Kalahari: All You Need To Know!

Addie Gross Play, Swimming

Here are all the best tips for visiting Kalahari Resort in Round Rock. We had a great time, with kids of all ages. Here are all the things I wish I had known before going. Hopefully this helps you if you’re planning a trip here! Kalahari: All You Need To Know!

Admission

You can book a room and stay at the resort, or just get day passes for the waterpark or Tom Foolerys. Locals might prefer this cheaper option.

Hours

The waterpark opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 8 p.m. Sun-Thurs and 9 p.m. Fri & Sat.

Location

501 Kenney Fort Blvd, Round Rock

The Resort

The rooms are perfect for a family of 5. Two queen size beds and a queen size pull out couch fit the five of us perfectly with plenty of space to spread out. If you have a larger family/group and you all want to stay in the same room, there are 2 and 3 bedroom suites available. We liked the option of getting separate rooms but staying on the same floor and close by the other people in our group.

The Waterpark

The waterpark is the biggest indoor waterpark in America! My older boys are 12 and 9 and loved doing the slides with their friends. There are slides for all ages and sizes, even toddler slides and baby slides in the toddler areas for anyone too small or too nervous to ride the big slides. The toddler/baby areas also have water swings and a tiny lazy river!

Besides all of the water slides, the rest of the indoor waterpark includes a giant wave pool, lazy river, and a giant water dump bucket. If you’re hungry and don’t want to leave the waterpark, there is a snack bar with food and pizza.

The outdoor waterpark isn’t as big, but looks like fun! We ran out of time to explore the outside section.

Dining

Kalahari has so many options for staying on property and dining. A few to consider are:

Cinco Niños for Mexican food and happy hour margaritas
B-Lux Grill & Bar for epic milkshakes
Sortino’s Italian Kitchen for Italian food and wine
Double Cut Steakhouse for meat & seafood

Tom Foolery’s Arcade & Amusement Park

There is a giant indoor amusement park/ arcade next to the waterpark that has rides, games, and more.

Escape room (book in advance!)
Bowling
Ropes Course (bring socks and closed-toe shoes for this!)
Rides (make sure you’re completely dry before trying to go on rides)
Little Kid/Toddler area
Arcade (cost extra, not included in wristbands)
Laser tag

For Adults

This would be an amazing destination for you to come with other adults! There’s a spa, an adults-only grotto for drinks, a piano bar, live music, shopping, and more. You’ll definitely want to come back and take advantage of these cool spots without kids!

Toddler & Baby Areas

There are two sections that are just perfect for babies and toddlers. Swings, slides, a lazy river, and more. This is where I spent most of our time, since we were there with our 3 year old. It was perfect for him and he never got bored. There is also a baby/toddler section over in the Tom Foolery’s amusement park.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_7895-1-1024x768.jpeg — Toddler waterpark

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 64392946289__678913A9-B4FB-4238-8508-2918905FFE5A-2-768x1024.jpeg — Toddler and baby swings

What I Wish I Had Known

Bring closed-toe shoes like sneakers if you want to do the ropes course! We didn’t consider this and none of the kids could do it.
The check-in line is always long. If you are coming with a group and want rooms close by each other, you will need to check in at the same time. Someone should take the kids on a tour or walk around with them while the other adults wait in line.
You can swim in the waterpark even if your room isn’t ready for check-in and you can stay and swim after you check out.
Bring your own towels, especially if you have sensitive skin. The towels they offer for you to borrow are rough, small, and scratchy and they frequently run out of them anyway. You need your own towels if you’re not staying overnight at the resort.
Dry off completely before trying to do the rides at Tom Foolerys. They won’t let you ride if they think you are still wet.
Someone might check your bags when you enter the waterpark and not let you bring in outside food. Sometimes they don’t check though since we saw lots of outside food that got in somehow. You can eat your own food outside of the water park (arcade area) if they won’t let you in with your own food.

What I Wish I Had Known

Ask a lifeguard for the time as there are no clocks inside the waterpark.
Book the escape room in advance, it fills up quickly!
There are many cheaper restaurant options just outside of the resort. For kid-friendly places, try Hat Creek or Salt Lick (both have playgrounds). There’s also a Torchy’s nearby!
Bring your own water-proof phone lanyard. They charge way too much for those in their gift shops.
You can bring your own floaties or use their lifejackets. They have baby sizes as well. You will have to put any kids under 48″ in a life vest, even if they can swim.
You can rent a cabana for easy nap time. Some even come with their own hot tubs! These are not cheap, but could be worth it if you split the cost with a big group. Then you won’t have to leave the resort or go up to your room to put babies down for naps.
You a stroller or wagon to lug all your stuff to your spot inside the water park.
It’s cold inside Zulu Grill, so if you go in to buy pizza and Icees, wear shoes and a towel! (and keep your Icee cup- the Icees are $8!) 14” pizza $20 and 20” is $30
There are hidden tables by kiddie areas if you can’t find one at first, check there.
Bring scissors to cut the excess off your wristbands.