Buffalo Phil's Pizza & Grille

Happy Time-Out For Toddlers

Wisconsin Dells has been known as a family-friendly vacation destination for more than a few generations, and this includes activities perfect for the littlest members of the family too. If you have children under the age of five, here are a few suggestions on where to stay and where to play.

Where to Stay Great Wolf Lodge is ideal for families with little ones, both the accommodations and the waterpark. Wilderness Resort, Chula Vista Resort, Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park, and Kalahari Resorts & Conventions made toddler-friendly play areas a priority too. Baker’s Sunset Bay Resort on Lake Delton is a classic with modern amenities. Lots of mid-size resorts with water playgrounds too, like Atlantis Waterpark Hotel & Suites, Alakai Hotel & Suites, Meadowbrook Resort, and Grand Marquis Waterpark Hotel & Suites. Spring Brook Resort offers easy vacationing in their rental homes and condos. If you like to camp, Sherwood Forest Camping & RV Park is a sure choice, with a toddler-friendly splash pad.

Where to See Animals Timbavati Wildlife Park has behind-the-scenes tours where the children can get up-close with the exotic animals. At Wisconsin Deer Park, they can feed the gentle deer. Don’t forget about the ducks, as in a scenic tour of the Wisconsin River aboard an amphibious DUCK land-to-water vehicle. Circus World, a national historic treasure in nearby Baraboo, has different shows daily under the Big Top.

Where to Eat Meals are delivered by miniature train at Buffalo Phil’s Pizza & Grille. MACS - Macaroni and Cheese Shop has two locations, with gourmet mac and cheese offerings for mom and dad too.  For breakfast, Mr. Pancake is a tradition, as is Paul Bunyan’s Northwoods Cook Shanty.

Stroller Friendly The Scenic River Walk downtown is stroller friendly and the views are stunning. Great for family selfies.

Go Where The Fun Is In Wisconsin Dells - No Such Thing As Too Much Family Fun In Wisconsin Dells

Wisconsin Dells Indoor & Outdoor Water Parks

Play On In Wisconsin Dells

The Dells is quickly becoming a sports mecca for youth tournaments, events and camps, and the 2012 warm weather season stands to be the best ever, with basketball, softball and volleyball filling up the calendar. For filling down time between games may we suggest some non-competitive activities. Then fill up on good eats to keep those energy levels high.

Start outdoors - the fresh air will do you good - with a Duck tour of the Wisconsin River. If the coach gives the go-ahead, head to an outdoor waterpark like Noah’s Art Waterpark, where you can try the new Quadzilla racer slides (remember, no need to be too competitive, as it’s primarily intended as adrenaline-inducing fun). Or go from screaming for the team to screaming on a roller coaster.

Balance your time in the sun with some indoor fun.

In Downtown Dells, you’ll find Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum, a place loaded with exhibits that are oddly captivating. Next door is Wizard Quest, a full-size labyrinth adventure in which your goal is to find and free the wizards of the realm. For kids with an artistic streak, maybe siblings who are along to cheer on a brother or sister, there’s Paint It! Pottery Shop, where they can create their own masterpiece. Wild Fun Zone is the place with the big gorilla on the top of the building and bumper cars, mini golf and laser tag inside.

On the Wisconsin Dells Parkway, there’s the Tommy Bartlett Exploratory - Interactive Science Center, with more than 175 interactive exhibits, including a virtual sports center that’s sure to be a hit for obvious reasons. Adjacent to Great Wolf Lodge is MagiQuest, a four-story live action adventure game with players using magic wands - score!

After you’ve worked up an appetite, take the team to one of the two Monk’s Bar & Grill restaurants in Wisconsin Dells for a classic burger the locals love. Other player favorites include Pizza Pub, Moosejaw Pizza & Dells Brewing Co., Buffalo Phil’s Pizza & Grille, and River Walk Pub.

Go team!

Make It A Family Reunion

Planning a family reunion has its own set of distinct challenges but none that keeps the organizer awake at night more than wondering whether there will be enough activities to keep everyone in the group occupied, from tots to octogenarians. That’s why this trip planner idea for holding a family reunion in Wisconsin Dells is so perfect. There are activities galore, so sleep easy.

The family reunion trend in the Dells has really picked up in the last several years. Certainly the waterparks have something to do with that.  There are waterpark resorts of every size and style in this community and they are vacationland for anyone traveling to a reunion with kids ages toddler through teen. But let’s not stop with the waterparks, because lots of other places are set up very nicely to accommodate big groups. In fact, some of the most popular family reunion spots are the low-key resorts that rim Lake Delton. Baker’s Sunset Bay Resort is a prime example, as are the vacation rentals through Sand County Services. Away from the lake and more secluded in the woods, Meadowbrook Resort has its own indoor water playland and several outdoor pools, and they have lots of packages with passes to the larger outdoor waterparks in the area. Their evening bonfire provides a chance to catch up with the cousins. We also suggest the Spring Brook vacation home community. They offer fully furnished homes for rental and the grounds there include pools, playground, fishing lake, golf course, restaurant and gathering rooms.

Honestly, family clan members can be as busy as they like all within the 20-mile radius of Wisconsin Dells. There’s mini-golf, go-karting, bowling and horseback riding. The area has two full-size quest-style games that blend elements of the most popular video games with wizard movies - they’re called MagiQuest and Wizard Quest. If anyone in the group likes magic, they should take a seat at the Rick Wilcox Magic Theater. Train buffs will be fascinated with the Riverside & Great Northern Railway living museum with its 15-inch steam trains that take riders on a three-mile trip through canyons, woods and rock cuts beside the Wisconsin River. The locomotive is turned on a hand-operated turntable for the ride back. For hands-on exploration, it’s none other than the Wisconsin Dells staple, the Tommy Bartlett Exploratory - Interactive Science Center.

While lots of photos are bound to be snapped over the course of the reunion, add to the album with a family photo at one of the two old-time portrait places downtown - Old Abe’s Old Time Portraits or Prof. Porter’s Old Time Portraits - where you’ll even find costumes for infants and sets large enough to fit 30 or so of your favorite relatives.

Of course, while there may be a potluck dinner or two, you’ll need some restaurant recommendations for your stay. Big groups will like Pizza Pub for its buffet, Monk’s Bar & Grill for its famous burgers and Buffalo Phil’s Pizza & Grille for its great southwestern flair.

Choosing “Best Of” Food Finds is Delicious Duty

When you have more than 100 restaurants, confectionaries and specialty food stores to choose from, as you do in Wisconsin Dells, the process can be incredibly satisfying.

Setting out to catalogue some of the “best of” food finds in the Dells was no small task. Locals have their favorites and proved a good starting point for recommendations. Sheer traffic to eateries was another tip-off. Of course, the ultimate critique comes in the taste. Here is a sampling - it’s by no means an exhaustive list, as that would require a book - to help guide your culinary decisions the next time you’re visiting Wisconsin Dells.

Best of Cheese
It’s Wisconsin, so we had no choice but to start the list with cheese.

• For fresh cheese curds in all their squeaky goodness, shop Market Square Cheese. For the deep-fried variety, the Sand Bar's version goes great with their homemade hot tomato relish. 
• Best grilled cheese sandwich goes to the Cheese Factory Restaurant - it was named one of the Top 5 in the country by celebrity chef Rachel Ray.
• Best mac and cheese for grown-ups can be found at High Rock Café - they call their rich and creamy entrée Big Kid Mac & Cheese and you can even customize the spiciness of this traditional favorite.

Best Burger

The undisputed winner here is the Original Monk’s Burger at the classic Monk’s Bar & Grill in downtown Dells. This is the burger that started it all, or so it says on the menu. It’s a fresh patty simmered on the seasoned grill. The grill is right at the front of the joint with the aromas piped outside - the original owner called it “aroma marketing.”

Best Ribs

House of Embers claims honors in this category. In 1959, Wally Obois decided his new restaurant would be famous for hickory smoked BBQ ribs. And so it came to be. Today his son Mike uses the same technique to make these deliciously tender ribs using a specially designed smoke house and a secret BBQ sauce. And they are.

Best Friday Night Fish Fry

• For atmosphere and food, the Friday Night fish fry at River’s Edge Pub & Grub can’t be beat - the cod is broasted and the dining room features a 4,000-gallon aquarium filled with local fish.
• Also in contention - the classic Wisconsin fish fry offering at Italian restaurant Sarento’s Restaurant, of all places, and the fish plate at Ravina Bay Bar & Grill, which pairs well with their homemade clam chowder.

Best Deep Dish Pizza

• In its menu description, Uno Chicago Grill claims to have invented deep dish pizza. We don’t know about that, but there’s no arguing their pizza, with dough made fresh every day, is delicious. The Wisconsin Dells restaurant is owned by husband/wife team of Mike and Laura Nate.
• Moosejaw Pizza & Dells Brewing Co., Buffalo Phil’s Pizza & Grille, Pizza Ranch of Wisconsin Dells, Pizza Villa and Pizza Pub are shoo-ins in the broader pizza category.

Best Steaks

Wisconsin Dells is known for its quintessential Wisconsin supper clubs and at these supper clubs you’ll find the most delicious steaks around. In this category, you won’t go wrong making reservations at Field’s at the Wilderness, Ishnala Supper Club, Del-Bar, Kaminski Bros. Chop House, Copper Oak Steak House or House of Embers.

Best Sweet Treats

• For donuts, the Paul Bunyan’s Northwoods Cook Shanty variety served at breakfast and in their bakery is legendary. Holiday Shores Camp-Resort makes theirs homemade and their guests always line up at the counter before the first donuts come out of the fryer.
• For desserts, the list is a mile long, but you should, at least once in your life, try any flavor of homemade cheesecake at the CheeseCake Heaven Deli Restaurant, the to-die-for dessert bars at River Moon Café, artisian cakes at the Cheese Factory Restaurant, or a one-of-a-kind flavor creation at Cold Stone Cremery.
• For homemade fudge, it’s a tie between Swiss Maid Fudge and Wisconsin Dairyland Fudge, both celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2012.

Wisconsin Cranberry Confections

Did you know Wisconsin is the nation’s largest producer of cranberries? For that reason alone we were compelled to make this a category onto itself. And the winner is Cranberry Connections, where you can indulge in five flavors of cranberry ice cream, all made at a small dairy right in state, cranberry raspberry salt water taffy, white craisin pretzel bark and their #1 seller, craisin cashew crunch. The candy looks especially pretty when served in one of their collectible cranberry glass bowls.