodge, in Baxter. All include water park passes with the room, none has a wave pool and all have a dedicated toddler area.
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Holiday Inn Express & Suites Brainerd-Baxter
Baxter, MN · 30,000 sq ft indoor
A Baxter hotel with the Three Bear Waterpark: about 30,000 sq ft with two 300-foot slides, a lazy river, a 1,000-gallon dumping bucket and small slides for little ones. The park runs daily in summer and on weekends and school breaks the rest of the year.
Passes includedLazy riverToddler area5 min See details -
The Lodge at Brainerd Lakes, Trademark Collection by Wyndham
Baxter, MN · 30,000 sq ft indoor
A 102-room lodge in Baxter, formerly Arrowwood Lodge, with the 30,000 sq ft Paul Bunyan Waterpark: a 45-foot slide tower with a tube slide and a body slide, a lazy river and a zero-depth play pool. Reservations include up to four wristbands.
Passes includedLazy riverToddler area2 slides5 min See details -
Rapid River Lodge & Water Park
Baxter, MN
A 68-room Baxter lodge with an indoor water park: a 250-foot tube slide, a 240-foot body slide, a lazy river with a waterfall and a kiddie pool with small slides and a tree fort. Most rooms include 4 passes, and the park opens Friday to Sunday.
Passes includedLazy riverToddler area2 slides5 min See details - Nearby
Thumper Pond Resort
Ottertail, MN · 12,000 sq ft indoor
A golf resort in Otter Tail lake country with a 12,000 sq ft indoor water park: two three-story slides, a zero-entry activity pool with basketball and volleyball, and an 18-person whirlpool. Slide hours vary, so call ahead if the slides matter.
2 slides1 hr 15 min See details - Nearby
Timberlake Lodge Hotel
Grand Rapids, MN
An 84-room lodge with the small Grand Splash Waterpark: a 98-foot body slide that loops outside the building before dropping into a splash pool, an 18-inch kiddie pool with a frog slide, and a jumbo hot tub by a waterfall.
Toddler area1 slides1 hr 15 min See details - Nearby
Wyndham Garden Otsego-Minneapolis & Wild Woods Waterpark
Otsego, MN · 30,000 sq ft indoor
A hotel off I-94 northwest of Minneapolis with the Wild Woods Waterpark: 30,000 sq ft, three four-story slides, a lazy river and a vortex pool. Rooms include 4 passes and family suites 6, and the park runs on a set monthly schedule, mostly weekends.
Passes includedLazy river3 slides1 hr 30 min See details
No hotels match all of those filters.
Compare the water parks
Facts from each hotel's own pages| Hotel | From Brainerd | Water park | Slides | Wave pool | Lazy river | Toddler area | Passes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holiday Inn Express BaxterBaxter | 5 min | 30,000 sq ft | — | No | Yes | Yes | Included |
| Lodge at Brainerd LakesBaxter | 5 min | 30,000 sq ft | 2 | No | Yes | Yes | Included |
| Rapid River LodgeBaxter | 5 min | — | 2 | No | Yes | Yes | Included, set by room |
| Thumper PondOttertail | 1 hr 15 min | 12,000 sq ft | 2 | No | — | — | — |
| Timberlake LodgeGrand Rapids | 1 hr 15 min | — | 1 | No | No | Yes | — |
| Wyndham Garden OtsegoOtsego | 1 hr 30 min | 30,000 sq ft | 3 | — | Yes | — | Included, set by room |
A blue tick means yes. "—" means the hotel doesn't publish it. Drive times are estimates from downtown without traffic.
Quick picks
Brainerd: what to know
All three Brainerd Lakes water park hotels are in Baxter, a few minutes apart along Highway 371.
If you're happy to drive, 3 more water park hotels are within about 1 hr 30 min, starting with Thumper Pond in Ottertail at about 1 hr 15 min.
Where they are
How to choose
Check the passes
Some hotels include water park access for every guest. Others cap passes by room type.
Measure the kids
Big slides often need riders to be 42" or 48" tall. Each hotel page lists the rules we found.
Toddlers need their own zone
A shallow splash area matters more than the size of the park.
Hours change by season
Weekday winter hours can be shorter than summer weekends.
Think about meals
Suites with a kitchen or kitchenette save money on longer stays.
Parents ask
Is there a hotel with a water park in Brainerd?
Yes. Holiday Inn Express Baxter, Lodge at Brainerd Lakes and Rapid River Lodge have their own indoor water parks. The next closest is Thumper Pond Resort in Ottertail, about 1 hr 15 min away.
What is the biggest indoor water park hotel in Brainerd?
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Brainerd-Baxter has the most indoor water park space here, at 30,000 sq ft. Next is Lodge at Brainerd Lakes at 30,000 sq ft.
Which water park hotels in Brainerd include water park passes with the room?
Holiday Inn Express Baxter, Lodge at Brainerd Lakes and Rapid River Lodge include water park access with a stay. At Rapid River Lodge the number of passes depends on the room.
Which water park hotels in Brainerd are best for toddlers?
Holiday Inn Express Baxter, Lodge at Brainerd Lakes and Rapid River Lodge have a dedicated toddler or little-kids area with shallow water and small slides.
Which water park hotels in Brainerd have a lazy river?
Holiday Inn Express Baxter, Lodge at Brainerd Lakes and Rapid River Lodge have a lazy river or action river.
Are indoor water parks open all year?
Indoor water parks are built for year-round use, which is why they are popular in Midwest winters. Hours change by season and day of the week, and parks can close for private events, so check the hotel's calendar before you go.
Can you use a hotel water park without staying overnight?
Some hotels sell day passes: Holiday Inn Express Baxter offers them. Most others on this page do not publish a day-pass option, and many limit their parks to overnight guests.
Related searches
Water park hotels in Brainerd. Facts come from each hotel's website, fact sheet or tourism listing, checked October 2026. How we collect our data.