Wisconsin Dells Revisited with the Preschoolers

For our second trip to the Dells with the family, we stayed in a 2 bedroom located at the Tamarack. To our surprise, most of the resort is now owned by Festiva though we never were informed of this by Wyndham. I must say we were a bit apprehensive about the accommodations based on the really drab outside appearance of the unit we stayed in, but the inside was pleasant as expected. Turns out they painted the outside during our stay.

Given the kids are a bit older now, we did venture out and try a few new places like Mount Olympus Water and Theme Park and some of our favorites from last time such as Storybook Gardens and the Deer Farm. Much to my dismay, the MidContinent Railway Museum was flooded and of course the Tommy Bartlet show excludes the water show since Lake Delton washed away into the river. Yes, the Ducks are still running and the city is still there. The crowds were much smaller so if you are looking for a getaway this summer still, pack up your bags and take advantage of the low traffic!

As with my first review, most of the time I will be focused on how the kids reacted to the various activities. If it's a family trip, the kids being pleased is a requirement.

Quick Tips:

If you forget your towels, check-out Wal-mart for some towels big enough for 2 people. They come rolled up with a velcro carry strap and you can buy two of them for less than 4 single towels. This worked great for the waterpark. Wal-mart also has plenty of groceries and can really help keep food costs down for your trip.

For attraction discounts check-out the Wisconsin Dells website, a few can be found in the Milwaukee Entertainment coupon book, print out any AAA discounts you may find (explain more as part of Christmas Mountain Village review) and if you are a state resident, check with your local park district to theme park discounts.

I'd suggest packing at least one pair of jeans and sweatshirt/sweater if you choose to go horseback riding or hit Cave of the Mounds which is a little over an hour south of the Dells. If you visit before July, I'd just have them because you never know what the weather will be in Wisconsin.

Best Way To Get Around:

Our resort was less than a mile from the Wal-mart which is great for the grocery aspect. Still, most of the fun is a few miles away so a car is essential. The thing I love about the Dells is there are hotels for every budget and many of them offer tickets to somewhere as part of a package. So if you don't have a timeshare, sign-up for emails from the Dells website and start watching all the promotionals arrive.

Upon first arriving at our unit we were a bit skeptical because the outside needed painting really bad. Apparently they agreed because during our stay, our unit was painted. The interior is what you would expect from a highly rated timeshare. The townhouse style units provide plenty of space and privacy. We never did hear any of our neighbors during our stay. The rooms were very clean upon arrival and the staff checked gave us a courtesy call about 30 minutes after we checked in.

There is a wading pool about 1 foot deep, a second pool 3 1/2 feet deep and hot tub inside. A deeper pool is outside but we didn't use it because neither of our girls would be able to stand anywhere without us holding them. There is an old-school playground behind the outdoor pool - in other words it's still metal and there is actually a merry-go-round. There is a couple of swings and a slide too, but it won't keep the kids busy for long.

The activities planned are pretty typical, nothing spectacular; strangely there is nothing planned over the weekend at all. Let's face it, most people are here to spend the whole day at the amusement parks so I'm sure the turnout for most things is light anyhow. There is a campfire and marshmallow roast on Thursday night which we skipped since it was our last day of vacation and the kids were wiped out though they would NEVER admit it. The campfire really should have been earlier in the week so if nothing else older kids could meet others to play with during the week.

One tip I'd provide is to bring a small fan or buy one for the second bedroom. The upstairs gets warm and the master bedroom is the only one with a fan. We also chose to set the thermostat way down (68) during the evening and back up (75) during the day.

This was a much anticipated stop for the whole family and we waited until halfway through our trip. We didn't go when the grandparents were staying with us because we didn't realize they could have paid $9 for a spectator ticket. This would have let my husband and I ride some big kid rides. Nonetheless, we loved this park and will go back again and again!

Our almost 3 year old was too small to ride anything by herself, but luckily there are quite a few rides she could do with an adult including go-karts, which she LOVED. Our 4 year old was plenty tall enough to ride most of the kiddie rides and besides the go-karts, she fell in love with the kiddie coaster.

As for the waterpark areas, the kids enjoyed the splash area near the far southwest corner of the park, Kiddie City, and the kiddie slides nearby. The cool water area in front of the indoor waterpark, Huck's Lagoon, had slides that were a bit too fast and splashed lots of water in their face. I'd say kids about 6 to 10 would love that one. The girls also loved the indoor water area around the big pirate ship - plenty of bubbling fountains and 2 small slides.

While riding in one of the lazy rivers a park employee took our photo. Considering how horrible the price is usually on those things, paying $15 for two 4X6 photos which turned out cute wasn't too bad at all. While here my husband picked up a pair of inexpensive sunglasses priced pretty much the same as a Walgreens or Wal-mart. The only thing lacking from our perspective at the park was over-priced food and very few souvenirs for the kids - most items are practical such as towels, shirts, etc.

Here's the amazing part - you can't beat the price for this park. The regular price is $42 for anyone 3 years and older for the rides and waterpark. That includes a return trip the second day for free. In our case, our park district (Wauwatosa) sold us tickets for only $29! For the four of us we spent $87 (youngest was free). The ticket also includes a ride on the Ducks but we didn't do this because the kids were just too cranky by the middle of our second day.

Our girls are both at an age that they loved this park. The deer are very tame and there are plenty of areas for the deer to hideout if they want to escape. As in my first review, if you get to the park early, pickup your small children to make it past the anxious herd in front. We found that by 10:30am things were pretty tame and very few deer were right up front.

I haven't seen any discounts to this one but the price is alright. Adults are $10, children 3 to 11 are $8. Also, you'll want to probably buy one thing of crackers at $2. Inside the actual area where the deer roam, there are booths where you can buy ice cream cones full of corn seed mixture which the deer really love. I'd recommend a pack of crackers anyhow as it lasts longer and for little kids they don't need to have the deer actually put their mouth on their hands.

Besides deer there are goats that can be fed. My youngest enjoyed feeding them because they are behind fences - no fear of being run over or having your clothes chewed. You can also feed some birds similar to emus using a white chute from inside the deer area (left of entrance to deer area). Several other animals are dispersed in the first part of the park for viewing but they may bite if you tried to feed them.

The park will take you less than 2 hours to navigate and it does open an hour earlier than many of the places in the Dells (9am). If your kids are getting antsie before much is open, this could be a great distraction. If your kids are little, or in our case, a papa young at heart when it comes to deer, make sure to find time for this stop.

This was another attraction we returned to visit because our kids enjoyed it so much the first time. The Milwaukee Entertainment coupon book has a coupon for up to 4 tickets at 50%. Regular price is $12 for adults and $10 for kids 2 and older. Make sure to buy each of your kids a food cup for $2.

The storybook areas of the park are still a bit rundown but some things have been newly painted. Our kids looked at some of the storybook characters but really they were more interested in feeding the ducks and fish wherever we went. Make sure to save a nice portion for the giraffes which are in the far southeast corner of the park. By the way, they are pretty sneaky - checkout my photo.

There are some goats somewhat nearby always looking for a handout. Everything is behind fences so the little ones should feel at ease - my youngest doesn't like to feed goats at our zoo, but from behind a fence...no problem.

Included in your ticket is a very short train ride around the park, the carousel, and some wildlife animal talks which we skipped. There is also a playground and some play areas for the kids to explore to keep them entertained. Being a very hot day, we also chose to enjoy a slushie in the air conditioned treat shop in the middle of the park. There is a cute dining area right outside of it painted to look like you're under the sea, but it's not air conditioned.

The gift shop still has some of the cutest shirts around. We bought a shirt for my youngest that has a giraffe and the front says "If you're happy and you know it..." and the back says "stop your hooves". Perfect for an almost 3 year old. We didn't spend as much here as we did last time, but if you've never shopped here, make sure to save some of your souvenir money for it.

Tip - If you are trying to avoid the crowds at the water-parks on the weekend, this is the perfect place to visit.

The museum is around 20 minutes by car from the Wisconsin Dells. Before going, I'd checkout http://circusworld.wisconsinhistory.org/Visit/PerformanceSchedule.aspx to see what shows are happening when to better plan your trip. We missed the KidsWorld Circus because we couldn't get everyone ready early enough in the morning and I had really wanted to check that out - it sounds super cute. We did catch the Classic American Circus show which features juggling, a clown, and a dancing elephant. My eldest liked the clown while my youngest really loves elephants. The jugglers were exceptional.

Besides the show we checked out some of the very old circus wagons and costumes. There are a few interactive things in the first exhibit area but not much after that much to my dismay. The carousel is $1 per person and it's REALLY old. Quite cool.

There is also mention of pony and elephant rides. First off I'd like to state the "pony" is really a donkey and for $4 you go in a circle twice. We tempted my eldest with cotton candy over the donkey ride especially since we were going horseback riding later in the week.

I think we would have gotten a bit more out of the trip if we had time to take in several shows before our kids got cranky. You really need at least a couple hours to see enough to justify the trip.

The Milwaukee Entertainment coupon book has a buy one ticket get one free for the Circus Museum. Children under 5 are free so it only cost the four of us $14.95. (5 - 12 is $7.95) The discount really made the stop worthwhile. Also, the Tamarack resort provides a Gold Card and you can save $3 per person which is what my in-laws used for their tickets.

My kids have ridden ponies and such before, which usually at an astronomical rate of $4 or $5 to go in a circle. When I found out we could go on an actual trail ride for $20 per adult and $5 for the kids as a second rider, I was thrilled. Not quite so thrilled when we saw the line - we waited about an hour on a late Monday morning. I'd recommend going earlier in the morning or perhaps calling ahead to find out typical slow times.

Canyon Creek Riding Stables is located right near the newest Dells timeshare, Glacier Canyon. Actually a number of places along the trail you are looking at the grounds of said timeshare. There are also some cheesy animated characters. Nonetheless, you are also winding through forested areas and get some great views of the canyon from the top. (If you want, there are carriage rides in the lower section called Lost Canyon Tours. I have a review for this the previous time we went.) The ride lasts about an hour so this is a much better bargain than any amusement park or zoo.

If you are expecting the horses to actually listen to how you lead them, you are sadly mistaken. These are trail horses and not much will get them to move over from their typical spot. Unfortunately, a number of them like to hug the right side of the trail so you have to watch out for trees and such. It didn't bother me or my 4 year old, but my mother-in-law and 2 year old did not appreciate it too much.

The other big warning I will say is though they allow double-riders, the size of the saddles are NOT different. In other words, if your waist size is more than say 30, there isn't much space for your cutie to ride with you. My youngest complained the horn on the saddle kept squishing into her chest.

I would say this adventure did meet my expectations. From a rating standpoint, my 4 year old had a good time on Banjo. The 2 year old was not impressed with Elmo. Because of the split decision, I'm giving it a 3.

Not wanting vacation to end by 10 AM Friday morning, we chose to take a little bit of a detour and hit Cave of the Mounds on the way home. It's located a little over an hour south of the Dells - there are brochures everywhere to help you get there. Price is $14 for adults and children 4 - 12 are $7. Schedules can be found on http://www.caveofthemounds.com/tourinfo.htm.

Having now done a number of caves, I can safely say this is my second favorite one only behind my first cave tour near Branson, MO. There are no cheesy light shows or music, just pure beauty of the cave for your viewing pleasure. It is the coldest one I've visited too at a chilly 50 degrees so bring some light jackets with even if it's scorching outside.

This was a VERY busy park on a Friday - lots of field trips and our group was broken into two groups. The tour starts with an 8 minute video on how caves are formed and how old they think it is. I did learn a few new things and it included some history of how it was found and such. The rest of the visit is about 50 minutes in the cave. It's a good pace for children to keep up and there is only one tight place. There are a few really neat spots where the water looks really deep because of the reflections but it was only 2" deep! Some of the most beautiful formations are near the beginning, but there is a really pretty "window" area near the end as well.

My youngest loves to collect rocks but I wasn't sure if that would translate to looking at them. I think it went over pretty well. She does still remember that we aren't supposed to touch any of the rocks with our hands. My older daughter definitely liked it. When asked on the way home what she thought, her response was - "I liked it. Let's go back after lunch."

Since this review is based on the kids, I'm giving it highly recommended. For nature lovers, older kids, and cave tours, I would say very highly recommended.

We decided since the kids enjoyed mining for gems in Kentucky on our last vacation, we'd stop in at the Dells Mining Company for a nice short thing to do before dinner. They have a variety of bucket sizes starting at $15, with prices increasing with buckets guaranteeing certain cuts of gems found within them. Being this was purely for the fun of playing with sand, water, and pretty stones, we went the cheap route. You can save $1 by visiting their website at http://www.dells.com/display.php?id=377 or the Dells Coupon book has a discount as well though I don't know for how much.

The girls seemed to enjoy the actual washing of the found gems than the finding thereof. Besides finding gems in our bucket, they were enthralled with trying to find little ones in the wooden trough within the sand and water left by prior visitors. Once you have your loot they suggest you clean it well and then they provide little bags which you bring to someone in the shop. There a person will sort your gems and give you a little information about each before returning them to your bags.

It was quite a cute shop. My youngest found a cute bracelet for $5 and my oldest chose too shiny rocks to display on her shelf at home. We didn't ask the price, but you can choose to have the store take any of the gems you found and make them into jewelry for you. Even after you leave the store you can still take them up on the offer by sending them through the mail. Personally I'd call to make sure I get all the details before sending in your child's newly found treasure.

Given our kids are only 4 and 3 sometimes it can be hard to tell how enthralled they are with something. In this case they must have enjoyed it to some extent because when we arrived at the Cave of the Mounds, they asked if they could repeat the experience. Having just done it though and having been in the car for an hour, we opted to walk around the grounds there instead. Anyhow, this isn't a must see, but it's a nice distraction in between things or for an evening as they are open until 9 PM!