Weekend Getaway: The Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells

If you are looking for a getaway that's not too far away… but that feels like it's world's away – we recommend checking out The Wilderness Resort in the Wisconsin Dells! It has something for everyone, all ages/all interests… and all under one roof. 

The Wilderness Resort is located on 600 acres in Wisconsin Dells, and is America's Largest Waterpark Resort. The Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort features 446 guest rooms, 40 Vacation Villas, 76 Frontier Condominiums and 35 cabins. It is also home to Wilderness on the Lake which features 108 luxurious two and three bedroom condominium units overlooking Lake Delton; and Glacier Canyon Lodge, which features 460 upscale condominium units.

Combined, these properties offer four indoor and four outdoor waterparks that total nearly 500,000 square feet – that's over 12 football fields of extreme water fun!

Wild West Waterpark

If your kids are anything like mine – they LOVE water slides, thrills and adventure. Can't get enough!

The Wild West Waterpark has four brand-new thrill slides, which are now open! Twisted Trails is a new two-lane dueling tube ride – this one was my son's favorite. And Warped Wagons is a brand new two-lane dueling mat racer.

The new slides feature translucent slide effects and multiple rally points where riders will be able to see their competition and can race them to the finish.

Ransack Ridge children's play and spray feature has been completely redesigned and rides like The Black Hole extreme tube ride and Fantastic Voyage family raft ride have remained. YeeHaw's Watering Hole is a brand new swim-up bar, along with western-themed cabanas!

My Family's Experience

My family had a chance to spend the weekend there and as always, my kids had so much fun that they never wanted to leave! We checked in on a Friday and went straight to the Wild West Waterpark. Afterwards, we were able to grab dinner on-site at the Klondike Pizza Kitchen… followed by Yukon Yogurt. When you are a kid – can it get better than a waterpark, pizza & fro-yo?! I would say no, but the next day was just as great… 

We started off on dry land on Saturday and headed to Take Flight, followed by Dodge 'Em City. Dodge 'Em City has something for everyone! Laser tag, mini golf, go-karts, climbing walls, ropes course, arcade… literally a city in and of itself. Check out the details of the Fun Pass and Take Flight below. 

After all the fun on 'dry land' it was time to adventure back into the water. The Klondike Kavern Waterpark was a favorite for both my daughters (8 and 10 years old)… my oldest loves a good thrill ride and was excited to ride the 'Hurricane' slide. She said it's the best one she's ever done! My younger daughter is a little less of a thrill seeker and enjoyed the Lazy River. Meanwhile, you could find my son and me in the hot tub (more my speed!). 

The Wild Waterdome Waterpark might be my favorite water attraction at The Wilderness. At 70,000 square feet – it's America's largest indoor wave pool. I love that you can spread out in the wave pool and with tons of natural sunlight – it gives off a tropical vibe in the middle of winter. 

Before we checked out on Sunday, we made a stop at Dodge 'Em City one more time and of course needed to pop into Candy Cabin (another haven for the kids!). 

In addition, the guest suites are newly renovated. Our suite was spacious, it also had a mini refrigerator and kitchenette. And just down the hall from our room was the fitness center – where I was able to get a morning workout in. 

We are so lucky to have this destination just a short drive away. 

Fun Pass

With the FUN PASS at Dodge 'Em City we were able to enjoy unlimited admission to:

Lost Cabin Laser Tag (my 8 year old son's favorite!)
Northern Lights Sky Ropes Course (my 10 year old daughter's favorite!)
Wild Abyss Black-Light Mini Golf 
Wilderwoods Indoor Go-Karts
Climbing Wall (3x each)

Take Flight

Take Flight is the first flying theater of its kind in the Dells giving guests the sensation of flight as your seat actually moves to enhance your experience. You will soar over the United States from a birds eye view/aerial perspective. Your feet will dangle as you 'fly', you may even feel a slight mist as you soar over our beautiful country. All three of my kids (and my husband) loved the experience. My 8 year old had a permanent smile on her face for the entire ride. And as soon as it was over – she begged to do it again.

It's an incredible experience with amazing technology. Take Flight is open to the public (not just for guests of the Wilderness). They have a variety of shows through out the year – we've been several times now and have seen one featuring Hawaii, World Flight – which takes you around the world, during the holidays we visited the Polar Express and a few others. Each one is an adventure!