Wisconsin Dells – The Ducks

One of the most popular attractions at the Dells is the Ducks.  There are actually a few different companies that provide Duck tours.  Before going to the Dells, I had visited their websites and decided that I wanted to go on a trip with the Original Wisconsin Ducks.  I didn’t have any real good reason for that decision, I just liked what they seemed to have to offer. 

As it turns out, there are Kiosks in various areas at the Dells that will help you get package deals that will save you cash.  The first place we went after leaving the Kalahari was to the Tommy Barltlett Exploratory, which I will tell you more about later.  It so happens that one of these kiosks is located outside of the Exploratory so we were able to take advantage of the deals.  We already had a good idea of what we wanted to see, but I didn’t know about the kiosks with the package deals.  Look for it when you visit, as it can save you literally hundreds of dollars.

The Original Wisconsin Ducks happens to be the Duck provider that is a part of the package deal, so that worked out nicely for us.

The Ducks are definitely worth a ride.  We went early in the morning in early June, so it was a bit chilly.  The drivers are great – they are very friendly and the sidekick tour guide has a prepared dialogue that is quite amusing.  Be prepared to get wet, though, as they do take one big splash as they enter the water.

If you are unfamiliar with Ducks, these vehicles are capable of driving on water and on land.  For the first portion of the ride, you will go through a wooded area on land.  You will then go into the water, where the tour guide will tell you outlandish stories about the various rock formations.  You will return to land, and then back to water, and then back to land to finish the trip. 

All of the kids really enjoyed this one and so did we!

Wisconsin Dells – The Kalahari Resort

The most recent family vacation that my family and I went on was a trip to Wisconsin Dells.  After having already gone to Disney World earlier this year, we decided to go on a sort of mini-trip to a location that was nearby (unfortunately, my husband doesn’t get much vacation time and I am always using it up with vacations!).  So, since we reside in Indiana, a trip to Wisconsin Dells was only about 5 or 6 hours away.

I had never been to the Dells before and I really didn’t expect much from it.  In fact, I kind of thought that it would be pretty lame – especially after having gone to Disney.  But, we really did enjoy our time there.

Wisconsin Dells is known for its many waterparks.  After having watched a travel channel special and finding that two of its water parks were listed as the top ten in the nation, Noahs Ark and the Kalahari resort, I decided to book a stay at the Kalahari.  The Kahlahari has both an indoor and outdoor water park.  Since we went in early June, it was actually a bit cold to enjoy the outdoor water park.  The indoor water park was a whole lot of fun, though, and there were some great play areas that my five-year-old twins could enjoy without concern for their safety.

Althouogh the rooms at the Kalahari were really nice and the water park was great, my family and I likely won’t stay there again.  The luxury of staying at a resort with a waterpark is quite costly and turned out not to be worth it for us because we only spent time there on two days of our trip – and, the second day was really more because we wanted to feel like we were getting our money’s worth.  If you are planning a trip to the Dells, it might be better to simply plan a stay at a less expensive hotel and save your money for visiting the many sites the Dells has to offer.