abmay

looking at august vacation - any opinions on dells, door country or lake geneva for 9 and 12 year olds? any suggestions on places to stay? thanks

ellen_griswold

Do you have to stay in Wisconsin?

IMHO, the Dells are the epitome of tourist trap... look up 'tourist trap' in the dictionary, and there they'll be

But that is MY humble opinion. Yes, they have AWESOME water parks but you can find those in many places.

Can you drive to Minnesota, S. Dakota, N. Dakota, Illinois or other nearby states? LOTS to see AND hotel with pools, shopping etc.

ejcrowe

As a child who grew up in Wisconsin and looked forward every year to her annual summer trip to the Dells, I have to say it has its pros and cons. It's very kitschy and very much a tourist trap, but even so there are still fun things for the family to do. (They'll cost you an arm and a leg, and they'll not be as exciting or as well executed as, say, Disneyworld.) And yes, as previous poster said, there are good water parks.

A trip on the Ducks (amphibious boats that also travel on land) on the river is very lovely--you travel through the sandstone caverns (maybe too grand a word) that the Wisconsin River eroded since the last glacial period.

There was also a nice waterski show called, I think, Tony Bartlett's. Then again, I may be remembering it so fondly because several of my cousins skiied with it.

Door County is more for the older traveler. I went there with my parents when I was nine and I enjoyed it for the most part, but it was very low-key and slow paced.

If your kids like fishing, hiking, canoing, swimming, water skiing, then you should go up north and stay in a lake cabin. I like Zaremba's White Birch Resort (VERY grand word for a collection of cabins) on Lake Oneida.

In my opinion, the Dakotas don't have anything more kid friendly than Wisconsin has. And except for Chicago and the Six Flags Great America, I don't know what Illinois has. I'd be curious to know...

Cerlaurie

We have taken my son a few times to Door County and he enjoyed it. We went biking and hiking through the state parks. There are several but we like Peninsula State Park the best. He liked it best when we stayed in Fish Creek because there were a lot of little stores he could walk to and the beach was across the street.

JVS

Dont forget the Frank Lloyd Wright Falling Waters house. The property is really beautiful and I bet your kids will have fun there (bring a picnic)

Cali

I believe that Falling Waters is in PA (near Pittsburg). However Frank Llody Wright's Taliesen East is in Wis. - somewhere outside Madison. Don't remember the name of the town.

kp

I believe Taliesen is located in Spring Green (near Madison). Near House On The Rock.

JoeG

abmay,
Also to ellen_griswold - if Illinois is so great why are 90% of the people at the Dells from Illinois? Actually, we spent many years avoiding the Dells ourselves until our kids were maybe 7 and 10 years old. We decided on a whim to drive up for the week-end. While driving down the main drag past all the "tourist traps" my seven year old son blurted out "I love this place!" We had a fun week-end. We also spent week-ends in Door County when our kids were 9 &12 and had even more fun. Rented a boat, biked through Peninsula State Park, ate at a Fish Boil, car ferry to Washington Island, passenger ferry to Rock Island. Lake Geneva is another popular destination for Illinois residents but is better suited for adults than kids. My pick would be Door Co. You can check out the Chamber of Commerce website at www.doorcounty.com
JoeG

bri19sp

For the ages of your kids, Wisconsin Dells would be the best choice. The area is a bit tacky but has realy gone more upscale lately and has a lot of natural charachter. I would recomend spending a day at Noah's Ark, taking trip on the Ducks, and doing some other touristy things. If you enjoy gambling Ho-Chunk casino is also in the area.

Cerlaurie

Illinois residents go to Wisconsin Dells or other areas in Wisconsin because it is somewhere close to go for a quick getaway - it is not because Illinois is not so great. Chicago is a great town with a lot to do. I would guess that abmay is from Illinois and that is why he/she chose Wisconsin as a destination.

miscrapper

We have been to the Dells twice and had a lot of fun (more fun first time when we did more) Second trip was part of our around Lake Michigan tour and we mostly stuck to out hotel and waterpark there. I loved all the boat tours and Tony Bartlett' thrill show. The only thing that wasn't great was the science museum (I think also owned by Tony Bartlett). Our kids also loved the "strip" we drove in during late evening after a storm and it did look really cool. There are also a lot of outdoor activities in area too - boating, hiking. We are thinking of Door County. We live in Michigan and have been up north a lot and to Mackinac so want something new in Midwest!

Heimdall

As a kid in Wisconsin, I used to count the number of Illinois plates going up US 53 during the summer. Sometimes they outnumbered the Wisconsin plates, and that was in the northwestern part of the state.

The further north you go, the better it gets, at least if you like wilderness areas. You won't find that around Lake Geneva. Northern Wisconsin has been a well known getaway spot ever since the 20's.

SusanM

P.S., it's Tommy Bartlett.

geekymom57

In addition to what people have noted above, I'd recommend thinking long and hard about what activities the kids enjoy before deciding on a destination. The Dells has several large water parks, but some people (even kids) don't enjoy them. A plus, however, is that most of the major hotels have companion indoor waterparks, so bad weather doesn't completely change the picture. I can't speak for Lake Geneva, since I've never stayed there (only driven through it) but my impression of Door County is that unless the kids enjoy outdoor activities--and many do, just not mine these days--it won't have as many "vacationy" things to offer as the Dells. Three major variables are where are you coming from, how are you travelling, and how long do you plan to stay. If you're going to be in the Dells area for several days and will have a car, there are many possible destinations for short day trips (e.g., Devils Lake is beautiful and a popular summer place), spending a day in Madison on State Street, Farmers Market, the State Capitol, the UW student union, State Historical Society museum, etc. IF those are the sorts of things your family likes. My kids are 13 and 15 now, and it's very hard to find things that all of us enjoy--playgrounds, beaches, etc., just aren't the same at 13 and 15 as they were even at 10 and 12, and it's almost impossible to drag them into a museum or historic site anymore. Now my kids seem to classify vacation destinations more on whether they've been there before, whether it's recognized as a "cool" location by their travel-savvy friends, and on the caliber of the hotel (room service and indoor pools are mandatory in their book).

So do some chatting as a family, figure out what everyone's looking for in a vacation (destination, activities, duration, transportation mode, etc.) and then evaluate each of the three options against those multiple criteria, and be prepared for everyone (yes, even mom and dad) to have to compromise a bit.

Joelleinitaly04

Been to Wisconsin Dells a few times and NEVER went to a water park. Plenty to do without that. Take the upper and lower Dells boat tour (And don't miss the dog jumping from one rock to the other) and the Ducks, walk up and down the touristy street and listen to the sounds of tourist money wooshing by. We camped at KOA (sorry but staying in a cabin and walking to the bathroom is as much as I'm willing to "rough it" these days)People we talked to thought we were nuts for going to the Dells and skipping the water parks, but we had fun.

rockinrep

BIG TIME tourist trap. And well said, geekymom.

Abmay, your kids are at perfect ages for more than waterparks. You can find kid friendly stuff anywhere. Unless you have limited time and the Dells are close, find somewhere else or do the day trips.

Or better yet, Go to Chicago! Get a hotel with a pool for the evening, and expand their little brains during the day. The little darlins will go home with cool memories, stories to tell and can still be water logged at night.

Who said the Dakotas don't have anything? Ever hear of the Badlands? Mt. Rushmore? Custer National Park? Black Hills? Roosevelt National Park? Little House on the Prairie? Just do a search here for more.

Vacations can include intellectual stimulation in addition to 24/7 entertainment. It just takes a little more work on mom and dad's part.

SaraLou

First, I find it very strange that Ellen Griswold thinks that just because the Wisconsin Dells are the epitome of a tourist trap, ambay should vacation in a different state. HELLO, the Wisconsin Dells does equal tourist trap but it is just one city (OK 2 cities if you count Lake Delton) in a state with lots to do. There are lots of places in northern WI where you can rent cabins and enjoy boating, hiking, swimming, etc. If you want to rent a cabin near but not in the Dells and enjoy those things while still doing Noah's Ark, the duck, and etc. check out www.sandcounty.com. Also nearby is Devils Lake State park, a beautiful place to hike and camp but I wouldn't be surprised if it's already booked up. Your kids would probably enjoy LG or Door County but those places are not really geared to 9-12 y.o.'s like the Dells. LG has a boat trip called the Lady of the Lake, shops downtown, the beach and Riveria Deck where kids can hangout. Oh, and Grand Geneva Resort had an pretty good sized indoor waterpark that is part of their timeshares but I'm almost sure that resort guests can use it too. It is a full scale resort with full service spa, 2 golf courses, stables, etc. Your kids might like that. Door County has great scenery, shops, and as stated the state parks especially Peninsula State Park is great. Very New England-ish.