Wisc Dells: The best spring break you've never had

Even an unexpected spring snowstorm couldn't spoil our fun because of the INDOOR WATERPARKS. Three things you should not miss: 1) The indoor water parks called the Kalahari and the Bay of Dreams; 2) Goody Goody Gum Drop candy store/factory downtown (and the Candy Connection while you’re at it -- it’s cheaper); and 3) Devil’s Lake State Park. See my journal entries on these for more information. An unforgettable momment: the look of triumph on my eight-year-old son's face when he "summitted the mountain" for the first time. (Okay, it was only a really big rock. But he'll carry the pride, courage and self-confidence forever, just the same.)

The Bay of Dreams is smaller, less expensive, and very fun. The Kalahari on the other hand was more p/p and worth every penny! The difference between the two waterparks was the difference between having a lot of fun and being transported to world of giggling delight. The best part was that there were no lines because it was off season.

Quick Tips:

Go to the waterparks during the week; it’s cheaper than on the weekend. Our timeshare resort (Christmas Mountain) had discounted tickets to the Bay Of Dreams indoor waterpark, which saved me a bundle. You can also get a coupon good for off p/p by grabbing a brochure from one of the many racks you’ll find around town. I found many useful coupons from WisDells.net.

You just gotta go to a place with a name like Goody Goody Gumdrop just for fun, but The Candy Connection is cheaper, (Jelly Bellies are cheaper by /lb.). They're only two blocks apart, so why be content with just one?

Watch out for tourist traps in Wisconsin Dells . . . they're everywhere. Stay away from the Beaver Springs Aquarium. In the dictionary under "Rip off" is a picture of this place. Read my journal entry if you're morbidly curious.

There's an enormous casino in Baraboo called Ho Chunk if you like gambling.

Best Way To Get Around:

You have to have a car. Period.

Best Things Nearby:
Indoor waterparks, thousands of holes of miniature golf, candy factories, Devil's Lake State Park. If you're adventure-prone, it's one of the few places in the eastern U.S. that allows rock climbing.

Best Things About the Resort:
Quiet setting, friendly and helpful staff, comfortable unit.

Resort Experience:
A nice little family resort. They really do try hard to make you happy, and the staff are all so nice! They even had a few planned activities for the kids, even though it was off-season.

The unit was efficiently laid out so we all had lots of space for both play and quiet time. The only caveat: the units that are around the RV park are too small and close together. Don't expect much privacy if you're in one of those.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Very Good
• Amenities: Very Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

Be a real lumberjack! Or at least eat like one. Paul Bunyan himself would have a hard time leaving hungry.

This place serves all-you-can-eat lumberjack camp-style meals. Yes, all you can eat for less than $10! We had a breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage, fried potatoes, biscuits, and flapjacks. We wanted to go for dinner, but had a hard time fitting it in between our busy schedule and the restaurant''s off-season hours.

The food was just so-so, but the payoff was in the lightest, yummiest flavor-bursting homemade doughnuts I''ve ever tasted.

The service was exceptional. Our waiter kept an eye on us and checked in with us often. Would we like more eggs? Biscuits? Anything at all? Whatever we wanted was delivered fresh, hot, and pronto.

TIP: resist the temptation to fill up on those rich tasting doughnuts, because you can buy them "to go" at the checkout and in the attached gift shop. If you think you''ll only need one package, buy two, or your group will soon be fighting over them.

The walls were covered with antique logging tools and photos of grizzled lumberjacks. The atmosphere was so authentic that I half expected to see the Blue Ox himself grazing out back. And what kind of lumber camp would it be without a tall tale? We heard a whopper, told with a perfectly straight face by our hostess. Breakfast with Paul Bunyan really set the tone for a fun day.

Ever drive down the road looking for a good "local" restaurant? I chose this restaurant gambling it was a hangout for the locals. My eight-year-old was craving a big cheeseburger and I wanted to find a place that served good old Wisconsin deep fried cheese curds -- this looked like a good candidate for both.

The upside: Good variety of choices on the kid's menu. It's away from the main hub of activities so crowds aren't an issue. REALLY friendly service and REALLY good deep-fried cheese curds!

The downside: not exactly inexpensive for the type of place it was. Other than the cheese curds, the food was uninspiring. They had great menu choices, but it seemed like they cut corners. You're better off going to someplace like Big Boy or Applebee's, where the food is better for not much more money, or Denny's, where the prices are lower.

There were about 12 items on the Kid's Menu, all priced at $5 or under. Especially appealing were the Chocolate Chip Silver Dollar Pancakes for $3.35. Two eggs, one sausage, two bacon, and toast was $3.25. On the adult menu, burgers were $7.25 to $5.19. There were more ambitious choices like Swiss steak with mushroom gravy, but it looked overpriced.

Bottom Line: Go in and get a quick snack of cheese curds and a $2.10 Junior Sundae, and have "real" dinner somewhere else. That's probably what the locals do.

A dark, damp, musty room with fish tanks in the walls of the hallway; concrete holding tanks with various types of fish you could see down at the local creek without paying $6.95; moth-eaten taxidermy. It was still fun for my eight-year-old. I gave him a handful of quarters and let him buy fish food. He had fun throwing it in and watching the fish go crazy. Basically I paid 12 bucks for the privilege of buying fish food and watching the fish eat it.

It's hard to believe you're in the midwest because of the all the rugged granite. This part of Wisconsin was untouched by the most recent glacier. It's a dream for birders, wildlife lovers, geologists, hikers, and climbers; and the sparkling lake is one of Wisconsin's finest.

Devil's Lake State Park is one of the few places where rock climbing is actually condoned. While they don't groom for climbing, park workers will give you a climbing map. Ask for both a trail map and a climbing map, so you can hike to the best places for watching the climbers.

If you want to climb, go to a store called Sport Haven in Baraboo. It's right on the way to the park at the intersection of highways 12 and 33. You can buy all the climbing gear you need plus a book called "Climber's Guide To Devil's Lake" by S. O. Swartling. Might want to call ahead and order it because they're frequently sold out. The ISBN of the book is 0-299-14594-8.

I grew up in Wisconsin and I wanted my son to see a part of my heritage, so I took him to a cheese factory for a tour. I chose Carr Valley because my resort gave me directions.

What fun! We got to see the whole cheesemaking process from start to finish. We even got to talk to the lady who waxes the cheese. And yes, we got free samples. You haven't eaten cheese until you've eaten the kind that squeaks on your teeth: the fresh curd. Cheesemakers call it the flavor that "hugs your cheeks." So true!