Kalahari Indoor Theme Park

The girl child wanted to go to Kalahari Indoor Theme Park in Wisconsin Dells to celebrate her birthday.  We were mostly in it for the rides, also the little one is not such a fan, so we ended up doing a few games as well.

There is a fair amount for the little ones to do, including a mini ropes course.

But she was in the sweet spot, being small enough to go on the kiddie activities and just big enough to do most of the grow-up ones as well.  The full-scale ropes course ended up being a little bit more unnerving than she anticipated, and one of the attendants who was working was FANTASTIC at helping to guide her through it.

She also enjoyed the variety of climbing walls.

We appreciated that there were options for unlimited-play wristbands as well as the ability to buy credits to use on anything in the park.  This worked out well for our family since we knew the kids would get their money's worth, but the we parents probably would not.  It was easy to reload our card if we ran low.

We were also VERY impressed with the staff.  We got really lucky and were there on a day that was not crowded at all.  Truthfully, we were able to walk right onto most of the rides.  There were a few that the adults had to go on with the kids.  We were all supposed to pay, but the attendants were all so nice about letting us go on with them without charging us!  It made our visit so much more enjoyable and the kids got to do a lot more than they would have if we had needed to pay for every carousel and Ferris wheel ride!  Little things like that made our experience a great one.  It was a bit more expensive than we usually spend for birthday fun, but I think we would all agree it was worth it.

We also didn't need to stay at the hotel, which was great for us.  I was a little bit surprised while researching that overnight guests do not get more of a discount on wristbands.

Kalahari Indoor Theme Park
1305 Kalahari Drive ~ Wisconsin Dells, WI ~ (877) 525-2427

Wilderness Resort

We attended a family gathering at the Wilderness this spring.  The kids had blast!

The highlight, of course, was the water park.  While the Wilderness does have an outdoor water park as well, we were only able to experience the indoor in March!  It spans three large rooms.

One room is primarily a splash area.  There is a large climber as well as a small splash pad for babies and toddlers.

Another room contains the "activity" pool, VERY small lazy river, and some little water slides geared toward preschoolers.

The third room has a wave pool, a small climber area for small kiddos, and more full-sized water slides.

The Wilderness has a great variety of activities that are appropriate to span all ages.  I also really like that they measure and provide wristbands to kids based on their height so the lifeguards know at a glance which rides each child is tall enough for.  It's also an easy way to reference the rides as a parent and know which are okay for your child.

The water park has plenty of life preservers on hand, but they also allow you to use your own, which is awesome since some don't!

The disadvantage of the Wilderness is that you are supposed to be a hotel guest in order to use their water park.  However, we had some members of our party join us just for a day, and they were able to get a day pass.  I am not entirely sure how that works, but I believe a staying member had to go vouch that they were with us.

I will also say their lost and found program is not very user friendly.  The ONLY way to retrieve an item is to fill out an online form and wait until they contact you.  We did eventually get our stuff back, though.  And, yes, I realize it was our fault it was left in the first place.

All in all, if you are looking for a weekend water getaway, the Wilderness was a pretty decent one.

Wilderness Resort
511 E Adams St ~ Wisconsin Dells, WI ~ (800) 867-9453
Admission: included in room rate

Noah's Ark

Noah's Ark is the ultimate water park - America's largest in fact:)  They have wave pools, lazy rivers, and water coasters and water slides for a wide range of adventure levels.  My kiddo and I had a blast!  There is really more than you can do in a day, so if you're going to be in town and water parks are your thing, I would recommend getting their second day deal before you leave the park.  It gives you drastically reduced prices for a whole additional day of fun!

There are the old classics like the Bermuda Triangle slides and the Adventure Rivers, as well as some new thrillers.  The Point of No Return is a see-through, big-drop individual slide.  The Scorpion's Tail flips you upside down!  Those are two of the more unique slides.

The best part about Noah's Ark is that there really is something for everyone.  They range from the tame to the insane.

Noah's Ark is one of the most well-known Wisconsin attractions, but it is definitely worth a visit at least once as a family.

Noah's Ark Water Park
1410 Wisconsin Dells Parkway ~ Wisconsin Dells, WI ~ (608) 254-6351

Admission: Prices range from $20-$40, but I would highly recommend checking around for deals.  You can almost always find discounted tickets at a local grocery store or through the local recreation department.  Also check their website for specials.

Preview Post: Lion's Park

Adams Lions Park consists mostly of a playground.  There are a couple of climbers, but they really look to be geared toward younger kids.  I would probably take elementary aged kids to the other park in town.

Lions Park
N Main St ~ Adams, WI

Preview Post: Burt Morris Park

Burt Morris Park is a nice park in Adams, WI.  They recently updated the park, putting in nice new picnic areas and some playground equipment.  There are also multiple ball diamonds and tennis courts.  It looks like a great place to spend a morning.

Burt Morris Park
West Park St ~ Adams, WI