You Call It Wisconsin Dells. We Call It Fun.

Indoor and Outdoor Waterparks
Starting outdoors, Noah’s Ark Waterpark, America’s largest waterpark, turns the big 3-0 this year and marks the occasion with a special park exhibit that chronicles three decades of Noah’s Ark history and features waterpark memorabilia. They’ll also be unveiling a new “Tadpole Bay” kiddie play area, complete with just-the-right-size waterslides and a dump bucket with splash zone. Riverview Park & Waterworld is celebrating 35 years of outdoor waterpark fun with new attractions for the younger set too.

Inside, the Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort has spiffed up its Klondike Kavern with a brand new play structure. Kalahari Waterpark Resort Convention Center, with its growing collection of authentic African art, has added 10 five-bedroom luxury condominiums, complete with home theater system and billiard room. Each sleeps up to 22 people, with guests having full access to all the resort’s amenities, including the on-site spa, restaurants, shops and, of course, the massive indoor and outdoor waterparks. Complementing the condo expansion will be a new outdoor activity area with tiki bar and outdoor movie theater. Over at the Chula Vista Resort, perched on the banks of the Wisconsin River, their news comes in two parts: First, they’ve added 69 fairway villas overlooking the golf course, each sleeping up to 10 in elegant surroundings complete with fireplaces, full kitchens and pleasing views. Second, they’re expanding their outdoor waterpark with the addition of the Vortex Extreme Waterslide. It’s a single-person enclosed flume ride meant to simulate the feeling of riding the inside of a tornado. This ride debuts Memorial Day Weekend.

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Attractions Far and Wide
There’s big news from the Tommy Bartlett Exploratory. This place has long explored the fun side of science, displaying an affinity for space exploration dating back to 1997 when the owners were successful in their bid to procure the original Russian Space Station MIR Core Module. Now visitors have a new exhibit to look forward to -- a full-size replica of a Mercury Space Capsule, representing the United State’s first manned spaceship of nearly 50 years ago and memorialized in both the book and the movie “The Right Stuff.” The replica capsule was built for the Kennedy Space Center, but when plans to display it there changed, the Tommy Bartlett Exploratory gladly arranged to display the space craft in their Exploratory. The Tommy Bartlett Exploratory is open year-round, with more than 150 hands-on activities that delve into science, virtual reality and brain teasers.

Staying with the same namesake, the Tommy Bartlett Show celebrates 55 years of high-speed waterskiing stunts and daring circus-style acts, even bringing back popular performers from years past just for this summer. The show, one of the last of its kind in the country, runs daily, rain or shine, Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.

The Rick Wilcox Magic Theater, another Wisconsin Dells staple, has some new and baffling tricks up its sleeve. Master illusionist Rick Wilcox will be re-creating Houdini’s famous jail escape, and he and his wife Suzan will perform a double levitation. As if that’s not enough, Wilcox has also perfected the act of making a $400,000 Lamborghini appear out of thin air.

There’ll be a new magical feel at Wizard Quest, a life-size labyrinth that serves as the set for a wizard scavenger hunt, when the attraction debuts a new game starting Memorial Day weekend. Live actors, Lord of the Rings meets Harry Potter-style props, and computer elements should be a hit with tweens and teens.

The Haunted Mansion has added a Vortex Tunnel that promises to take those brave enough to try it “out of this world.” Appropriately dark and dreary, visitors can make their way through 10 different dungeons while there, each with its share of scary creatures.

Just outside of town is the renowned International Crane Foundation, a prairie sanctuary and the only place in the world to see all 15 species of cranes. Mid-June marks the opening of their new African crane art exhibit.

Wrapping up the attractions group is a place called The House on the Rock, located a short drive from Wisconsin Dells. This architectural marvel and home-turned-museum is full of eccentric and colossal collections. This summer, the proprietors debut a new Japanese garden with waterfalls cascading into a koi pond. Behind the waterfalls, there will be a dry Zen garden.

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Shop Around
For a shopping break after all those attractions, visitors can head over to the Tanger Outlet Center, where new stores include a Coach factory outlet, perfect for those who can’t live without the company’s trademark leather goods, and a Build-A-Bear Workshop, to keep the little ones smiling too. All 60+ storefronts at this center are now fully occupied with some of the country’s most well-known brand names.

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Golf Reviews
The new Wild Rock Golf Club at the Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort, which officially opens in the spring, is already getting rave reviews from golf writers. This 18-hole course, designed by the famed golf course architect team of Hurdzan/Fry, is built around and through a former quarry and marked by long narrow greens and extreme challenges in elevation. In readying for the 2008 season, Trapper’s Turn golf course turned its attention to the clubhouse, completely renovating the space that now has views of Mystic Lake and enough room for groups up to 250.

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Time to Eat
The Cheese Factory Restaurant, a favorite among locals and visitors alike, has a new menu with an expanded selection of vegan dishes. They’ve also gotten in to the designer wedding cake business, a plus for those holding their nuptials in Wisconsin Dells. For those who enjoy culinary trails that take them to local farmers’ markets, they’ll want to check out Country Bumpkin. A new glass greenhouse will sparkle with flower baskets and potted plants in the spring, and customers will be able to easily fill a basket with vegetables, fruits, berries and herbs straight from their farm.

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Campgrounds and Cabins
For travelers not into roughing it, area campgrounds still have something for you. Yogi Bear’s Camp-Resort & Water Playground celebrates the 50th birthday of the lovable cartoon character with new cabins, boat dock and paddleboats. Both the Baraboo Hills Campground and the Fox Hill RV Park & Campground have also added new cabins, offering a change-of-pace from traditional tent camping.

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