Low down on Wisconsin Dells

Kinda thinking ahead about next years summer vacation. So what's the deal with the Dells? Is there anything natural there to see for very little money,or is it just one gigantic tourist trap with traffic jams and hucksters with their hands out trying to take you for every dime they can get everywhere you turn?

Was real nice in summer of 1966 - Nothing between the interstate and town other than trees - Has changed some.

What I saw there was the largest amounts of water parks in one area that I have ever saw. Looks like a tourist town to me, but others may have a different opinion.

Back in 1965 you could take a ride on the river in an old WWII DUKW(duck) amphibian. Don't know if they still do it, but it was a lot of fun.

Take heed of the speed limits...they have a natural tendency to gather within a few miles of interstae either way, seeing as the limit is reduced, at least when I last travelled there.

Note, the posted limit is signifigantly less in that hilly area, both uphill and down.

Out of state tags, beware.

D.

Went to Baraboo to the National Oliver show in 2005 I think it was. Drove up to the dells to see to see what a "Dell" was. Looked to me if you was a young kid with some spending money, you could have a good time. One big tourist trap and a lot of tourist getting traped. Turned around a went back to the showgrounds. Never did find out what a Dell was. As a side note, we took the boat across from Luddington to Monatowoc.(sp) That was the night the tornados went through wis. and killed 2 or 3 people. We went right trough that storm going across the lake. What a ride that was. Wife did OK but I spent most the time face down on the bench. Jody

Can still ride the old military "ducks" and boat tours. I think they still do some of the indian shows by the river. It is definitely a tourist town though. You just have to look harder for the nature activities.

We went there during the last week of june 2011. It was our familys big trip for the summmer. Weather wise we got very lucky, it got hot, in the 90's. The kids loved the water parks we went to. We also rode the Duck boats, took a train ride in old time steel coachs. All was good but YES just about everything costs money-major tourist trap. If you do go the BIGGEST recommendation I would have is check out the "Wisconsin Dells Coupon Book"!!! Just google it. I believe they are $19.95 but WELLLLL WORTH the money! It will pay for itself probably the first time that you use a coupon. As a matter of fact we bought a second one after we got there to save money getting into Noahs Ark a second day, again the coupon book paid for itself and then some. For lodging we looked and looked. Ended up getting a modern 2 bedroom cabin so we could do our own cooking, not eating out all the time. Paid under $100 a night for a five night stay. Would we go again? Yes probably-lots to do for sure! SHON

Wife and I took the family there two summers ago. At the time, kids were 15, 13 (girls) 10 and 6 (boys).

Wife had gone there as a kid. We rented a "cabin" (all modern amenities) on the edge of town.

Wife thought the town seemed "touristy". She said that it was nothing like she recalled (granted, it had been a quarter of a century).

We were able to buy groceries and cook. When we did get meals out, the food was very expensive.

There are numerous waterparks, if you're into that kind of thing. We really aren't, and the weather was cool at the time.

We did do a ride-the-duck thing. Kids liked it. I personally liked the Riverside & Great Northern Railway Museum.

Our opinion when it was all said and done was we didn't regret going, but doubt that we'll go back.

I live 90 miles from it. It is a tourist trap. Very expensive. Lots of water parks. The time I was there the Tommy Barlet water show was great. Go to the night show, much better then the day one. Yes they have the ducks and they have a boat ride that goes to the upper Dells and they have one that goes to the lower Dells. You get to see a lot of beautiful things from the boat. In the spring I think in may they have a big swap meet at Baraboo and in the fall they have the big tractor show. Also in Baraboo they also have Circus world. It is the home of the Ringling bro. circus. Great Museum for not a lot of money. One thing google is your friend. HTH

Bob

Husker, I live 10 miles west of the Dells. Yes, it is a very touristy place, with lots of silly shops in downtown Wisconsin Dells. The term "Dells" pretty much just means the deep chasm the Wisconsin River cut thru that area making for scenic bluffs and cliffs. On the west side of the river is city of Lake Delton; it is more spread out with lots of entertainment places for kids and families. There is a huge outdoor waterpark with wave machine, and other waterparks nearby. So many motels and resturants you can't count them all. The rides on the Army Ducks take you thru the woods and into the river. Boat tours above the dam (Upper Dells) are very scenic. There is a Native American show at night that is interesting for a family. One of the biggest indoor waterparks/resorts in the country is Kalahari. Lots of conventions there as well. If you have kids up to 16 yrs then you can have fun there but bring plenty money to "keep Wisconsin green".
Compared to years ago, it is now very commercialized, but the place is packed all summer long. Go online and get the coupon books. I wouldn't go if it's just you and the wife; if you want water you can go to a lake resort without all the noise.
LA in WI

Mirror Lake state park,Devils Lake State park most visited in the state,Circus World Museum,Antique steam and tractor show in Baraboo every summer Ducks still run every summer also. Wisconsin Dells is a tourist town. Wisconsin Dept of tourism has a web site listing events all year long check those out for activities in the area.

There are beautiful rock formations and picturesque vistas. They can be seen best from hiking trails and not from the "ducks" The tourist part is pretty much an overdose of people rubbernecking at things, water parks with goofy themes, and not much for peace and quiet. Fun can be had at House on the Rock. (again, tourist is the game, but it is incredible) Near there is also the Mid-Contenent Railway Museum
Jim
Museum

Was there in '03 and found a Jamaican mom & pop restaurant with really good authentic Jamaican food at a reasonable price, then there was the fancy upscale Jamaican restaurant with fancy prices There was also a good cigar shop. Kalahari is the worlds largest indoor water park. There's Noah's Ark with a gigantic drop water slide. The water parks are a blast. Duck rides on the Wisconsin River. Since the lake drained I don't know the status of the Tommy Bartlett water show. As far a inexpensive or free nature stuff: you can stand on the bridge and look at the river.

If you want free & nature go to Mazo Beach. It's on the Wisconsin river. Just be sure to take sunscreen and a towel. DON"T TAKE YOUR CAMERA!

In Baraboo there is circus world museum don't go there when they have the circus parade in Milwaukee because all the wagons are in Milwaukee
In Spring Green Wi is "the house on the rock" This guy must have won the lottery and spent his whole life going to auctions
Badger Steam & Gas Club Show in Baraboo, Wisconsin in August . Not sure of the dates
there's also a show in Edgar in August

We live about two hours south of the dells, bet we been there at least ten times in the last twenty years. We always stayed two or three nights in one of the hotels with a big water park and it was a lot of fun close to home. Since the kids are grown up I wouldn't go anywhere near the place anymore, it's hi priced and people everywhere.

Go to the House on the Rock in Spring Green. Give youself a day just to see it all. Awsome collections of EVERYTHING under the sun. A virtual museum with everything from cars to steam engines to worlds largest meri-go-round. I can't even begin to explain it all on here but I will be going back just to see everything I missed the first time. You won't believe it. A MUST see!

I live 20 minutes from the Dells, first off, the Dells [b:7deaec07a7][i:7deaec07a7]are[/i:7deaec07a7][/b:7deaec07a7] a tourist trap but most people willingly go into it because of the water parks. If it wasnt for the water parks, I dont know why a person would go. Downtown is chuck full of fudge shops and t-shirt shacks, just like Door county or other places like that. There is cheap/free things to do though. Its a good fishing and hiking area. Mirror lake state park is 5 minutes away and Devils lake state park is maybe 15 minutes away. The Dells boat company donated 1000 acres of prime wilderness to the state about a decade ago and thats about 3 minutes from downtown. Not free but if you are into big iron, North Freedom has the Mid-continant railroad museum and they have rides on the old steam train. All directions of the Dells is farm country and very quiet. There is even Amish 30 minutes east of the Dells in case you want to shop in the Amish walmart, stop at the green house or buy something at the saw mill.

As mentioned the ducks are worth riding on. They also have the big boats but I personally dont think they are that much fun. The jet boats are a blast though (all 3 above are ran by different companies).

If you avoid the typical tourist trap eating places, you can still get some good food, if you dont, its expensive and not enough of it. I would rather eat at a back country bar and have a burger than at Famous Daves or some other franchised chain.

You can even stay in cheaper hotels, non-chain ones and then just buy a day pass to the water parks. That lets you save quite a bit of cash at the expense of the convience of just going up the elevator to your room. It also lets you get a day pass to different water parks on different days. Most kids (and even adults) get tired of the water parks after a few hours because they rode on every ride already, if you go to a different park the next day, its starting the adventure all over again.

Its worth mentioning, if you are going for the water parks (and I assume you are), most are mostly indoor now so consider going "off season". That means early in the year or late and even better, before or after summer vacation for the kids. This keeps the lines down at the water parks and crowding to a mininum in the restaurants. Its the same temp inside the water parks winter or summer.

For those that dont know, the "dells" are a geographical land feature. Wisconsin Dells is the name of the city now but the origional name was Kilbourn City, they changed the name for name to capitolize on the tourist trade. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dells_of_the_Wisconsin_River

Rrlund, let us know more specifically what you are looking for and how long you will be here and we can make some more specific recommendations. If you want to fish, they do rent boats in the area but I got a 17 foot canoe you can borrow. If you want to camp, I got tons of space and its priced right (free).

I took a ride on those Army Ducks in 1952 when I was 10. Used to camp with my Aunt and Uncle and two cousins at Devils Lake St. Park.
Back then one of the mountains (hills) was closed to hiking due to rattlesnakes.

Wife and I went to the circus museum in Baraboo. Im not a fan, but I did have a very good time.

There is an elk farm not far from the Dells. Don't recall the name, they took us on a hay ride type of thing and a tour through the facility. A plus for my wife, we got to see a fawn(?) born on a hill maybe 20 feet away during the hay ride. The whole thing was very interesting.

Have fun...don t. ....

I live twenty minutes from The Dells too...and the girls there are very pretty...and that's the important part!

Stand Rock is another great place to see and take photos too!
Stand Rock

Been there a few times, the kids always want to go back but things are expensive. We have done almost all the attractions so lately we just go to a big hotel/waterpark in the off season. Paul Bunyans cook shanty breakfast is good if you are hungry.
Not sure when your going, but WI Farm Tech days is July 17-19 in Outagamie county (almost my backyard) might see you at the show.

Why not time your Wisconsin vacation to around June 21-24-2011? That's the scheduled dates for the Budweiser Super Nationals Tomah Tractor Pulls. Tomah is up the road from the Dells a little way.We used to go quite often,especially to see all the Farm Modifieds such as the AC crowd,Orange Crush,The Maurader,etc. All the colores are well represented and put on a good show.

I live 2 1/2 hours east of there and agree it's a tourest trap. If you like steam trains, Midcontinent operating railroad is a fun thing. It's just south of Wisconsin Dells. It was a favorite of my Dad's.
Midcontinent

rr,
I forgot the biggest and best show of the Dells area! The biggest old iron show in the state is called the Badger Steam & Gas Show (try their website), next summer it will be Aug 17-19, Fri-Sun. The show area is level, plenty of shade to rest under, and the soil is sandy so rains don't make a sea of mud for walking. Plus there is the "Parade of Power" in early afternoons. About 5-6 miles SW of the Dells area. I'll be there showing my Whirlwind Terracer plow.
LA in WI

That might be an idea. Our anniversary is the 18th.
My cousin's brother in law has been to House on the rock,brought brochures in to the coffee shop,says we need to go. Didn't want to go just for that,didn't want to go to the Dells either if it was just Pigeon Forge of the north.
Might be able to put together a decent vacation from all the suggestions. It would just be the wife and myself,so anything for kids or teens wouldn't be on the agenda.

All of the "Tourest Trap" water parks hire
college girls to lay out with hardly anything on.
Then the tourest Dads with a car full of kids
see this, and are attracted to "Go in".
When driving through, several years ago, one
fella was watching "scenery", and rear ended a
car that slowed in front of him. His windows were
open, and we could hear his wife screaming...
chewing him out. I wonder if his kids ever got to
swim!I'm from Wisconsin..been there once..don't
ever need to go back!

save your money and go there in the winter and check out the big in door parks. price is very reasonable and the weather is always nice in side and with small kids it is a lot safer. grand kids go every winter for a week and for the seven [2 adults 5 kids ] it is a good deal