An area of towering sandstone cliffs (up to 150 ft/45 m tall) along the Wisconsin River 100 mi/160 km northwest of Milwaukee, the Wisconsin Dells has been a popular travel attraction since the 1800s.
Nature has been joined by man-made attractions, making this a bustling tourism center that draws big crowds in the summer. Not everyone will care for the commercialized atmosphere, but many love it. Wisconsin Dells is especially popular with families, who find plenty to do.
If you want pure scenic beauty, you'll find it on one of the boat tours of the Dells, which give you a close-up look at the sandstone formations. There are two sections—the Upper and Lower Dells—which are separated by a dam, so you have to take two boat rides to see the whole area. The tour of the Upper Dells includes stops where you can hike on riverside nature trails. You can also see the river in one of the Wisconsin Ducks, amphibious vehicles from World War II.
On land, there's a profusion of entertainment venues. Among the choices: the Tommy Bartlett Thrill Exploratory Interactive Science Center, Noah's Ark Waterpark, Mt. Olympus Water and Theme Park and Timbavatil Wildlife Park. There's also a motor speedway, a Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, a wax museum, the Ho-Chunk Gaming casino, and the Wisconsin Opry (country-music concerts).
Though summer is definitely peak season at the Dells, the indoor water parks and some other attractions remain open all year. A profusion of indoor water-park resorts—many of which reserve admission to guests—offer additional indoor attractions, including the Wilderness Resort (laser tag), Kalahari Resort (indoor "surfing") and Great Wolf Lodge (a four-story play structure with video-game theme).
There are some less frenetic sights in the area, as well: The enterprising 19th-century photographer H.H. Bennett first brought the Dells to the world's attention with his work. Today, his well-preserved studio is open to the public as a museum (weekends only, summer to mid-October). Many visitors to the Dells often lodge or camp at nearby Devil's Lake State Park, a sanctuary of noncommercialized splendor that has high bluffs surrounding a large lake. It's one of the few spots to rock climb in the state. Rocky Arbor State Park is another possibility for camping and it too has impressive sandstone cliffs.
The Great Wisconsin Dells Balloon Rally, a hot-air-balloon event, takes place in June.
In Baraboo, between Devil's Lake and the Dells, there are two must-sees: the headquarters of the International Crane Foundation, which has living examples of every kind of crane found in the world, and the Circus World Museum, which has exhibits of old circus equipment as well as summer big-top performances (Baraboo is the birthplace of the Ringling Brothers Circus). Be sure to see the flea circuses, which present some amazing insect feats.
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