Every Summer we get together with my sister and her family and have a fun family vacation! This includes my husband, son (age 5) and myself along with my sister, her husband and two daughters (ages 7 and 1 1/2). This year we decided to go to the Wisconsin Dells area because it’s not too far away for us and is very family friendly. Here is where we stayed and everything we did!
We prefer to rent a house when we go on our family vacations because it can hold all 7 of us. We chose this house in Portage, WI because of its size, amenities and close location to Wisconsin Dells and Baraboo (only 15 minutest away from both places). We really liked the house and it was great for both of our families. We enjoyed the hot tub, sauna and games that were provided.
Day 1
The first day is always the travel day because check-in is in the afternoon. We settled into the house and then had dinner downtown Wisconsin Dells at Monk’s Bar & Grill. If you visit Wisconsin Dells you have to eat at Monk’s! The food is good and it’s a fun place to take kids but adults still enjoy it as well. There are two locations in the area and the downtown one that I linked is the one we always go to. I have never been to the second location but I have heard it’s not the same. I will continue to go to the one I have been going to since I was a kid.
We, of course, got poured on walking to Monk’s. I don’t think you can have a true Wisconsin Dells experience without getting caught in a rain storm!
Day 2
The second day was the big waterpark day! We decided to go to Great Wolf Lodge because it is good for younger kids and has an indoor/outdoor waterpark in case the weather is bad. The kids had A BLAST at the waterpark and my son still talks about it being the highlight of his Summer. We spent pretty much the whole day here!
A little warning: we did not know we had to also pay for parking to go to the waterpark (on top of the day passes we had already purchased in advance) and parking was $19 + tax! Here’s a tip- have someone drop you off with all the kids and stuff and then they can park at the mall parking lot, which is next to the hotel parking lot. Then you can save yourself a little money!
We later grabbed dinner at River Walk Pub downtown Wisconsin Dells. The food was good but a little expensive. But my husband pointed out that my meal was less than parking at the waterpark, so I guess everything is about perspective!
Day 3
This happened to be my favorite day and it was so unexpected! In the morning, my husband, son and I did a solo adventure to Baraboo Candy to stock up on our favorite treats and then headed over the Wisconsin Dells Antique and Craft Mall for me to wander around. We always stop into these places every time we’re in the area!
And then, in the afternoon, we all went to Circus World in Baraboo! My sister really wanted to go and I obliged but I didn’t think I would like it. I WAS WRONG! It ended up being my favorite part of the whole trip. The grounds were beautiful, sitting on both sides of Baraboo River. The museum was really interesting and was very kid friendly. Some of the exhibits were even in old buildings that housed circus animals like the camels and elephants, which I thought was cool because I like old buildings. There’s even an amazing exhibit of the circus wagons that are being restored and they are too cool to even explain. They’re beautifully ornate and huge! I didn’t realize how big they would be in person. Circus World also has a circus performance every day in the big top tent and it was soooo good! I highly recommend visiting Circus World if you’re in the Wisconsin Dells area.
Day 4
This was our last day and our travel day home. We like to have an easy morning, pack and then head out as soon as possible. We swung back into Baraboo to grab coffee for the road. We went to Kingdom Coffee and I was so happy we did! The coffee was a cute trailer, was yummy and every cup had a Bible verse on it!
Have you ever been to Wisconsin Dells or Baraboo? Leave a comment, I would to read about it! And make sure to sign up for emails, and follow me on Instagram, LTK and Pinterest for all of my latest posts!
~Caitlin~
Modest Petite Daily 