Wisconsin Suggestions

The Dells area is ok, but its a huge tourist trap. I recommend Peninsula State Park in Door County with a day trip to Washigton Island. It books up fast so you'd have to book now for next June.

Fletch Rider wrote:
The Dells area is ok, but its a huge tourist trap. I recommend Peninsula State Park in Door County with a day trip to Washigton Island. It books up fast so you'd have to book now for next June.

This. There are other state parks in the area, too. Potawotami is nice and in Door County but not as developed as Peninsula, it might not book up as fast.

I really enjoyed Door County in August. A little touristy but not too bad, lovely area, super-nice state parks. If you are on a budget take plenty of your own food, the restaurants are a little on the pricey side and mostly have fish. There is an Applebees and a decent Chinese in Sturgeon Bay if you get sick of fish.

Door County is nice! Another idea would be to follow the shore of Lake Michigan, and then head west over to Bayfield and the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior. As for The Dells, Devils Lake State Park, which is maybe 15 miles away, is beautiful, the lake is spring-fed and surrounded by bluffs that are great for hiking or rock climbing. There is a nice restaurant, The Ishnala, in Mirror Lake State Park, also very near the Dells. The Dells boat trips are very scenic. The Dells is a tourist Mecca for families, with lots of water parks. If you like to bike, there is the Sparta Elroy bike trail that connects the two towns. It is not close to the Dells, though. If fishing is your thing, Minacqua, or Eagle River are popular.

At Elkhart Lake, are you planning to camp at the track? We have done that several times over the years. It is a great experience!

The Dells themselves are BEAUTIFUL!
Take the Upper Dells boat tour and do some hiking.
Unfortunately, a huge tourist trap has built up around a beautiful natural resource and many families have gone there for years only to go to the water parks, ride go-carts, etc. and have never actually seen the actual Dells.

Nearby is Devil's Lake State Park which has a very nice campground and the park itself (Wisconsin's largest state park) is beautiful, with lots of trails and places to visit.

As cheteckie has said, don't miss having dinner at Ishnala Resort in nearby Mirror Lake State Park. You WILL NOT believe the setting and atmosphere. Incredible. The food is excellent too.

Other places within driving distance from the Dells are Wineries, Circus World in nearby Bariboo, WI, Steam train rides, and the House on the Rock, which is a tourist type attraction, but is like nothing you've ever experienced. One entire day to experience that one!

Oh, and Door County is nice too.

Do a Google search for `Wisconsin tourism' and read on. We go to Door County almost every year. Good for adults but not much for kids.

Don't bother with the Dells itself. Waste of time and money, especially if you don't have kids. I totally agree with checking Devils Lake State Park. The best hiking in WI by far. At 10best.com it's listed as #5 nationwide for state parks. And yes, if you are in the area go to Spring Green and see the House on the Rock. Incredible!

Biking, if you bike, WI is listed somewhere as as the 6th best state to bike in. We have tons of state and county trails. Many that are old railroad grades. Best place to look for trails is traillink.com

We vacation in Door County 2 - 3 times a year. It's definitely a more adult place to vacation. Peninsula State Park is excellent. A nice alternative that's more central to everything in the Door is Egg Harbor Campground. It's about 20 minutes to all the best in Door County. I would not bother going to Washington Island unless you like to bike. It's a great place to bike because of very little road traffic, but there is not much else there to see.

There are several wineries in Door County, brew pubs, 5 state parks, lots of county parks (Cave Point is a must see!), several lighthouses (2 open for tours), lots of restaurants, several show houses with live plays, lots of art galleries, quant towns, etc. Door County is sometimes referred to as "Little Cap Cod".

coolmom42 wrote:


the restaurants ... mostly have fish.

That couldn't be farther from the truth. I think you saw too many fish boil ads. :) There are fish boils at a few places, but on the whole you can find any type of food you are looking for. Yes, some is pricey, but there are a lot of reasonably priced places too. http://doorcountydining.com/

Dick_B wrote:
Do a Google search for `Wisconsin tourism' and read on. We go to Door County almost every year. Good for adults but not much for kids.

"Good for adults but not much for kids"

Here's the exception to your above statement.

"This place is great for kids"

www.harbourvillageresort.net



Check out the photo gallery.


C.B.

C.B. wrote:


Here's the exception to your above statement.


C.B.

There are a number of exceptions in Door County. We took our daughter there from 1 year old on. But keep in mind that the OP is a couple in their 50s. Most likely they would prefer to go somewhere more adult oriented, which the Door is.

The dells are nice. If you can get over the tourist trap part of it. We stay at Standrock campground. Located outside the dells. I like the Original Wisconsin Ducks tour and the Upper dells boat tours are also nice. If you are into mini golf and water parks then this is the place for you! If you don't like people then don't stay here! LOL

Door county is very nice. Lots of great places already mentioned there.

If you want something really interesting go on up to the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior, another really beautiful area.

Wow-thanks for the suggestions!

Yes we would like to snag a 50amp electric site at Elkhart Lake. They say no water is available at the track. Is there a water truck that comes by to fill campers?