Wisconsin Dells

Did that area a couple years ago. The main attractions are the boat tours. One above the dam & one below. Time it right & they can be done back to back in a day. The main drag is like the main drag in any such seasonal tourist town.

I will be interested in seeing the various answers about the Dells also. Haven't been there, but heard of it and wondered.

I can say that the drive between Dubuque and Madison (not far SW of the Dells) is very scenic and pastoral; rolling hills with fields and patches of woods, and vivid shades of green.

We did the Dells three years ago, and really enjoyed it. Lots to do for kids and adults. Good food, shopping, typical tourist things to do, and the water parks. The boat rides and the scenery were tops on our list, even our grandson. We also drove to the House on the Rock, about an hour away, and that we fun!! Nice campgrounds, we stayed at Standing Rock RV park, very nice!

As Veebyes mentioned, the main natural attractions are the boat tours. Beyond that, there are other interesting things to see and do, like shopping, restaurants, and water parks. If you like to hike, there are a few state parks in the area that are worth a visit. We particularly liked the bluff trail in Devil's Lake State Park near Baraboo. We spent a week or so there and had no problem finding things to occupy us.

I have not done the dells boat ride since I was a kid but I did stop at some of the stops along the way more recently and its probably worth it. These are places I stop at on a regular basis:
Mirror lake state park- hike the trails paddle the lake and eat at Ishnala supper club.
Devils lake state park- great hiking trails busy place though
Parfays glen state natural and pewits nest state natural area bring your swimsuit for the latter.

Devils Lake State Park is just south of the Dells and has what your looking for.

Like many tourist attractions, the WI Dells originally became popular because of the beautiful scenery along the river. It was relatively close to Chicago, so became a prime destination spot. Like most other tourist places, the area began to cater to tourists and developed golf courses, mini-golf courses, go-cart tracks, wild animal parks, water rides and slides, Tommy Bartlett's water show, hotels, motels, restaurants, and on to the really silly stuff: Up-side down White House, spook houses, The Russian MIR space station, bungi-rides, etc. There are now many people (especially those with kids) that visit the Dells area on a regular basis and have no idea that the scenery and boat tours are even there.

But...the original reason for it being a tourist attraction is STILL THERE!
Charter a ride on both the upper and lower (that's above the dam and below it) Dells boat tours. Explore other beautiful and fairly peaceful places like Devil's Lake State Park, Mirror Lake State Park. Go hiking. The Dells has many beautiful and wonderful places if you just get away from the "strip" and explore a bit.






Devil's Lake state park

There is a lot of natural beauty as well as manmade attractions. You'll definitely want an Original Ducks (Dukw) tour. And an upper dells boat tour would be nice. Not much hiking on your own in the area. Devils Lake State Park would be good for hiking and is about 15 min from the dells.

Thanks all for the responses! I've definitely got a better idea of what it's all about. Looks like the boat tours are the only way to see the sandstone rock formations and cliffs.

We'll have to pick a non-busy time to go so we can enjoy the state park hiking as well as the boat tours.

Dewey02 - thanks for the pics and description!

If you want to do it on your own, you could rent a pontoon boat for 1/2 a day and enjoy the river on your own. Bring a grille and enjoy. The lower dells are much more scenic than the upper.

Have fun. Yes it is very touristy, but if you know exactly what you are going to do and you don't stop at every single place it is very pleasant. We stay at stand rock campground just outside the Dells. Very nice place. The property back to the Wisconsin River and they have some nice trails that go back to the edge of the river and you can wade on the sand bar.