BY KYLE BAGENSTOSE | PHOTOS COURTESY OF SAHARA SAM’S OASIS INDOOR WATER PARK

Now that winter has fully settled into the region, enjoying warm sand, clear water and waving palm trees sounds about just as realistic to area residents as it does to a person wandering and lost among a seeming endless expanse of dunes and cacti. Fortunately for us, one only needs to travel as far as West Berlin, N.J. for a little desert or winter relief.

It’s there that you’ll find Sahara Sam’s Oasis Indoor Water Park, the area’s only freestanding indoor water park. Featuring 58,000 square feet of attractions, ranging from water slides to hot tubs, all at a constant, balmy 84 degrees, Sahara Sam’s has something for everyone. “Our mission is really to be an all-encompassing, fun place for families to go and entertain people of all ages,” explains Becky Lang Staffieri, director of marketing for the park.

Entering through the property’s main entrance, visitors are greeted by a 3,000-square-foot arcade filled with the latest games. “It’s decorated as though you’re in Egypt with playful camels along the walls, desert scenes and palm trees – what you would expect an oasis would look like in your mind,” Lang Staffieri says.

“Our mission is really to be an all-encompassing, fun place for families to go and entertain people of all ages.” – Becky Lang Staffieri

And once through the arcade, the water park awaits. Sahara Sam’s largest attraction, Timbuktu, towers above the décor. “It features two large slides that twist around the entire structure,” Lang Staffieri explains. “There’s a spot where a big bucket fills with water and spills down on visitors. There’s other areas where you can shoot different water cannons on the structure.”

And while Sahara Sam’s offers the chance for kids to have some wet- and-wild winter fun, ultimately, Lang Staffieri says, it’s a place for families to bond. The park has a number of attractions, like the basketball pool and cargo obstacle course, for families to enjoy together. The Congo Bongo River offers a lazy river ride that can be enjoyed in single or double tubes. There’s also a small slide for toddlers and baby bungee swings, where parents can easily hold the park’s smallest visitors in the water.

But, notes Lang Staffieri, the real winner is the family raft ride. “We have an attraction called Mount Kilimanjaro, where up to four people can ride in a raft together,” she explains. “The closed slide starts from the top of the facility and travels outside and back in to come out into the bottom pool.”

For adults looking to take a break from the action, Sahara Sam’s offers an adults-only hot tub and even a full- service bar. “It’s open to the public in the afternoon and set up as if it were an oasis area in the desert,” Lang Staffieri says. And with the arcade and a surf simulator, Lang Staffieri promises that teenagers aren’t left out in the cold either: “Our FlowRider Surf Simulator is the only one in the area and allows people to go on with a boogie board or flowboard to show off their moves.”

Operating year-round, the park also features the outdoor Samazon Ropes Adventure, which will open again in the spring. “It’s the largest ropes attraction in the world with a 66-foot tower and 45 different skill obstacles,” Lang Staffieri says. And while swinging from ropes high in the air on a warm summer day certainly sounds enticing, an afternoon spent in an 84-degree oasis at Sahara Sam’s may be all that’s needed to cure the winter blues.

A regular admission to Sahara Sam’s is $31.95.Children two and under enter free. However, the park’s Web site offers promotional opportunities and discounts. Hours vary slightly. Consult their Web site for the most up-to-date information.

Go online at saharasams.com