Wisconsin Dells with teenagers
 

I'm taking a weekend trip to Wisconsin with four teenagers (2-18 & 2-19 yr olds). We are going canoeing on the Wisconsin River the first day and are considering the Dells for the second day. I've never been to the Dells and am wondering if most waterparks geared towards younger kids. The hotel ones I looked at online looked too young for us. Anyone know a resonable place to stay with an indoor adult waterpark in case of rain? Thanks!

Reasonable is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to the Dells, but here goes....

Many of the places have a variety. I know my nephews of 7-12 were scared to ride on a few of the water slides at Kalahari, which would make them cool for older teens. The Wilderness has indoor and outdoor parks that look very cool. Noahs Ark has older kid/adult attractions as well as younger and is huge...but all outdoor.

Definately take the teens to what is now known ar Mt. Olympus (go carts)http://www.mtolympusthemepark.com/ or Fast Track Go Carts or both.

Cheesey as it may sound, a ride on the Ducks is a must do and they will like it (I have 2 boys of that age).

Try: http://www.ratethedells.com/wisconsindells.cfm or www.wisdells.com

Stay away from: Family Land and Treasure Island waterparks.

I agree with above. For teens, you want to stick with Kalahari or Wilderness. However, if I read your post right, you are going to be in the Dells for 1 night on the weekend. You probably won't find any of the resorts that will give you a room for only 1 night on a summer weekend.

Don't waste your money on a hotel with an Indoor WaterPark.

Teenagers will have much more fun at Noah's Ark.

Just pick a nice hotel thaat will give you enough room for everyone.

The Flamingo Motel is owned by Noah's Ark and is right next door, that may be a good choice.

bri makes an excellent point.

Indoor water parks are for the winter. Take our chances with the weather! You don't mention when you are going but.....Statistically July is the driest month in WI and you can even add in the first couple weeks of August pretty safely.

Naturally these are also the busiest times in the Dells.

I agree that it's best to take your chances on the weather and plan on Noah's Ark. We stayed over one night and went there on a Sunday last July. I made several calles and the Ho Chunk Casino Hotel was the only place I found that would take a 1 night only reservation. It's only a few miles away on Hwy 12.

My 12 & 15 year old had a great time at Noah's Ark. However, we stayed at the Flamingo based on this post and yes, it was next to Noah's Ark but that is all I can say positive about it. There was very little sound proofing and the people above us were making noise until 3 AM -no one at the front desk after 11 PM to complain to- leaking toliet, squeaky sofa- sleeper, noisy air-conditioner etc. Housekeeping skipped cleaning our room one day even though I phoned the front desk at 4:15 to remind them our room hadn't been cleaned yet. Sorry for the rant but the Hotel Rants & Raves doesn't have a catagory for the Wisconsin Dells - but they should.

I think you should try Noah's Ark instead of one of the indoor waterpark hotels. Also hit Mt. Olympus. If you like Mexican food, I would highly recommend Pedro's!

I'd recommend Mt. Olympus and staying at the Hilton Garden Inn. The HGI is a nice property and Mt. Olympus has many options for teens. We enjoyed Moosejaw for pizza and Monk's for American fare (burgers, chicken tenders, etc..)

This post is nine years old. I suspect the original posters' kids are out of their teens by now. :-)

Lee Ann

I am wondering if some site such as trip advisor might have more up-to-date information about water park "ratings."

Check out the Polynesian Resort.. it has a nice indoor and outdoor park and is close to downtown.

As Lee Ann stated, this post is 9 yrs old and I suspect only brought back to life for advertising purposes.