Best known for being the home of two of the Midwest’s best theme and water parks, Lake County, Illinois, is the place for unforgettable summer family fun. You’ll slip down colorful water slides, whiz around a spiral lift roller coaster, roar down raging rapids, soar Batman style into the sky on an inverted, outside-looping roller coaster and more.
With its 13 radical roller coasters, a 15-acre water park, shows, parades, family rides and more, Six Flags Great America and Hurricane Harbor stands as greater Chicagoland’s premier theme park. Located just 45 minutes from the city, the park offers fun activities for all ages. Wiggles World and Camp Cartoon are perfect for the 6 and under set, while the teens in your family will test their bravery on the heart-pounding roller coasters, including what was once the fastest racing wooden coaster in the world, the American Eagle.
The Key West-inspired KeyLime Cove Indoor Waterpark Resort is a complete family vacation destination. The 65,000-square-foot Lost Paradise water park features a wave pool, heated to an always-comfortable 80 degrees, a meandering lazy river, swift water tube slides, a huge slide-and-play park area, and a kiddie-pool for tots. Parents will appreciate the fluffy-towel service, attentive and numerous lifeguards and a hot tub hidden in a quieter corner. The water park is open exclusively to KeyLime Cove overnight guests, which means super short lines for the slides and easy-to-find chaise lounges for relaxing. The central “mall” area of the resort recreates Key West’s Duval Street, complete with palm trees, quaint shops and eateries — and even a man walking an iguana on a leash.