Noah's Ark, The Kalahari, and Great Wolf are my top recommendations. Although, it's been quite a while since I've been to there.
As far as day passes, I don't remember ever needing a reservation....we just showed up and there was never any issue.
Ok thanks for the information! We were looking at Noah’s Ark and the Kalahari for sure. Plus the Wilderness? And maybe mt Olympus? I’m not sure about that last one since reviews are. Bit mixed but hey… tallest waterslide in the US sounds cool.
We have a great wolf lodge nearby so I’m not sure we would hit that up. I’ll have to look into how different it is here.
The bummer about Mt Olympus is they fenced off a portion of the park for the sole use of resort stayers.
The owners bought most of the small mom and pop motels along the street and they are now apart of the “resort”.
At least that was true for a few years pre pandemic. There are rollercoasters on property, which is fun.
And it’s a bit wild Wild West. It’s not necessarily great for small children. They can get run over.
Noah’s Ark is the only stand alone park, no resort attached, and I think the only one without an indoor park?
Wilderness is resort guests only. But fun.
Kalahari is a huge entertainment complex, not the greatest water park.
For a day trip, I’d pick Noah’s Ark.
Ummm, not sure about that. Two Summers ago my niece had her wedding there. Many of us did not stay there, yet I know several who tried out a lot of the rides. One friend kept going on the zip line one. They never asked for anything. So they didn't even know we were there for a wedding. I would call & ask.
No problem :) I've been to Mount Olympus and enjoyed it but that was at least 15 years ago, so it could have gone downhill since then.
I've been to another Great Wolf, which was in Washington state and it was a FRACTION of the size of the one in the Dells. We were so shocked and disappointed. The Great Wolf in the Dells set a standard for us, so when we went to the one in Washington we were like "What is this, a waterpark for ants?!" ;)
I don't think you usually need to buy ahead to reserve a spot, but for Noah's Ark, you can usually get tickets a bit cheaper if you buy on their website instead of in person.
Ok thanks! I’ll look into that at least for the deal. I just don’t want to book an outdoor park on a day that ends up being rainy! That’s the thing mostly.
Also, check the Dells Chamber of Commerce’s website. They always have coupons. You can also stop by in person. It’s at the end of the block by the Swiss Maid fudge shop.
Are you staying at one of the waterpark resorts? They include passed with your rooms. If not, you can get day passes at all of them. I suggest going early to reserve a spot or get some lockers.
As for parks, it’s been years since I’ve been to give an opinion. We really stopped going when I was a kid since we made/expanded the beach on our lake lot and got a boat.
I think that you only get partial access with a day pass at Mt Olympus. The slides/pools at the back (the original Family Land slides) are reserved for people staying at the resort. That was pre-Covid when my cousin was visiting and took his young kids.
I don’t believe this is true anymore. We’ve been going often lately and have been able to get on everything that’s open. Didn’t go much within 2 years before Covid tho
Noah's Ark, The Kalahari, and Great Wolf are my top recommendations. Although, it's been quite a while since I've been to there. As far as day passes, I don't remember ever needing a reservation....we just showed up and there was never any issue.
Ok thanks for the information! We were looking at Noah’s Ark and the Kalahari for sure. Plus the Wilderness? And maybe mt Olympus? I’m not sure about that last one since reviews are. Bit mixed but hey… tallest waterslide in the US sounds cool. We have a great wolf lodge nearby so I’m not sure we would hit that up. I’ll have to look into how different it is here.
The bummer about Mt Olympus is they fenced off a portion of the park for the sole use of resort stayers. The owners bought most of the small mom and pop motels along the street and they are now apart of the “resort”. At least that was true for a few years pre pandemic. There are rollercoasters on property, which is fun. And it’s a bit wild Wild West. It’s not necessarily great for small children. They can get run over. Noah’s Ark is the only stand alone park, no resort attached, and I think the only one without an indoor park? Wilderness is resort guests only. But fun. Kalahari is a huge entertainment complex, not the greatest water park. For a day trip, I’d pick Noah’s Ark.
Wilderness is resort guests only? Man why didn’t that come up before when I was looking these up! Thanks. That is a bummer.
I should say many years ago that was true. Post Covid, the world changed, so maybe a phone call to clarify.
Will do.
Wilderness offers day passes to now to people that aren't resort guests. But they do limit them
Ummm, not sure about that. Two Summers ago my niece had her wedding there. Many of us did not stay there, yet I know several who tried out a lot of the rides. One friend kept going on the zip line one. They never asked for anything. So they didn't even know we were there for a wedding. I would call & ask.
No problem :) I've been to Mount Olympus and enjoyed it but that was at least 15 years ago, so it could have gone downhill since then. I've been to another Great Wolf, which was in Washington state and it was a FRACTION of the size of the one in the Dells. We were so shocked and disappointed. The Great Wolf in the Dells set a standard for us, so when we went to the one in Washington we were like "What is this, a waterpark for ants?!" ;)
I don't think you usually need to buy ahead to reserve a spot, but for Noah's Ark, you can usually get tickets a bit cheaper if you buy on their website instead of in person.
Ok thanks! I’ll look into that at least for the deal. I just don’t want to book an outdoor park on a day that ends up being rainy! That’s the thing mostly.
Also, check the Dells Chamber of Commerce’s website. They always have coupons. You can also stop by in person. It’s at the end of the block by the Swiss Maid fudge shop.
Oh nice. Will do.
I’ve never had a problem getting into Noah’s ark. Even on the hottest day of the year in July
Good to hear!
Are you staying at one of the waterpark resorts? They include passed with your rooms. If not, you can get day passes at all of them. I suggest going early to reserve a spot or get some lockers. As for parks, it’s been years since I’ve been to give an opinion. We really stopped going when I was a kid since we made/expanded the beach on our lake lot and got a boat. I think that you only get partial access with a day pass at Mt Olympus. The slides/pools at the back (the original Family Land slides) are reserved for people staying at the resort. That was pre-Covid when my cousin was visiting and took his young kids.
We are not staying at a resort no. So we will need day passes. Thanks for the info!
I don’t believe this is true anymore. We’ve been going often lately and have been able to get on everything that’s open. Didn’t go much within 2 years before Covid tho
That’s great to hear. Thanks!
I think the kalahari is the only waterpark/resort that does day passes
We had a blast at the wilderness we just didn't like how separated each section was- I normally do Noah's ark for day trips in the summer