Kalahari Waterpark Wisconsin Dells

I wasn’t sure if this was a review or a travelogue; I guess it’s both. We left Sunday for spring break, setting out to drive the ~420 miles from Perrysburg to Lake Delton, Wisconsin. Why? Kalahari, that’s why– it claims to be America’s largest indoor waterpark. After an unnecessarily long drive (thank you, Streets & Trips, for not telling us to avoid the Ryan Expressway in Chicago), we arrived at a huge building with a prominent sign that says “Kalahari”. When we entered the lobby, the boys remarked on the carved wooden animals and other African-themed decorative touches; Arlene and I remarked on the big Krispy Kreme stand immediately next to the registration desk.
We’d reserved a Desert Room— two queens with a pull-out sofa bed– but at checkin, we were upgraded to a two-room family suite. This was a really nice touch, and it set the tone for our overall visit: every person we met was friendly and helpful, the facilities were spotless and well-maintained, and the waterpark… well, how can you not have fun with six waterslides, a big wave pool, and too much other stuff to list?
Each day, we’d have breakfast, hit the pool for a while, and take a break in the middle of the day (usually accompanied by lunch). On Monday, we went driving around the downtown Dells area, which is clotted with tourist-y stuff. Unfortunately, it was all closed; apparently high tourist season doesn’t start for another month or so. We found a grocery store and stocked up on provisions. A good thing, too, as the Great Karoo restaurant was only OK in our collective opinion. One beef: food is very expensive here, even in the lobby shops ($6 for a caramel apple? Get real!) Overall, though, we had a delightful experience– even Matthew, who’s leery of most kinds of swimming-related activities.
Today we’re headed to Appleton to visit Dad for a couple of days, and to explore. We’ve planned a trip to Lambeau Field and the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh. Arlene’s taken a bunch of pictures, but I haven’t had a chance to download any of them yet.