This is a continuation of our other post about Wisconsin Dells. Please check out our other post here. We did a lot during our short trip at Wisconsin Dells, because there was so much to do! Out of all of the places we’ve been to as a family, Wisconsin Dells may just be the best option overall, due to the family friendly atmosphere, the cheap lodging, and the combination of nature beauty and man-made attractions.
Wilderness Waterparks
We stayed 2 nights at Wilderness Resort, which gives you access to all of their waterparks for free (prepaid). My kids LOVED all of the waterparks and during our stay, it really wasn’t crowded at all. One of our major concerns was how cold the water may be, since we were there at the very beginning of June, but the water wasn’t cold at all, not even in the outdoor waterparks. There are 4 indoor waterparks and 4 outdoor waterparks at the Wilderness. During our stay, one of the waterparks was closed for renovation, but we still had plenty to do with all of the rest of them. Each water park has something unique and it was easy to go from park to park for most of them. We walked, but there is shuttle available as well.
Fun Pass @ Wilderness
Fun Pass is a great deal to enjoy many of the activities available at Wilderness Resort, especially if you are staying at Wilderness, which makes Fun Pass $3 cheaper. We did everything that’s included in the Fun Pass – Indoor and Outdoor Mini Golf, Laser Tag, Indoor and Outdoor Go-Karts, Ropes Course, Climbing Wall, and Arcade. The Arcade winnings will load automatically onto your Fun Pass so you can redeem them at the end for some small toys or candies. The Fun Pass is a big part of what made our vacation so much fun!
Lost Canyon Tour
Lost Canyon is one of the original Dell attractions. At Lost Canyon, you get to sit in a horse-drawn carriage and ride through beautiful canyons and learn about the history at the same time. There are lots of narrow openings where the carriage BARELY fits through – we are talking about it’s so close that you definitely think it’s not even possible to fit through. We rode one of the last rides of the day and it wasn’t busy at all – my family was the only people on the carriage. I highly recommend this activity especially if you have big families of different ages, because it’s really all age friendly.
Wizard Quest
Wow Wow Wow Wow Wow! Words can not describe how cool this place is, for children and adults. We as a family have done quite a few escape rooms (and our track record isn’t great), we’ve also done some interesting art museums and immersive experiences. I imagined this place to be kind of like an escape room with pretty visuals – that’s how they described it, but in reality, it is SO MUCH MORE. Think about an average escape room and how much there’s to do in that, and multiply that by like, at least 10. That’s about how much there is to do in Wizard Quest. You have 120 minutes, although some of the quests might give you some more time when you complete that quest – I only know because one of our quests gave us a 10 minute bonus. There are 16 quests to do, and we finished 4, and partially started 2. The quests are HARD and LONG and often require you to go to many different areas. I really wish they would do an unlimited amount of time version and I would spend all day in there. Like, seriously, it’s that much fun. Imagine secret doors, passages, slides, etc. Combine all that with lots of colors, similar to Meow Wolf, and there’s a storyline in there somewhere, then you’ve got Wizard Quest. This is a must-do.
Big Cat Rescue
Perhaps the most underwhelming attraction of our trip, but that was mostly because the day we went was so hot and we went during the hottest part of the day, so most of the big cats were hiding from the heat so we didn’t get to see much. This zoo is really well kept, the cages are well labeled and there’s names and stories posted for each cat. They sell you food to feed them – which on a cooler day would have been a lot of fun I’m sure. Even though we didn’t get to see much, it was still worth the drive out there.
Dells Boat Tours and Jet Boat Adventures
There are Boat Tours for both the upper dell and the lower dell. There’s also Jet Boat Tours of the Upper Dell and the Lower Dell. I recommend doing the Boat Tour for the Upper Dell and Jet Boat for the Lower Dell. The reason is that the Upper Dell is more scenic – the Boat Tour makes two stops and you will have a chance to walk around and really take in the beauty of the surroundings. The Lower Dell has some interesting rock formations, but not much to explore on foot, so it’s a good route to enjoy the thrills of a Jet Boat.
The Dells Boat Tour for the upper dell is about 2 hours long. There were 2 stops, Witches Gulch, and the Stand Rock. The Witches Gulch has a beautiful little trail that goes through the gulches and stops at a nice snack shop with ice cream and beers for sale. My girls happily shared an oreo flurry (perfect size for sharing) and Teddy and I each had a Spotted Cow beer. Best part is that they allow you to take your drinks back on the boat and enjoy it for the remainder of the trip.
The second stop, the Stand Rock, we got to get off the boat and watch a dog leap between two giant rocks! Then we walked on a little trail and came to another snack shop, and each of us bought a bottle of Heineken, which of course, was allowed to be taken back on the boat as well. This really makes the scenic ride more enjoyable.
The best seats on the boat are on the rooftop, at the very front. But in the summer it can be very hot so keep that in mind. The view at Witches Gulch is breathtaking. It reminded me of Watkins Glen State Park in New York.
Madison Children’s Museum
This is a nice Children’s Museum not too far from the airport. We had planned to all go there but since Ava was sick, I had to take Ava to the urgent care instead, so Teddy went to the museum with Alice. The museum isn’t very big – it took Alice and Teddy about 1.5 hours to finish. There are 3 floors of activities and many interactive things to do.
We had a wonderful trip in the Dells and we look forward to coming back every year. There is so much to do and so many resorts to stay. Next time we plan to try Kalahari just for a change of scenery, even though we are absolutely happy with Wilderness Resort. Hopefully next time, Ava won’t be sick for most of the trip.