A Summer Staycation at KeyLime Cove Indoor Waterpark Resort (Gurnee, IL)

Disclosure:  I received a complimentary nights stay in exchange for sharing my honest opinion.

My family has been staying at Key Lime Cove Resort ever since my kids were little and it is somewhere we have yet to grow tired of. From the convenient restaurants inside to the salon to the 65,000 sq. foot waterpark and arcade, there is so much packed inside that yellow building. My favorite feature is you do have to be a guest to use the waterpark so its not overly crowded with outsiders. The resort is an exclusive for guests affordable family-friendly staycation and my family got the chance to visit there last month. It was actually a surprise for my middle child as it was his 7th birthday. What better place to celebrate a birthday than Key Lime Cove Resort!

And grandma and grandpa!

Last year we brought my in-laws with and this year they of course they wanted to come along. We could have gotten two regular rooms but Key Lime Cove has amazing suites that was big enough for the seven of us (it actually could sleep up to eight). The suite featured two bedrooms and two bathrooms plus a common sitting area with a balcony. We chose to stay over on a Friday to Saturday and while I was worried it would be overly crowded, it wasn’t.  Don’t get me wrong they were busy, but the resort is big enough that everyone is pretty spread out.

We arrived early on Friday before check-in and while our room wasn’t ready, we were able to enjoy the waterpark right away. I had packed our swim stuff in the front of our suitcase so I grabbed that pile and we changed in the locker rooms by the water park. By the time we were ready for a break, our room was ready and we were able to settle in nicely.

The main area is kind of like a boardwalk.

Since we had already checked-in, I just had to stop at the desk and pick up our key once they texted me that our room was ready. No room keys were given out, instead a bracelet for each person in our party that was our room key and credit card all in one. This is great because you don’t have to carry a wallet in the waterpark with your money and room key.

You could also take a shuttle around the are if you wanted to head to Six Flags Great America.

We finished up Friday by enjoying a nice dinner at one of the two main Key Lime Cove restaurants. It was probably one of our better dining experiences as a family. Why? Well my middle child has egg and nut allergies which means going out to dinner is not always fun. Our waitress was seriously amazing when I asked her about the allergies. She brought me out the book of all the ingredients for each menu item and even double checked with the kitchen so they didn’t cross contaminate Gavin’s meal. I don’t think I have ever had a nicer and more thorough waitress!

After dinner my kids were not quite ready for bed yet so we spent some time in the arcade and enjoyed ice cream in their awesome ice cream parlor. The arcade has a tons of games that you play with using a refillable card. We got a great deal on a card at the games counter, which I highly recommend rather than buying from the automatic machine. My boys quickly learned how to earn the most tickets and they racked up a lot of tickets on our card.

The ice cream parlor is my favorite spot in Key Lime Cove. The ice cream parlor has so many delicious flavors, mine being Superman, and it is super affordable! It is definitely a must visit while your there or even if you are in the area!

Saturday morning we woke up and hit up the waterpark for a few hours and while I thought my kids might have been sick of the waterpark they weren’t at all. I had to pry them out of there at lunchtime to leave!

I want to mention too Leapin’ Lizards which is a kids activity center that has tons of free kids activities. They offer crafts and games throughout the day or you can just pop in and play a board game or video game. Last year during our stay we spent over an hour in there just playing and unwinding from the day, but this year we kept missing the activities and my kids were too focused on the waterpark and arcade.

Overall, Key Lime Cove Resort is my family’s go-to spot for a staycation. Its affordable, close enough to drive to for just one night (although we have stayed for a whole weekend before and it was a great mini-vacation), and has something for everyone in the family. This year I am hoping to make it a few more times, especially now that my kids are getting more self-sufficient in the water and I can relax a little bit more!

VISIT: Check out the KeyLime Cove website for upcoming events and coupons/specials!