Just Press Go Travel

Just returned home from our latest adventure – this time we road tripped to Wisconsin Dells, the “Waterpark Capital of the World.” This is truly a great family getaway for a long weekend.

For our trip we had eight adults and two kids spanning all generations – ages 16 months to 57 years – and there truly is a little something for everyone.

Here’s how our family spent the weekend and what I would do differently if/when we go back!

Note: None of these links are commission – just information and vibes.

Where We Stayed

We stayed in a VRBO property on the edge of Wisconsin Dells. If your family doesn’t want to stay onsite at one of the prominent waterpark resorts, I highly recommend this home. A few highlights:

• The house was clean 
• Themed Rooms
• Responsive owners
• Easy check-out checklist
• Decently stocked kitchen
• Walkable to restaurants and activities
• Entertainment room with a theater and arcade games. 
• Steps to get in/out of the house, but it was a ranch so easy to move about once inside

It was a great place for everyone to spend time together, especially because the toddler would go to bed early leaving the rest of the night for activities in the house. We are a game family and the kitchen table seated 8 which was a great feature.

Things to Do

• Noah’s Ark Waterpark | Rated best outdoor waterpark of 2024 with over 50 water slides and attractions, including 4 kids areas. This is one of the more affordable water parks, even with paying for parking. Offers ticket option that includes one meal and drinks when buying 4 or more tickets. 
• Timbavati Wildlife Park | Wildlife Park offering unique experiences including sloth and red panda encounters, animal rides, and feeding and/or petting many of the animals. This was my toddler’s favorite activity of the trip. He got to feed and pet camels, a giraffe, and kangaroos. Buying food and riding the train are incremental costs to the price of admission. I will note – the enclosures for the big cats did make us sad.
• Timber Falls Adventure Park | Offers putt-putt, a petting zoo, and rides. Per the offers section on the website, there is a discount for starting your round between 9 – 10 am. There were three 18 hole putt-putt courses to choose from, one of which is stroller friendly. We opted for the “Scenic” course and there were only a few other families on the course with us that allowed us to take our time…which was very necessary with a golf obsessed toddler. At the end of the course, there is a pen full of goats that you can pet and feed. The adventure park sells “Goat Cones” for a few dollars. This was a hit with our family. If your family has any daredevils, the adventure park also offers the Skyscraper for an additional fee.
• Upper Dells Boat Tour | This is a 2-hour boat tour that explores the Upper Wisconsin Dells and makes two stops for passengers to disembark and explore the terrain. Our family loved this – but unfortunately trapping my toddler on a 2-hour boat ride sounded like a personal nightmare. 
• Wizard Quest | My 20-somethings siblings did this with our 7-year old nephew. A few were apprehensive to go, but everyone loved it, and a few wished that they had more time and talked about going back for round two! Admission provides 2-hours of game play with the goal being complete as many quests as possible, with a maximum of 14 quests. I believe that they completed somewhere between 6 – 8 before their time was up. It’s a fully immersive experience in a 30,000 sq ft labyrinth (per their website), and each team is a provided a tablet to help facilitate the quests. This is a great indoor option for families.
• Wisconsin Dells Riverwalk | Quarter mile paved trail off the main street through Wisconsin Dells that provides scenic views of the river. 
• Shopping | Cute gift and candy shops line the main street through Wisconsin Dells.
• Hiking | There are several state parks in the area offering beautiful views, and a range of difficulties.

Places to Eat

• Hofbrewzhaus | There is a small dining room inside, but a large outdoor seating area with food trucks, yard games, and a kids sand box. The food was fine, the beer was good, and the atmosphere was great. Our family enjoyed the German pop radio station that was playing out in the garden. We were surprised at the lack of crowd for the duration of our trip as we really enjoyed our time here. If we had been in town longer, I’m sure we would have gone back for more beer and games.
• Moosejaw Pizza and Brewery | This was our favorite meal of the trip. The beer flights come in either 8 or 12, and the beer was great. The pizza was fine.Loved how quick the service was. You’ll see their Moose Mobile delivery vehicles throughout town while visiting. So funny.
• Huckleberry Ice Cream & Bakery | Adorable ice cream and bakery shop with trendy gifts. 
• Johnny Rockets at Noah’s Ark Waterpark | Service was quick, and our meal was included in the price of our ticket as we bought the combo meal/admission ticket offer.

Things We’d Do Different

1. Wait until the toddler is older. I think ages 4, 5, 6 or older would be great for Wisconsin Dells. Old enough, and likely tall enough, to enjoy most of what the Dells (waterparks) has to offer.
2. Stay onsite at one of the waterpark resorts, either Wilderness Resort or Kalahari Resort. Although this will be pricier, cost of entry to the waterparks are included in your stay. I recommend doing a cost analysis for your family when planning your trip to see if it’s worth the incremental cost to stay onsite as opposed to paying for day passes.
3. Explore more restaurants. We were in town for 4 nights, and there were 4 couples, so we cooked in each night for each other – which was a great idea and very fun – but it also would have been nice to visit more of the restaurants in town including Grateful Shed and The District.

Questions? Interested in Booking?

Reach out to melanie@simplyperfectvacations with any questions, comments, or help booking your next vacation!