Waterslides. Kids love them, adults love them. Zipping down a vibrantly colored tube of rushing water is a universally beloved human experience. Thousands of people a year make trips to elaborate outdoor water parks during the summer (where we hoard monsters like America's longest stand-up waterslide) and escape the chilly weather at indoor water parks across the country during the winter months. While many resorts in the U.S., like Great Wolf Lodge, offer a hotel and water park experience, you'll
rarely find a slide at a typical hotel pool. In Canada, however, they're abundant.
A fact that may surprise many Americans, it's not uncommon to find a lone waterslide or two in a Canadian hotel's pool. What usually consists of a small pool, hot tub, and a few chairs in low to medium-cost hotels is topped off with a slide. A Super 8 by Wyndham, Hampton Inn, Comfort Inn & Suites — chains that appear all over the U.S. — all have waterslides on the side of their pools in Canada. Rooms as low as $82 a night on the side of a highway offer more whimsy than almost any counterpart in the States. Affordable public pools with similar amenities can be found all around the country.
At some Canadian hotels, if there is no pool present, they'll provide guests with a pass to the town pool. At one such location in Revelstoke, a tourist passing through may receive access to a school or government-issued pool and find what could be mistaken for a small waterpark. Waterslides, a rock climbing wall, and mushroom fountains were all present. Not exactly what one expects to get when they check into a Red Roof Inn.
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Where Are All The American Waterslides?
Canada is home to so many waterslides, in part, because it encourages swimming through accessible public facilities. The country has more than 5,000 publicly owned pools (often with better-maintained facilities). Meanwhile, in the U.S., public pools are closing at a dramatic rate. The U.S. also primarily monetized the waterslide, as any parent whose child has begged to visit Typhoon Lagoon knows.
America is home to Orlando, Florida, the theme park capital of the world, which alone houses dozens of resorts and waterparks. There's no doubt the U.S. knows how to make a waterslide. So, where are all the American slides? For the most part, they're tucked away in waterparks, whether indoor or outdoor, which typically cost quite a bit of money per person and are only visited on special occasions. There are hotels with full-on waterparks that aren't trapped in Orlando, though, like Arizona Grand Resort & Spa, Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park Resort in Wisconsin, and the Branson Waterpark Hotel in Missouri.
Cruise ships are another spot where you'd see a slide before ever seeing one at a motel. A Royal Caribbean cruise ship is home to the most waterslides at sea, with an entire waterpark on board the ship. A real go big or go home kind of pool deck. Nowadays, cruise ships are competing for the largest and longest slides, making attractions more and more elaborate, with some hanging over the deck of the ship. Of all the bizarre rules on cruise ships, fun is certainly not forbidden. It just comes at a hefty price.
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