Yesterday, we were looking to get out of town for the day. The kids and I decided to venture up to Wisconsin Dells for a quick day of sight-seeing and fun. We hadn't been up to Wisconsin Dells yet this summer and were looking forward to doing a little exploring and trying some new activities out - other than the typical water parks that we visit.
After a quick stop to the Outlet Mall, we stopped for some fast food downtown and grabbed a quaint spot by the dam. We enjoyed our picnic lunch over-looking the water. We had the whole place to ourselves!
Then we headed over the bridge to Wizard Quest. I have been to The Dells dozens of times and walked right past Wizard Quest on several occasions. I had even browsed through the gift shop before. But I never have actually thought of going in, because I thought it would be cheesy and a waste of time and money. I really try to plan where we spend our money, especially for special outings like this. Man, was I wrong.
Upon entering Wizard Quest, we were given a device (Skrindle) and were able to choose from several adventures., or "realms". We opted to start with "Earth". Each realm has a wizard who has been trapped and it is your job to free them. You are given clues throughout the game to find other objects in your assigned realm, which will unlock more adventures in the other three realms. There are tons of secret doors, passage ways, a ball pit, crawl spaces and a mirror maze.
If your kids like video games, Pokeman Go or Geocaching, they will love this! This adventure is pretty similar and a team-building treasure hunt. We were given 75 minutes to complete our adventure. I was worried that we wouldn't be able to do it, but we did within the first half hour, which unlocked more challenges that we were able to complete.
I was advised that the floor was not stroller friendly (think stairs and optional slides), so I was happy that I brought my baby carrier. I strapped my baby in it and walked hands-free while she enjoyed the scenery and eventually napped for the rest of our adventure. My kids had so much fun working together on the clues and finding all of the items on our list. Some areas may be scary for small children. My older children are 8 and 12 yrs and they were perfect for this kind of outing. You will be zig-zagging all over Wizard Quest, too and may split up. So I would recommend keeping a close eye on preschool age children - especially in the darker areas.
Like I said, I thought this would be a cheesy attraction, but it actually turned out to magical and an absolute blast!! We even finished all of our challenges with thirty seconds left to spare.
Kids ages 5-11 are $9.99 and adults are $14.99. I would highly suggest doing Wizard Quest as a family on your next trip up to Wisconsin Dells. It's located right downtown next to the quaint Wisconsin Dells Riverwalk. I think you could even combine Wizard Quest with one of the local pubs and a stroll down the Riverwalk - for a fun, unique date night experience.
Speaking of "cheesy" .... after we freed our Wizard ... we headed next door to Oodlesmack Popcorn. They have so many cheese flavored popcorns, specialty popcorns and fruit flavored popcorns. You are going to love all of their FREE samples! Each kid chose their own mini bag and both tasted delicious (believe me, I tried them!). We grabbed a spot on the patio outside and enjoyed our afternoon snack.
Right next to the popcorn place was Ripley's Believe it or Not!. Now THIS I had walked by many, many times but never went in. They claim to have everything odd, weird and unbelievable. And, that's exactly what it was. There are eleven galleries in this crazy attraction.
The kids enjoyed walking through the Duct Tape Room and looking at everything made solely from Duct Tape. They also liked the shrunken heads exhibit that they read up on. There were multiple levels in this attraction as well. But I was able to navigate with the stroller - with some assistance from my two older helpers. There were a couple of areas I couldn't go, like a secret fireplace. This self-guided tour was completed in about fourty-five minutes.
We spent forever in a dark tomb, uncovering secret symbols and pushing the buttons to see what secret passages or attractions would open. My littlest did not enjoy the loudest secret of them all, when the whole tomb would shake. Even mom was a bit scared the first time. Of course, the Egyptian temple was the favorite attraction for my oldest children. So we braved it out.
Again, kids ages 5-11 are $9.99 and adults are $14.99 per visit.
We had a fun, unique adventure in downtown Wisconsin Dells yesterday. Two fun attractions crossed off of our list! Both were great activities if you are looking for something different to do in the Dells, other than the water parks. They would also be great options for a rainy afternoon or sometime this winter, too. If I had to choose one spot to spend my money, I would hands-down choose Wizard Quest - and my kids agree. It really was fun working together and solving all of the riddles together. I would go back and see what other adventures there are in the other realms.
But, why choose??!! Purchase the Downtown Dells Discovery Pass and receive half-off the second attraction!
