Tag Archives: Wisconsin Resort

Family Fun, Travel, Travel Wisconsin, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Dells

Wet and Wild Fun at Wilderness Resort

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Recently, Alex and I packed up the kids and headed down to Wisconsin Dells for a little mini-vacation, our destination, Wilderness Resort for some wet and wild water park fun!

Not only was this our first trip to the Wilderness Resort, it was also our first trip as a family to Wisconsin Dells. I have been to the Dells before but it was over 20 years ago, for a day trip and I don’t remember a thing about it. So of course, this trip was going to be a totally new experience for all of us.

Now, if you’ve never been to Wisconsin Dells, I will be honest with you, I was overwhelmed driving into town. There was just so much to look at and so many things we wanted to find the time and check out.

We arrived at Wilderness Resort just in time for check-in and pulled up to the New Frontier Lobby and I went inside to get us all checked in for the weekend. At check-in I was greeted by a nice young man named Tomás who educated me on everything I needed to know about the resort, which slides and water parks were his favorite and pretty much where I could find everything and anything we would need. He was AWESOME and it was great to be welcomed by someone who clearly enjoys his job!

Places to Stay

The Wilderness Resort has a variety of options when it comes to finding a place to stay. They have everything from your standard room to cabins, condos and villas in varying sizes.

Once we were checked in we made our way to a parking spot, unloaded the van and checked into our room. Our room was a Double Suite Wet Bar.

The room was a perfect fit for us and offered us 425 square feet of space with a max occupancy of 7 that included two queen-size beds and a sofa sleeper with a semi-privacy wall between, a wet bar, two TV’s, microwave, mini-refrigerator, coffee maker, Wi-Fi and more. We also had an upper-level pool view so we could watch others enjoying the water park.

The wet bar was a great addition to the room for us because we used it as a place to prep meals (we brought a lot of basic food items with us), feed the kids and take care of the dirty dishes.

*Children ages 2 & under stay FREE and do not need to be included in the number of registered guests.

Dining at Wilderness Resort

If you plan on dining while you are at the resort, I suggest you check out the restaurants and what they have to offer before your trip, this way you have an idea of what to expect. Wilderness has a variety of restaurants both inside the resort as well as some that are detached from the resort but still on site including Italian, a steak house and a burger joint to name a few.

Prior to our trip, we had decided we would dine at the Wild Canyon Cafe, where kids eats free, on our first night and enjoy their Friday Night Fish Fry buffet style.

Dinner was delicious and I ate more cod then any one person should! The kids also enjoyed their meals but I think they enjoyed their desserts from the buffet and their chocolate milk even more. I was also very pleased with our service at Wild Canyon Cafe and we couldn’t have asked for a better server! (Thanks Duane!)

In addition to the dining, there are also great places to grab a drink, like Survivors Bar & Grill or The Thirsty Buffalo Saloon. 

The Water Parks

Now lets face it, if you are staying at the Wilderness Resort, the chances are pretty good that the reason you are there is to enjoy their water parks. 

With eight AMAZING indoor and outdoor water parks – all EXCLUSIVELY for the use of Wilderness guests, you can bet you will have a wet and wild time!

Since we were hanging with the little kids for the weekend, we didn’t get to partake in the big water slide action but we had just as much fun hitting up the areas for the younger crowd.

Our first stop was the Wild WaterDome, a 70,000 square foot indoor water park overflowing with fun! The Wild WaterDome is home to the Great Wave (America’s largest indoor wave pool!) the Dueling Mammoths family raft rides, and Mini Mammoths Cove play area! 

The kids love slides, regardless of their size and it was a constant up the steps and down the slide night for them.

We also hit up the New Frontier Outdoor Water Park where Alexander took advantage of the big slides while Joey and Ellie hung out in the kiddie pool splashing and sliding.

Joey couldn’t get enough of either of the slides in the kiddie area and I really think this was his favorite thing about the entire trip to the park!

The kids really had a lot of fun at the New Frontier Outdoor Water Park and I’m glad we went down to check it out. I also really liked this park because they had an inground pool so we could take the kids in and practice their swimming or just relax. (This is the park we could see from the balcony in our room).

In addition to these parks, there are 6 more and plenty for everyone, of all ages to enjoy. I wish we would have had more time to check out all of the water parks. I guess this just means we need to go back again!

More to Do!

If 8 water parks and a variety of restaurants isn’t enough to keep you entertained then you will be happy to know that Wilderness Resort is also the home to a variety of attractions, including 4 different arcades, lazer tag, go-karts, zip-lining, sky ropes, a 4 story play park, mini golf and more! For those who are looking for some quiet time you can hit the golf course or the spa!

Take Home Some Souvenirs

Be sure to check out one of the many shops at Wilderness Resort and bring home a little something to remember your trip! With everything from stuffed animals, toys and clothing, you will definitely find the perfect item for you!

Connect

You can find out more about Wilderness Resort and everything they have to offer for vacations, weddings, events and more by visiting their website or by checking them out on Facebookor Twitter.

Thank you to Wilderness Resort for inviting our family to come down to Wisconsin Dells for a visit. Also, thank you to the staff who assisted us when Alex became ill and needed immediate medical attention. We appreciate everything you did for him and our family.

 

 

Dining Out, Family Fun, Sheboygan, Travel, Travel Wisconsin, Wisconsin

Everything IS Better at The Blue Harbor Resort

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If you are looking for a destination for a great family getaway you should consider a visit to Blue Harbor Resort & Spa in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

Blue Harbor Resort is the #1 resort on Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan Coast and offers 180 hotel rooms and 64 villas. Our family was recently fortunate to visit Blue Harbor for 3 days/2 nights and check out everything they have to offer.

Now, as you can probably imagine, traveling as a group of 7 we tend to need a lot of stuff and we take up a lot of space. Thankfully, Blue Harbor has a room to fit everyone’s needs.

Loft Fireplace Suite

We stayed in a Loft Fireplace Suite, a 736 square foot room that sleeps 8 and offers 2 queen size beds and a full-size sofa sleeper on the first floor complete with a full bathroom, wet bar, mini-fridge, microwave, 2 flat screen TVs, fireplace and a small balcony as well as a loft area with a 3rd queen size bed, half-bath and a 3rd flat screen TV.

Blue Harbor also has additional suites and villas available to meet the specific needs of your family, including rooms with bunk beds or those that are perfect for a romantic getaway!

Now, as much as I wanted to crawl right into that giant and fluffy queen size bed, the kids definitely had other plans and were dying to hit up some water slides at Breaker Bay, Blue Harbor’s year-round indoor water park.

Breaker Bay

The weather is always nice and the water is always 84° in this 54,000-square-foot entertainment area and everyone is sure to have a great time!

Breaker Bay has an interactive lighthouse water fort that features a nearly 1,000-gallon tipping water ship, an activity center that is interconnected with suspension bridges, cargo nets, web crawls and more than 60 guest-activated water effects, 4 water slides, lazy river, pool, jacuzzi tub and the Riptide surf simulator.

Everyone had a great time playing in the water, going down the slides, playing water basketball and just having a lot of fun!

This trip was Ellie’s first time on a water slide and although she wasn’t quite sure about it at first, she was hooked by the time our trip was over!

For Libby and Alexander, it was a constant race to the bottom!

As for Joey, he just really liked being in the water and playing!

 

Ride The Riptide

One thing that was an absolute hit with Alex and Alexander was The Riptide Surf Simulator. I’m pretty sure they would have spent all of their time body boarding had we not had other things on the agenda while we were visiting Blue Harbor.

Dining at Blue Harbor

On our first morning, after a long night of swimming and a toddler who didn’t want to go to sleep, I was ecstatic to learn that Shoreline Café offers a full line of Starbucks coffees as well as some delicious treats.

Although the kids were exhausted after hours and hours of fun at Breaker Bay, we still had the chance to enjoy some of the delicious food from the different restaurants at Blue Harbor.

On our second night, we had dinner delivered right to our room from The Beacon while Joey napped before heading out to the Tripoli Shrine Circus.

Dinner was absolutely delicious and we have been craving those crisp Wisconsin cheese curds since!

We were also very pleased that The Beacon offers a kids menu with a large selection as well.

Once we returned from the circus and got the kids all settled in for the night, we left them in the capable hands of our trusty teenagers and Alex and I took some time to ourselves to enjoy a nightcap at On The Rocks Bar & Grill where we were happy to find New Glarus Spotted Cow on tap!

 

Blue Harbor is also the home to Latitude 43, a more upscale restaurant serving seafood and steak in a seaside setting with a beautiful view of Lake Michigan. 

If you are hungry or in need of a drink while playing at Breaker Bay, you can grab something from the Rocky Bottom Snack Bar or if you are enjoying the outdoor pool, be sure to check out the Poolside Snack Bar for a selection of beers and frozen cocktails!

Shopping

If you are looking to do a little shopping, be sure to check out The Boutique, located in the lobby, offers a wonderful selection of interesting gifts and home decor items including Vera Bradley handbags and accessories, Broken Earth Wines and so much more!

Connected to Breaker Bay, you will find Washed Ashore Swim Shop filled with gifts & sundries including swimwear, towels and more.

If you want to step outside and go for a stroll, be sure to stop by the Harbor Centre, a quaint village within easy walking distance of Blue Harbor’s front door filled with a variety of one-of-a-kind shops.

Relax

One thing I was hoping to do on this trip but just didn’t have the time for was pay a visit to Reflections Spa for some serious pampering (hopefully I can enjoy some me time on another trip!).

Reflections Spa offers a full menu of spa services and packages that are sure to make your stay very relaxing.

There’s EVEN MORE!

Although we didn’t get a chance to experience it all, Blue Harbor has even more to offer its guests including mini glow golf, a fitness center, lakeside activities, golf, kids club, activities for teens and so much more. At Blue Harbor, there really is something for everyone!

Our Experience

Overall, our trip to Blue Harbor Resort & Spa was great. We all had an awesome time, spent as much time as we could in the water, enjoyed the dining, the views and enjoying our time together as a family.

Thanks to our friends at Blue Harbor Resort & Spa for this amazing opportunity for our family to celebrate the end of the school year and kick off our summer vacation!

Connect

You can find out more about Blue Harbor and everything they have to offer for vacations, weddings, events and more by visiting their website or by checking them out on Facebook or Twitter.