In my opinion, if you haven’t taken a historical Dells Boat Tour, then you haven’t been to the Dells. You must take this tour. It is the oldest attraction of the Dells (over 150 years old). After going on this tour, you will realize why tourists take it. It possesses not only a rich historical theme, but it has exquisite rock formations, too.
My partner and I, back in 1987, had the choice of taking the Upper Dells tour, the Lower Dells tour, or both. After the guides told us we had to disembark the boat and walk around to sightsee on the Upper Dells tour, we decided to take the Lower Dells tour only (it was a very hot June day). In addition, I didn’t want to be on a boat excursion more than an hour anyway. Hence, we bought our tickets (back then, it was around $10 per adult ticket, I think). Then, after we purchased our tickets, we boarded our boat. It had two decks. We sat on top in uncomfortable lawn chairs. In spite of the seating, we enjoyed the tour. All the topics of the tour were discussed in an enthusiastic manner by the guide, and the scenery was remarkable. We took a few pictures of the sandstone rock formations and river.
The main theme on this 1-hour tour is to see how the glacial age created this area of Wisconsin and its influence on it. This encompasses stories about the ghost town named Newport and the once-rich logging era. The tour also has famous locations below the river’s dam, and the guide will discuss Native American history and folklore. You will be exposed to the sandstone rock formations, some with names such as "the creamer and sugar bowls." And you will see what is called the Rocky Islands, which is a group of sandstone formations protruding out of the water.
As I have already mentioned, you have a choice of what kind of tour you want to take. Basically, on the Lower Dells, you will see the sandstone formations from the boat. If you take the Upper Dells tour, it is a 2-hour excursion. It stops at two historic shore landings that only the Dells Boat Tours has access to. These are called Witches Gulch and Stand Rock. At Witches Gulch passengers can look at the unique passageways as they walk through a brisk canyon that is supposed to be gorgeous. Concerning Stand Rock, this is the Dell’s word-famous trademark. This is where the infamous Dells photographer H.H. Bennett took a picture of his son jumping the 5-foot chasm from the cliff to the rock ledge in 1888. As a commemoration of this, (the world’s first stop-action photo), this tour company has trained dogs do the same thing.
If you desire to have your heart pound faster, then I suggest you take this company’s other tour called Jet Boat.
Tours are offered daily from mid-March to October. In the summer, they go from 9am to 7pm every 20 to 30 minutes, and in the spring/fall, from 9am to 4pm. Call for tour times. The phone number for this place is 608/254-8555. The main ticket booth locations are at the Upper Dells dock (107 Broadway) in downtown Wisconsin Dells and the Lower Dells dock (junction of highway 12, 13, and 16, Wisconsin Dells Parkway), but there are other booths located throughout this area. An adult fare for Upper Dells is $19.75, and a half fare (ages 6 to 11) is $9.75. An adult fare for the Lower Dells is $15.75, and the half fare is $8.25. And the Jet Boat full fare is $17.75, and the half fare (ages 6to 11) is $10. There are also group rates available.