Polynesian Water Park Resort

A Vacation for Any Age

Finding the right size is not just for new clothes shopping for the kids. It’s also paramount to proper vacation planning. What’s great for toddlers still getting their sea legs will likely be far too tame for more adventurous teens and vice versa. In Wisconsin Dells, attractions cover a wide spectrum, so it’s good to know in advance where your child fits in the mix.

For Toddlers

Many of the waterparks and resorts, including the large waterparks, have zero depth pools and water playlands with clean sight lines, making them ideal for families with little ones. Try Tadpole Bay at Noah’s Ark Waterpark and Raccoon Lagoon at Great Wolf Lodge, for example. You’ll also find that many of the mid-size waterpark resorts are just right too. Start at the beginning of the alphabet with Alakai Hotel & Suites and Atlantis Waterpark Hotel & Suites. Meadowbrook Resort is an A+ choice in the toddler category too, as is the Polynesian Water Park Resort, and Wintergreen Resort & Conference Center. On dry land, take the kids to feed the deer at Wisconsin Deer Park or see the giraffes at Timbavati Wildlife Park. The 15-guage railroad at Riverside & Great Northern Railway is toddler-sized and they can watch the locomotive being turned on a hand-operated turntable.

For Grade-schoolers

Tweens and younger will want you to pick up the pace, so be sure to consider-karting, mini-golf and the big wave pools when planning out their time. For waterparks, you can’t go wrong with Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Parks and Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort. Let them have some fun while learning about the wonders of science at the Tommy Bartlett Exploratory – Interactive Science Center. They’ll actually enjoy the history lesson that comes with a ride in restored steel coaches built in 1915 at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum. Circus World is sure to keep them entranced, with performances in the Hippodrome and the Tristan Crist Illusion Show. The Magi-Quest/Shadow Quest attractions at Great Wolf Lodge and Wizard Quest downtown combine computers, full-size labyrinths and scavenger hunting into an activity that will keep middle children happily occupied for a good several hours. Fuel their day beginning with breakfast at Mr. Pancake or Paul Bunyan’s Northwoods Cook Shanty.

For Teenagers

DID YOU KNOW
WISCONSIN DELLS WAS VOTED THE #1 DESTINATION FOR TEENS IN 2013 IN THE “10 BEST READERS' CHOICE” TRAVEL AWARD CONTEST SPONSORED BY USA TODAY.

DIY History Tour

From its earliest days as a fascinating tourism discovery some 150 years ago to its modern-day cache as The Waterpark Capital of the World!®, Wisconsin Dells has been largely powered by the ingenuity and work ethic of local families. Even today the majority of businesses in the Dells are owned by people who grew up in town, and that goes for most of the waterparks. So you’ll have to forgive the locals when they get a little superlative-happy. Let’s just say they earned it.

Rather than delivering a dry history lesson following that preamble (this is vacation, not school, after all), get a real feel for the community with this rundown of inventions, rituals, firsts and quirks. It even makes for a handy DIY history tour of major landmarks.

Just don’t be surprised if you find yourself uttering phrases like “Who knew?” and “Is that really true?” It happens all the time.
 

Inventions
 

The indoor waterpark 

The Polynesian Resort was the first property in the nation to introduce the indoor waterpark concept; that was back in 1989. It started with a sketch on a napkin after local business partners attended a waterpark convention in Texas. No kidding – the blueprint for the first indoor waterpark was actually hand-drawn on a napkin.

Today, the Dells has more indoor and outdoor waterparks per capita than anywhere else on the planet.

Noah’s Ark Waterpark is the largest outdoor waterpark in the country, sprawling over 70 acres.

The Wilderness Resort is the largest indoor/outdoor waterpark resort in the country.

Stop-action photography

Landscape photographer H.H. Bennett is credited with this feat, as evidenced by his 1886 “Leaping the Chasm at Stand Rock” photo of his son Ashley frozen in mid-air (the story goes that Mrs. Bennett was not aware this was going on). He also made Wisconsin Dells famous with his hauntingly beautiful images of the Wisconsin River and bluffs when he had them placed in train stations between Chicago and points north. His original studio still stands today on the main avenue and is a state historic site.

Rituals

Scenic river tour - Take a boat tour of the Upper or Lower Dells or both. Learn the names given to the more unusually shaped rock formations. The Upper Dells tour offered by Dells Boat Tours® includes a shore landing at mystic Witches Gulch and Stand Rock where you see the famous dog leap (recreating the leap of H.H. Bennett’s son – see “Inventions” above). Other scenic river tour choices include the world-famous Ducks (see Only in the Dells below) and water-skimming jet boats.

Tommy Bartlett Show - This is one of the last professional water ski shows of its kind in the country. It’s staged Memorial Day through Labor Day on Lake Delton.

Only in the Dells

World’s largest fleet of WWII land-to-water vehicles. Known as DUCKS (military shorthand), this amphibious vehicle’s finest moment was D-Day, June 4, 1944, when more than 2,000 were put into service to deliver troops to the rough shores of Normandy, France. In 1946, a man by the name of Melvin Flath brought the first DUCKs to Wisconsin Dells and set up a tour company. Take a ride on both the Original Wisconsin Ducks® and Dells Army Ducks.  

All 15 species of cranes. The International Crane Foundation is the only place in the world where you can see all 15 species of cranes, including the most endangered of all, the Whooping Crane.

Largest collection of restored circus wagons. Circus World's collection of artifacts is the largest in the world and includes over 210 original wagons displayed at what was once the winter quarters of the Ringling Bros. Circus circa 1900.
 

Vacation Firsts

World’s first all-wooden looping roller coaster. The Hades 360° opened in 2013 at Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Parks. As if the loop wasn’t enough, the tracks also plunge underground, taking riders into complete darkness.

America’s first trap-door looping waterslide. That would be Scorpion’s Tail at Noah’s Ark Waterpark. For the country’s only indoor versions of the looping waterslide, head over to the Kalahari Resort Waterparks, where they literally had to raise the roof to make room for the slides. Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort jumped on the bandwagon, adding their own outdoor versions in 2012.

Kitschy Purchases

Minnetonka moccasins. This fashion footwear is now found in chi-chi stores from coast to coast, but it’s been a staple in the Dells for generations. Grab a pair, or two, at Winnebago Fine Goods & Gift Shop, Aunt Jenny's Got-It-All Store, and Parson’s Indian Trading Post.

Old timey photo. Three studios downtown let you pretend you’ve taken a step back in time: Capone's Original Old Time Picture Studio, Old Abe's Old Time Portraits, and Prof. Porter's Old Time Portraits.
 

Quirky Fun

MIR space station. This 43-foot-long piece of Russian space hardware is on display at the Tommy Bartlett Exploratory – Interactive Science Center. It was acquired from a Moscow museum in need of cash. It’s the only MIR exhibit in the world that you can step inside.

A house on a rock. Built atop a chimney of rock, The House on the Rock is a complex of rooms all chock-a-block with mind-boggling collections including the world’s largest carousel. It was built in the 1940s by eccentric architect and overly zealous collector Alex Jordan and is located just a short drive from the Dells.

Believe-it-or-not oddities. Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum is an “odditorium” of interactive galleries that pay tribute to the odd and strange. Shrunken heads, anyone?  
 

Foodie Temptations

Monk’s burgers. The owner of Monk’s employed “aroma marketing” – venting the smell of burgers and fried onions onto the sidewalk – to lure in hungry tourists when he opened the downtown joint in 1947. It still works today.

Fudge. For sweet tooths, there is the double joy of watching fudge being made andthen eating it. Confectionary shops line the downtown, which has a boardwalk feel to it.

Fried cheese curds. It’s Wisconsin, say no more. A staple on the appetizer menu of most restaurants in town.

Microbrews. Ditto to above statement, it being Moosejaw Pizza & Dells Brewing Co., Port Huron Brewing Company and Sprecher’s Restaurant & Pub of Wisconsin Dells are a fine trio of establishments to try.

Brandy and Wine. Wollersheim Winery, established in the 1840s by a Hungarian nobleman who went on to be known as the founder of the California wine industry, offered its first batch of all-Wisconsin brandy last year and it sold out immediately. Must be because it’s the key ingredient in the state’s most popular mixer, the Old Fashioned.  Wollersheim has national wine awards to its name too. There’s also Fawn Creek Winery with a vineyard carved out of a pine grove.  

Supper Clubs. In Wisconsin it often means a cocktail at the bar, relish tray to start the meal, homemade rolls and breads, a great entrée (usually a steak or seafood), and irresistible dessert, all served by talented wait staff. Great examples here include the Del-Bar, House of Embers and Ishnala Supper Club which is open seasonally on Mirror Lake.


 

Frank Lloyd Wright Connection

Two restaurants. The Del-Bar and Field’s at the Wilderness, both fine dining establishments, were designed by a protégé of the master, with the Del-Bar being classic Prairie-style and Field’s offering a more contemporary interpretation.

Seth Peterson Cottage. Built in 1958, this tiny 880 square foot cottage on a bluff overlooking Mirror Lake was the first Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home in the country to be available for public overnight rental. Sadly, FLW died before it was completed and Seth Peterson, the home’s commissioner and a fan of Wright’s from an early age on, never lived in the cottage due to an untimely death at age 24.

Monikers

Waterpark Capital of the World!® With waterparks in all shapes and sizes and more than 200 waterslides, no other destination comes close to Wisconsin Dells status in this category.

Spring Break Capital of the Midwest. The indoor waterparks provide a feel of the tropics for family spring-breakers.

Mini-Golf and Go-Kart Capital of Wisconsin. These could be in the “Rituals” category too, with both activities offered outside and inside.
 

Haunted

Showboat Saloon. This 100-year-old establishment in downtown Dells has long been purported to be haunted by the ghost of a past resident named Molly who liked to open and close doors and fiddle with appliances on the second floor so much that the owners stopped renting out the upstairs apartment. 

Leroy Gates Some in the community say the ghost of lumber rafter turned riverboat captain Leroy Gates, R.IP. 1895, haunts the waters of the Wisconsin River to this day.  It was back in 1856 that he took out an ad declaring he had purchased a boat for the purpose of touring occult caves of the Dells – a premonition of things to come perhaps? 

Belle Boyd Famous Confederate spy Belle Boyd died during a visit to the Dells – she was in town to present a dramatic narrative of her spying adventures when she suffered a heart attack. She’s buried in the Wisconsin Dells Spring Hill Cemetery, where her ghost is said to wander the graveyard.

Small Town, Big Tourism

• 19.5 square miles. Yes, that’s all it is.
• 5,600 permanent residents. And that’s including both the city of Wisconsin Dells and the village of Lake Delton (locals fondly refer to the combo as “the Dells”).
• Nearly 10,000 Number of hotel rooms and other overnight lodging options, more than any other destination in Wisconsin.
• Four million. The number of estimated visitors each year.
   

10 Ways to Put a Spring in Your Step This Winter

New rule: No complaining about winter. Sure, it’s long, involves shorter days with gray skies, and is every meteorologist’s dream come true to predict temperature swings and snowfall totals. But that’s no reason to acquiesce. Here in Wisconsin Dells, we’re in the business of putting a spring in your step, even in the middle of the frozen months. Try these 10 activities and you’ll head off cabin fever at the pass.
 

1. Barrel down a waterslide. The indoor waterparks here work like a dose of sunshine to brighten moods. The big six are Chula Vista Resort, Kalahari Resorts & Conventions, Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort, Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park, Polynesian Water Park Resort and Great Wolf Lodge. Try a trapdoor slide, a water roller coaster, a funnel ride or a racing slide and you’ll have to wipe the smile off your face.  
    

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2. Jump around on a trampoline. Burn off a little steam by jumping around in Knuckleheads Trampoline Park • Rides • Bowling. There’s a massive jumping pillow, trampolines for shooting dunk shots and springy surfaces for playing family games.
    

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3. Perfect a snowboard trick or give snowtubing a whirl. Cascade Mountain Ski, Snowboard & Snow Tube and Christmas Mountain Village™ Ski, Snowboard and Tube both offer snowboard terrain parks and snowtube hills, to say nothing of their downhill runs. Cascade Mountain touts its high-speed Mountain Top Express to get to the top of the mountain quickly and easily. At Christmas Mountain there are also cross-country skiing trails.
    

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4. Zipline over snow-covered treetops. If you think ziplining is exhilarating in the summer, wait until you try it in the winter. Seeing Wisconsin’s winter wonderland from a vantage point high above the treetops is awe-inspiring. Year-round ziplining can be had at BigFoot Zipline Tours, Wilderness Canyon Zip Line Canopy Tour and Chimney Rock Park Zip Line Tours - Vertical Illusions.
    

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5. Take a spin on a go-cart or play some golf. Go-carting and mini-golf are so popular in Wisconsin Dells that they’ve become four-season sports thanks to weatherproofed options. The Kalahari Indoor Theme Park, for example, offers both. Their elevated go-cart track is a big visual inside the park. Along with mini-golf they also have a high-definition golf simulator. At the Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort they recently added a two-story go-cart trail and they have not one but three indoor mini-golf courses.
    

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6. Commit to a fierce game of laser tag. Wild Fun Zone has a huge laser tag arena that looks like a giant space cave. The laser tag facility at the Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort takes up two floors and is themed to the OK Corral. 
   
    

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7. Test your skills on a rock wall or ropes course. The Kalahari Indoor Theme Park has both a ropes course and climbing walls, so take up the challenge and try both. The ropes course at the Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort is perched above the arcade and includes 42 different challenges with varying degrees of difficulty. Or try Knuckleheads Trampoline Park • Rides • Bowling version high above the go-kart track.
   
    

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8. Go questing for a wizard. The labyrinth at Wizard Quest looks like a full-size movie set. Collect “glimmers” by correctly answering riddles to free the wizards. You’ll have a magic wand in hand as you navigate the MagiQuest and ShadowQuest adventures at Great Wolf Lodge.

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9. Enjoy some horseback riding. Canyon Creek Riding Stables and Red Ridge Ranch Riding Stable are open year-round. At Woodside Ranch, enjoy a horse-drawn sleigh ride.
   
    

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10. Bowl a few frames. Knuckleheads Trampoline Park • Rides • Bowling has 10 lanes, Chalet Lanes & Lounge has 12, and the Kalahari Indoor Theme Park has 24. Strikes, spares, splits, gutter balls, it’s all good.
    
     

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Looking for a few more ideas? Good-bye winter blahs, hello fun! See All Wisconsin Dells Winter Attractions