One of the nicest trends to hit Wisconsin Dells in the last few years is the grandparent/grandchild getaway. Could be the grandparents are just giving the parents a break for the afternoon, or they’ve decided to have the grandkids to themselves for a few days, or they’re in town for the annual family reunion. Whatever the scenario, there are some activities that nicely span the generations.
Riding the Princess Kay paddlewheeler down the Wisconsin River is one way to channel the spirits of vacationers and vacation days gone by. Ask about the ice cream social. Then get your land legs under you and head over to Wisconsin Deer Park, one of the original attractions in Wisconsin Dells, where you’ll see elk and bison and get to feed the deer.
Head indoors next, first with a visit to the Tommy Bartlett Exploratory. The gadgets, gizmos and interactive science exhibits really are as much fun for the grandparents as they are for the kids. Be sure to make time to tour the MIR space station while you’re there. Finally, take a step back in time at the H.H. Bennett Studio on Broadway in downtown Wisconsin Dells, where the famous photographer’s studio still stands more than 100 years later. You needn’t be an art critic to appreciate the incredible sensitivity of his photographic portraits of the native Ho-Chunk people, the landscapes of the unusual sandstone bluffs, and Bennett’s own family photos. You’ll leave with a soft spot in your heart for the Wisconsin Dells of way back when.
Everyone in the group might be a little tuckered out by the end of the day but it will be a good kind of tired, to be sure.
