Five Wild Chapters
Journey
✈️ The Travel Lodge · Trip Log

Wisconsin Dells

Where it all began with 3.5 wild chapters
Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
AUG 6–10
Dates
4
Days
3
Travelers
806
Miles
4.6
Rating
Who Traveled
C
C-28
Driver
M
M-28
snack organizer, dj
A
A-1.5
Itinerary keeper
Illinois
Wisconsin
1Home
START
2Wisconsin State Line
BRIEF STOP
3Dells
HOTEL
4Home
END
The Glovebox Journal, Day by Day

What We Did

Day 1 · Sun Aug 6
Day 1
Left home where gas was $2.13/gal
Stopped at state line to take some picutres with the Wisconsin state sign
Hotel came with water park tickets

This is the day we left for the Dells. Gas at home was $2.13/gal, and when we got to Wisconsin, it was $2.29. The drive was just over 5 hours to our hotel. We stopped at the state line to take some pictures with the Welcome to Wisconsin sign. We stayed at the American Resort and Campground, within walking distance of Mt. Olympus amusement park. With our hotel stay, we got tickets to this park, which we used later on in our trip. Our room had a queen-size bed and a bunk bed, and the bottom bunk was very low to the ground. Perfect for a 1.5-year-old. We also brought some paint tape to cover up any outlets for childproofing.

Highlight — Bottom bunk of bunk bed was 1.5 yo height, no climbing to get on bed.
Day 2 · Mon Aug 7
Day 2
Looked for gender reveal photo op, didn't luck out
Drove to Sparta and saw my first cranberry bog
Went to a wildlife park where A could field some animals

After driving around for half an hour, we ate at Cracker Barrel and then shopped at an outdoor mall. We headed back to the hotel for a nap, but A fell asleep on the way. We decided to drive up to Sparta, WI. It was a 58-mile drive, and we saw cranberry bogs on the way. We were hoping to get a photo op with A in his gender reveal shirt, but we didn't find any. We found a state park, but it was all bike trails, so we didn't get a photo there either. The trip to Sparta was a fail for us. We headed back towards our hotel and went to the wildlife park. A enjoyed looking at all the animals, along with feeding the goats through the fence. He was even picking up pieces of food he had dropped and feeding the goats more. He didn't want to stop!

Highlight — A interacting with the various animals and not wanting to leave.
Day 3 · Tue Aug 8
Day 3
Water park day, but freezing water
Food delivered by train
Mini-golf

We used our tickets that came with our hotel for the water park, and we walked there with A in the stroller. A was too small for most things, but he did enjoy the indoor lazy river. It was a high of 81 and mostly sunny, but the water in the outdoor zero entry pool was frigid. We needed a diaper change, so we used the changing table in the park bathroom, but the floor was soaked, and we slipped and fell once on the way to the very back where the table was. With a wet child and a dirty diaper, after I got him changed, we headed back to the hotel. A cried the whole way back to the hotel, which was a long walk for a pregnant mom and a crying child. A got his milk and fell asleep with mom in the queen-sized bed. After a nap and some animal crackers, we headed to Buffalo Phil's for dinner. A was enthralled by the trains, one of his favorite things. He waved every time they went past. I would highly recommend this place. The salmon was very good and cooked perfectly. The raspberry chipotle BBQ sauce on it was very good, too. After dinner, we went to Pirate's Cove. We made it through 7 holes, with I beating C 17-20.

Highlight — Buffalo Phil's for dinner, seeing A's face when our food arrived by train
Day 4 · Wed Aug 9
Day 4 - Last Full Day
Pancakes in the dining room of a steam boat
Walked Old Dells strip for local shopping
Wiconsin Deer Park where A again loved feeding the small fallow deer
Bobber's for dinner, where there was a sand area and chalk for kids to play with

On our last full day, we got up early and got going by 8 a.m. to eat at Mr. Pancake. The food was good, and the inside looked like the porch of a steamboat. The whole building looked like a steamboat on the outside, but on land. We headed to downtown Old Dells next, where we spent about an hour walking the strip. After a nap, we headed to the Wisconsin Deer Park. Once again, I loved feeding and petting the animals, especially the fallow deer. The white tails, being a bit larger, made him nervous. We got some gender-revealing photos of him in his shirt in front of a photo cut out of a buck and doe. For dinner, we ate at Bobbers Island Grill. We sat outside, and they had chalk on the table for kids to draw on the ground and a sand pit to play in. I didn't enjoy playing in the sand, but I loved drawing with the chalk. I would highly recommend this place as well.

Highlight — Finally getting a picture of A in his gender reveal shirt, it was a boy
What We Planned, What We Got

Planned vs. What Happened

📝 The Plan✓ What Actually Happened
Nothing was actually planned, sincd I was pregnat and A was 1.5, we couldn't really ride many rides at an adventure park.
We found the fun things to do that were our speed once we got there.
For Next Time

If We Did It Again

01
Painter's Tape
We bought some painter's tape to tape over the outlets when we got there so it was more child proof.
02
Water Temp
This we couldn't change/control, and we had booked the hotel months in advanced. Maybe research a bit more if there is a better time to go when the water maybe warmer.
4.6
Out of 5 · Wild Five
The Verdict

"We want to go back, but when hopefully the water is warmer, but we still found plenty of fun things to do and see."

Five Wild Chapters · The Travel Lodge

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