Palmera GO Destination Highlight: Wisconsin Dells, WI

About an hour’s drive north from the state’s capital of Madison, WI, Wisconsin Dells has been a beloved destination for travelers for more than 160 years. The region’s unique sandstone rock formations and beautiful natural scenery attracted early visitors who made the trip by railroad. Tourism to the area only grew after travelers had seen the landscape photography done by H. H. Bennett, the photographer behind the iconic, “Leaping the Chasm,” a photo capturing his son jumping to Stand Rock.  

Through the years, scenic boat tours became popular as more families began to visit seeking out the charming Midwest region, fresh air, and beautiful scenery. It wasn’t until the 80s and 90s that Wisconsin Dells became the “Waterpark Capital of the World,” with the first indoor waterpark opening at the Polynesian Resort in 1989. Today, Wisconsin Dells welcomes more than 4 million visitors from near and far every year.

Let’s start this section off with activities that hark back to Wisconsin Dells’ roots as a tourist destination: experiencing the great outdoors and beautiful landscape. Often called The Dells, the Dells of the Wisconsin River are a collection of gorges, cliffs, and other rock formations that have been cut by years of erosion from the Cambrian sandstone. This stretch of the Wisconsin River is a State Natural Area, and has been reason enough for visitors traveling to the area for years. The best way to see these gorges and cliffs is by boat tour.

While there are many boat and other scenic tour operators in Wisconsin Dells—all of which you can find on the Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau’s website—there’s one group whose operation has been intertwined with the area’s tourism since 1946. The Original Wisconsin Duck Tours will take you on land and water during a one-hour tour, allowing you to see the most scenic parts of Wisconsin Dells.

Other ways to see the area are similar tours like Dells Army Duck Tours, Dells Boat Tours, Jet Boat Adventures, and the Ghost Boat. Explore on land with the Dells Trolley Tours that offer many different types of rides ranging from winery lunch and brewery tours, history tours, holiday tours, haunted tours, and more! Slow down your pace and join the charming, Lost Canyon Tours, as you explore the cliff-walled gorges aboard a horse-drawn carriage. Or, if you’d rather, saddle up and enjoy a trail ride through the old west with Canyon Creek Riding Stable.

If you’d rather head out and explore on your own, there are many opportunities for enjoying watersports, fishing, and when it comes time, skiing, snowboarding, and tubing. At The Dells, summer means heading out to the water. Your group can rent a pontoon, WaveRunner, kayaks, canoes, and paddle boards from Castle Rock Lake Watersports, Dells Watersports Boat Rental & Marina, Mirror Lake Boat Rentals, or Holiday Shores Watersports. Traveling with your dog? Fido can come along on some of the pet friendly rentals offered!

Visiting anglers will enjoy the Wisconsin River and Lake Delton to try their hand at catching bass, sturgeon, northern pike, and more. Check local regulations before you cast a line, but the Wisconsin River is known for having year-round fishing. For a fun time for the whole family, head to B&H Fishing and Bait Shop to catch rainbow, brook, and brown trout from spring-fed ponds. Admission is minimal and the shop is fully stocked with everything you’ll need.

In the winter, folks love to hit the slopes in the area for full days of family fun. Located in Portage, WI, and an easy drive from Wisconsin Dells, Cascade Mountain is known for being a family-friendly ski and snowboard resorts that also includes a snow tubing park. With various terrain parks and lanes for tubing, Cascade Mountain is also known for letting kids under 12-years-old to ski for free when accompanied by a paid adult.

Christmas Mountain Village is another location where those wanted to hit the slopes can enjoy 16 downhill runs and other trials. There are runs for every level of skier or snowboarder, in addition to a 650-ft snow tube run. Christmas Mountain Village also offers a 27-hole championship golf course split between the Oaks and Pines courses that are popular for golfers when the sun is out and the snow has all melted away.

As Wisconsin Dells has grown as a travel destination, it’s earned the title of the “Waterpark Capital of the World,” because of the sheer number of waterparks located in the city. In addition to having the most waterparks per capita than anywhere else in the world, Wisconsin Dells is also home to the largest outdoor waterpark, Noah’s Ark Waterpark, and largest indoor waterpark, Kalahari Resorts, in the United States. Other major waterparks include Great Wolf Lodge, Wilderness Resort, and more.

While waterparks might be the main reason your family has decided to visit Wisconsin Dells, there are more activities and attractions for visitors that we’d like to highlight. From racing around the track at ADare Go Carts, to throwing axes at Asgard Axe Throwing and playing games at the Asgard Underworld Arcade. Enjoy your summer nights at the old-fashioned, Big Sky Twin Drive-In Theater, or go tubing at Bigfoot Tubing—no snow required!

Families love visiting Wisconsin Dells for summer vacation so that they can enjoy everything from outdoor waterparks and all other types of outdoor attractions. Average temperatures in the summer reach the low eighties, meaning that visitors can play in the sunshine without having to deal with extreme heat. This beautiful weather and classic summer vibes draw many travelers during this time, making it the most crowded and typically the priciest when it comes to accommodations.

If you’re wanting to keep to a stricter budget, try traveling in Spring or Fall. While the two seasons look very different, you can catch the warming weather and reopening of parks and activities in Spring and experience the relaxing and scenic beauty of the fall foliage as the season winds down in Autumn. Both allow visitors to fully experience the indoor waterparks—a great pastime for families—while seeing less crowds and finding better travel deals.

Wisconsin Dells is truly a year-round travel destination. Visit in winter and you can have fun in all the indoor waterparks you’d like, with the ability to hit the slopes and play in the snow, too! While holiday weeks do see crowds and higher prices, you can typically find great deals on accommodations in Wisconsin Dells during the winter months.

With such a family-friendly destination, you can expect lots of vacation club rentals available on the RCI Exchange. One of the tools that Palmera Vacation Club members have access to while planning their dream vacations, the RCI Exchange will be your best bet when planning your family’s trip to Wisconsin Dells, WI, and will allow you to put your Palmera Vacation Club points to good use, too!

Here are some examples of available resorts we’ve found in the area:

**Point ranges subject to change.

If you’d rather save your points to book a trip back to Hilton Head Island, find great deals on accommodations as a cash option to Wisconsin Dells by looking to see what’s available on Quest Travel Club. Another tool within Palmera Members’ 6 Ways to Travel, Quest is known for finding you the best hotel or resort rooms for your group at a great price!

Here’s an example of available room we’ve found on Quest Travel Club that’ll earn you Reward Credits:

**Prices subject to change.