At the end of June, our family was fortunate to escape our everyday life here in Green Bay and head down to Wisconsin Dells and enjoy some much needed summer family fun thanks to the fine folks at the Kalahari Resorts.
A few years ago, we took the kids to Wisconsin Dells and well, that summer trip didn’t quite go as planned and things were derailed when Alex ended up in the ER with pneumonia. I am BEYOND happy to report that this time around, our trip was nothing but absolute fun and filled with some great memories and according to our 3 little people, THE BEST VACATION EVER!
From the moment we checked in to the resort, we were captivated by the beauty throughout. Of course, Ellie and I couldn’t get enough of all of the elephants everywhere since we are elephant fanatics!
This beauty greeted us upon entering the lobby to get all checked in for our stay.
Getting Checked In
What was really great about our stay at Kalahari Resorts was that even though check-in wasn’t until 4pm, we could arrive as early as 12:00pm, and pre-register and begin to enjoy the waterparks, which was great because it was a very very warm summer day!
An aerial view of a small section of the main lobby of Kalahari Resort Wisconsin Dells.
I don’t even have the words to describe how amazing this lobby is. To me, I didn’t feel like I was in the lobby of a hotel, I felt like I was in the middle of the mall with a guest services counter nearby. This lobby is overflowing with things for everyone to do. There are places to eat, shop, snack, grab a coffee, hit the spa, and gain access to both the indoor and outdoor waterparks.
A Room with a View
When we arrived to our room, we were blown away by not just how beautiful it was but by the view, the layout and the size. Our room was a Royal Two Room Family Suite and it featured one king bed, a separate room with two queen beds, full-size sofa sleeper, two full bathrooms, fireplace, two televisions and a large patio/balcony. Check it out for yourself.
King Size Size Bedroom in the Royal Two Room Family Suite
1 of 2 full bathrooms with soaking tubs
Room with two queen beds within the Royal Two Room Family Suite
Full-size sofa sleeper, fireplace, 1 of 2 50 Inch Flat Screen TVs , table and chairs and a large patio/balcony. (Not pictured: 2 vanities, coffee maker, safe, refrigerator and microwave).
And last, but certainly not least, the view we had from our room was amazing!
Zambezi Outdoor Waterpark view from the balcony of our Royal Two Room Family Suite
We were so happy with our suite. It was extremely spacious, the kids all had their own spot to sleep, Alex and I had our own bed (even if it was invade by a small boy), it was clean, there was NO FIGHTING over the bathroom, the beds were comfortable and we couldn’t have asked for a better place to spend the night.
Indoor Waterpark
We spent a good portion of our time at the resort enjoying the 125,000 square foot indoor waterpark. During our trip, there was an extreme summer heatwave and the temperature outside was well over 100° the entire time we were in town. Even with being in the water outside, we just could not stand the heat and the sun constantly beating down on us. Thankfully, the indoor waterpark had more than enough for all of us to enjoy!
For the most part, we hung out in the Leopard’s Lair, a multi-level water tree fort for all ages! You can wade in the zero depth entry pool, zip down slides of all sizes, play in water features and get soaked from the cross-firing water cannons! 
Leopard’s Lair
In addition to Leopard’s Lair, the indoor waterpark offers a wave pool with a small kiddie play area, a 920 foot lazy/torrent river for you to take a break and just relax, catch some waves on the Flowrider, all this in addition to some wicked water slides, a swim up bar, whirlpool spas and more!
We spent hours watching the kids run around, splash, play and have fun. Alex and I enjoyed chasing them in the water, splashing around, seeing the smiles on their faces and that they never got bored doing the same things over and over. To them, it never got old.
Ellie must have gone done the same slide no less than 50 times and every time she did it, this express and excitement was the same.
When we weren’t in the water playing with the kids, Alex and I enjoyed some time just sitting, relaxing and watching them enjoy every moment of everything they were doing. We also managed to share the biggest margarita we have ever had!
Zambezi Outdoor Waterpark
Wild Wildebeest
Zimbabwe Zipper
On top of these wicked slides, there is a lazy river, a kids play area complete with tree fort and whirlpool spa.
We can’t wait until our next visit, hopefully sometime next summer, to check out the outdoor waterpark with the kids since they will all be bigger and hopefully it won’t be to hot to breathe outside!
Delicious Food Right Around Every Corner
The dining choices at Kalahari Resort Wisconsin Dells were top notch and more than what we ever could have expected. Everything from the kids meals to the soups, the appetizers and the entrees and desserts, it was all delicious. During our stay, we enjoyed dinner at the Wisconsin Brew Pub where I had the best ever French onion soup made with my favorite New Glarus Brewing Spotted Cow Ale, gruyere cheese, and Bavarian pretzel bread.
The next morning, we had breakfast at Ivory Coast Restaurant right in the lobby of the resort. Alex had the Crab Cake Benedict and raves about it. I went with the Spinach & Artichoke Frittata, made with Spinach and artichoke dip with feta cheese on an open faced omelet and O.M.G. it was one of the most amazing things I have ever had for breakfast.
On top of these two restaurants, Kalahari Resorts also offers Double Cut contemporary steakhouse, Trapper’s Turn, Great Karoo Buffet, Java Manjaro (featuring Starbucks!), Sweet Hut Restaurant, Upper Deck Lounge & Lanes as well as the waterpark snack shacks and room service.
Shopping and Souvenirs
We had a lot of fun checking out the Zakanaka Kids shop at let each of the kids pick out a cool souvenir to bring home. There was such a large selection of items, the kids had a really hard time deciding what they wanted but in the end, we ended up letting two of them create their own Kenya and Kya stuffed elephants complete with sound while the other picked out some cool puzzles.
Ellie with Kya
In addition to the goodies they found in the shops, the kids also had fun collecting the different Kalahari medallions and flattened pennies.
Treat Yourself
Sadly, I did not get to do the one thing that I really wanted to do during our stay because, well we were just having so much fun with everything else that I ran out of time. I had planned on taking some time to treat myself with a trip Spa Kalahari & Spa to enjoy their new Halotherapy Service.
Salt therapy, or halotherapy, uses a halogenerator to vaporize pure salt into the air so it can be breathed deep into the lungs. Halotherapy is also recommended for healthy people as it boosts the immune system to help combat the high amounts of pollutants and bacteria we all breathe every day. The negative ions produced help combat stress and depression.
As someone who suffers from asthma, allergies, frequent ear infections and dermatitis, I really wanted to give it a try to see if it helped reduce my symptoms. Hopefully I will get the chance during our next visit.
Kalahari Indoor Themepark
After checking out, we hung around the resort for a few hours to let the kids unwind and burn some energy in the 100,000 square foot Kalahari Indoor Themepark. Since we had dined at the Wisconsin Brew Pub for dinner the evening before, we had purchased $10 Action Cards for the themepark at a discount of $6 each with each entree so the kids were ready to have some fun. Of course, we loaded their cards with some extra money to make sure they truly enjoyed themselves!
The indoor themepark was truly mind blowing. There was just so much to do and so much to take in. We could have spent an entire day there and they never would have run out of things to do.
Everything from mini golf, go-carts, a Ferris wheel, arcade games, bowling, laser tag, rock climbing walls, a carousel, a ropes course and so much more….IT IS NEVER ENDING
The last thing the kids did in the themepark, while I wrangled all their tickets for Alex to load them to their cards to redeem for prizes, was give the rock climbing wall a try. When we were planning our trip and I told them they had a rock climbing wall, they all wanted to give it a try.
This video does have sound but it is muted when you start it.
Ellie and Joey were also pretty excited to bump into Lou the Lion before heading home from our trip.
The last thing we did before leaving the resort was something to make me happy. All 5 of us crammed into a photobooth built for two to create some of the most epic family photos ever!
It sure was fun though and I will forever giggle at the results. If you look really hard you can see Alex in a few, you can tell that Alexander was not enjoying any of it, that I couldn’t stop laughing, that Ellie loved that fan in the booth blowing at us and that Joey didn’t have a clue what the heck was going on. Best vacation photos EVER!!!
Thank you for having us, Kalahari Resorts we had an AMAZING time. Everything during our stay was wonderful from check-in to check-out. The service, the food, the room, the waterparks, the theme park, the shopping, you name it. We loved it all.
According to our kids, this was the best vacation ever and they #LoveKalahari and can’t wait to come back to #AmericasLargest indoor and outdoor water park and resort. We hope to see you again next summer and stay longer and have even more fun!
Thanks for the hospitality and a truly wonderful and memorable trip for our family.
Not Just a Summer Trip
There is so much to do at Kalahari Resort Wisconsin Dells that you don’t have to wait until summer when it is nice and warm to visit. Take advantage of the great deals they offer the rest of the year and enjoy the indoor waterpark, themepark, spa and fabulous dining as well as all of the other great indoor attractions in and around Wisconsin Dells. Be sure to look online to find the best Kalahari Resort deals!
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