We recently spent a weekend with grandparents and cousins at the Chicago area's largest hotel waterpark, Key Lime Cove, for an early celebration of my mom's 70th birthday. As we took a quick walk around the pools, my eight-year-old asked me if there was any place to swim.Key Lime Cove has a wave pool, a basketball pool, a lazy river, a little kids play area, a big kid's play area with slides, two really big kid body slides and two really big kid tube slides, and a Vortex ("toilet bowl") slide, but alas, no place to swim.Before we settled on the water park destination for this weekend jaunt, I  had suggested our extended family visit a local hotel with a plain old swimming pool instead. Under my plan, we'd buy all the water toys we could find and let the kids (five of them ages 7-11) swim, splash and play to their heart's content.But I was outvoted.Instead of splash balls, beach balls, and Marco Polo, we floated down the lazy river and waited in line for water slides (oh, and I think we spent what was left of their college tuition at the ginormous hotel arcade).It was a fun getaway, no doubt about it, but I think my simpler and more affordable idea was overlooked too quickly.I think ye olde swimmin' hole would have been a lot of fun for the kids, plus they would have played more together and, you know, actually had a chance to go swimming. But maybe I'm just a crusty crab. What do you think?What's your take on swimming pools versus water parks?I'm headed off for an exciting day trip later this week. I'll be back next Tuesday with details. For now, let's just say it will involve chocolate and ice cream. Squee!Kim also blogs at Hormone-colored Days.

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