The wonderful Wisconsin Dells—the all seasons vacation destination

Hispanic Times Magazine, Fall, 2002 by Robert Kendall, Gloria Davis

We looked forward to this colorful vacation destination, having never been to the Wisconsin Dells before. Only a two hour drive from Chicago and easy driving distance from many other points in the Midwest, it is the ideal summer, spring, fall and winter resort retreat.

I discovered that the Wisconsin River is known as the nation's hardest working river, providing energy and power for the state's vast paper industry. Two of Wisconsin's scenic state parks, Mirror Lake and Rocky Arbor, are situated in the Dells area, providing outdoor recreational opportunities in a natural setting.

The Wisconsin River in the Dells is divided into the "Lower Dells" with the two areas, the other being the "Upper Dells." The areas ate separated by a power dam. The "Duck Tours" allow you to experience the "Lower Dells." But a traditional tour along the "Upper Dells" is highly recommended, and that is the fascinating trip we took.

The Mark Twain "Upper Dells" tour and Captain C.R. Soma's Dells Boat Tours provide two stops, one at mystic Witches Gulch, the other at "Stand Rock," possibly the most famous site in the Dells. This tour lasts two hours, and is truly unforgettable. You glide along the Wisconsin River, observing sandstone rock formations on each side formed by water and wind erosion over many geological time spans. Majestic strands of towering pine trees located along the sandstone bluffs add greatly to the scenic wonder of the area.

At Stand Rock, the Upper Dells tour takes a break, enabling passengers to walk in the woodsy area and stop at a point where you can look up and marvel at an amazing rock formation called Stand Rock. It is 5 1/2 feet from a nearby bluff, but it stands all alone. On the bluff a remarkable dog named Malachai awaits his master's command to leap from the safety of the bluff across a dangerous abyss onto the safety of the table rock and back. We all looked up in awe as this remarkable dog made his daring leap from the bluff to the Stand Rock, and back to the safety of the bluff. Everyone applauded this wondrous feat.

The Wisconsin Dells provides recreational activities for all ages, with over seventy attractions. Summer is the largest tourist season, with swimming, water slides, boating and fishing, making the Dells a year round recreational area for all four seasons. The forest and lakes and the Wisconsin River are popular attractions during the fall, when the leaves are changing color from green to yellow, crimson and brown.

The winter season provides ample opportunity for cross country skiers, snowshoers, and snowmobilers on the many miles of groomed snow mobile trails. During the fall and spring special events are held that draw people to the Dells. There is the Springtime Auto Show, which is very popular. In autumn there is the Harvest Festival. In winter there is the popular Winter Flake Festival.

Whatever your inclination, whether it be golfing or fishing in the Wisconsin River, it is all there for tourists to enjoy. There are luxury hotels, with every conceivable accommodation for the high end tourist, while there ate great values for the budget-minded tourist as well.

We were booked into spacious suites at the African-styled Kalahari Resort and Convention Center. Carolyn Bishop and Kelly Misnare, representing the Hiebring Group, which operates the Kalahari Hotel and Convention Center, stand ready to make all arrangements to fit the varied needs of conventioneers and individual guests alike.

Our spacious suite offered the luxury of an oversized whirlpool tub, sheer white drapes descended from the four comers of the king size bed, while a ceiling fan kept things cool. All furnishings were in luxury African style, making one feel like part of a safari. Steve Pine, Kalahari's marketing director, treks regularly to South Africa, finding unique art work for the resort's public spaces. As you enter the hotel, you are greeted by a waterway in the middle of the lobby resembling a small African river, where statues of jungle animals add to the illusion of being in Africa. There are indoor and outdoor water parks here. The first water park opened twelve years ago, and with so many water parks it is no longer a destination for just Midwesterners but for people from all over the nation, making it the water park capital of the nation. There are indoor and outdoor water parks at Kalahari, the Great Wolf Lodge, the Wilderness Hotel and Golf Resort, and at America's largest water park at Noah's Ark.

Outstanding restaurants abound. For something charming and unique go to the Secret Garden dining room situated in an old-fashioned residence atop a small hill. It is a bed and breakfast establishment, with a charming garden on one side and the swimming pool and patio situated on the other side.

Mexicali Rose, located on the Wisconsin River, serves a wide array of Mexican meals. The River's End hotel and restaurant situated at a bend in the river offers wonderful river views from the restaurant. Even McDonald's has caught the spirit of constructing buildings to fit the local scene with a log cabin restaurant.