by Lisa Marshall
If you're reading this, you probably have kids and an indoor waterpark vacation is in your future. If you want the inside story read on because our family has made several indoor waterpark treks. We usually go with my sister-in-law and her family, which means I have not only my own experience to share but also the opinions of five kids ranging in age from 1-12!
The Indoor Waterpark: What to Expect
Be prepared to get wet. And bring the ibuprofen. Every visit I manage at least one awkward roll and exit off a water slide chute that causes my husband Steve to later say to our kids, "Wasn't that funny when Mommy did a back-flip at the end of the water slide?" The kids love that. My neck, not so much. We usually pick a park that has a mix of adventurous rides like slides and wave pools for the bigger kids and some smaller slides and interactive areas for the younger kids. Also zero depth areas with baby bungee swings, water sprays and climbing toys are necessary to keep the busy one year old or preschooler happy. And who doesn't love a lazy river?
Hands-down our favorite ride is the Wilderness Resort's "Fantastic Voyage," the 5-person raft ride, which we have since renamed the "The Family Fun Ride" (after the "Family Fun Park" in National Lampoon's Vacation). The whole family can ride the slide together in one giant raft. The line for this ride is always the longest, but it's worth the wait for some family "memory-making."
There's a new ride that's popping up at all the parks aptly named something like Howlin' Tornado, The Hurricane, or Swahili Swirl. It's basically a slide that ends in a funnel that eventually drops the rider out at the bottom. I haven't tested it yet myself, but it's a popular one.
Insider's Secret: The Condo
Here is my number one top insider's secret. Stay in a condo. I stumbled onto the condo concept recently when I made a reservation at Wilderness Resort. Completely sold out in the hotel, they offered me a condo at Wilderness on the Lake. It was well worth it for a huge two-bedroom, two-bath unit complete with full kitchen, which we stocked with sippy cups, adult beverages, grab-and-go snacks, and even a full dinner. The condo also comes with a large dining room, living area, and a private four-season patio with whirlpool Jacuzzi. Granted the whirlpool Jacuzzi wasn't nearly as fun as it could have been without five kids splashing in it but it was there as a reminder of our "pre-kids" days.
With only 108 condos compared to the main resort's 281 rooms, Wilderness on the Lake was quieter and seemed less crowded. Splitting the condo with our in-laws meant we could split the cost of the room and each family had their own separate room and bath and frankly the older kids all camped out in the living room anyway. Wilderness on the Lakes has its own, smaller 30,000 sq. ft indoor waterpark, which was an unexpected benefit. After dinner when our kids were too tired to head back to the waterpark but didn't want to give up for the night, it was the perfect happy medium. We had almost the entire waterpark to ourselves.
Getting Around the Resort: The Shuttle
My initial concern about booking in the condo was the shuttle trip to get to the waterparks at the main resort. However, this ended up becoming a non-issue as we only boarded it twice a day. It's also quicker than you would think. My husband Steve, who is missing the patient gene in his DNA make-up, thought he could beat the shuttle by driving back to the condo in our car. By the time he made his way to the car in the parking lot, wound his way back to Wilderness on the Lakes and parked and walked to the condo, the rest of us lazy folk who decided to wait for the shuttle, arrived at the same time. Message here: use the shuttle.
Drying Off Time
Pretty much all the indoor waterpark resorts have some kind of dry activity area and an arcade. All the arcades have lots of noisy games that accept large quantities of tokens available for purchase in increments up to $20 (making it ever so convenient, of course). And the games produce tickets to be redeemed for dime-store toys. At Wilderness on the Lake the arcade is smaller than the main resort's, but in our case that was probably not a bad thing.
Dinner: Family-Style
Even though we had a condo, we did go out for dinner. We picked the independently owned Moosejaw Pizza and Dells Brewing Company. It has the look and feel of a Northwoods log cabin that are in abundance once you are north of Madison. It's a massive place with a dining room, full micro-brewery, and "rathskeller" pool and arcade area in the basement. The menu is typical but very good pub fare. Kudos to a restaurant that knows its younger clientele and gives names to kid's entrees like Bucksnort Burger, Chicken Antlers, Old Faithful (a grilled cheese) and the Mighty Minnow Friday Night Fish Fry and serves kids' drinks in a plastic cup with a lid and a straw. For the grown-ups unwinding after a day of water slides and chutes, Moosejaw offers 9 micro-beers brewed on the premises.
Take Your Pick: Wisconsin's Has 35 To Choose From
I've stayed at a number of the state's bigger indoor waterpark resorts and all things considered, they are pretty similar. The subtle differences tend to be in the layout, assortment of rides and décor of each park-resort. For example, Wilderness Resort is styled in an Old West motif and broken into two medium-sized indoor waterparks.
Do you want to play golf (in the summer, of course) or want a massage to go with all that family time? There are waterpark resorts that offer both of these amenities. What are the age ranges and adventurous nature of your kids? Some indoor waterparks cater to younger kids. Don't limit yourself to the Dells, either. Great indoor waterpark resorts have cropped up all over the state.
Planning an indoor waterpark vacation resort is like picking the family mini-van. Sometimes it just boils down to whether it has heated leather seats and your favorite color is in stock. But regardless, plan to have a good time on your waterpark vacation wherever you choose to go.
Lisa Travel Tips: Go condo.
It's convenient and very family-friendly. Visit websites to research prices and packages and see floor plans.
Kid Fun Factor: HIGH.
And it works for all ages. Give younger kids a chance to warm up on smaller slides and activity areas. By the end of the day they'll be ready for the big slides.
Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau
http://www.wisdells.com
Wilderness Resort and Wilderness on the Lakes
http://www.wildernessresort.com/
Moosejaw Pizza and Dells Brewing Company
http://www.dellsmoosejaw.com/