Wisconsin Dells September 20

 Our trip started off with an early morning drive. We woke up at 6:00 and drove up to Ludington.  I have lived in Michigan almost my whole life and I have never taken a boat across the big lake.  This is something I was very excited to do.  We took the SS Badger.  It took us 4 hours to get across the lake.  It was as really cool to only see water and no land. It did sway quite a bit.  None of us got sea sick but we could tell we were on the water.  Our favorite park was the deck of the boat.

     When we landed we drove 45 minutes north to Green Bay.  They have an amusement park there that has quarter tickets.  The kids loved it.  We then drove about 30 minutes outside of Green Bay and stayed at a hotel using our choice credit card points.

Westin and I on the SSBadger

Enjoying the ride on Lake Michigan

getting ready to board the boat

rollar coster fun

Bay Beach Amusement park 

Bay Beach Amusement park 

 Our first stop for the day was a tour of Union Star cheese factory.  We got to see how they make cheese and we enjoyed eating fresh cheese curds.

     From there we drove to Devil’s Lake State Park.  There was a $15 entrance fee that was well worth it. We enjoyed playing by the lake then had our picnic lunch.  Next, we started our hike.  We thought we were at the trail head but weren’t and ended up bouldering half way up the path. We got to see balanced rock and then the Devil’s Doorway.  It was a beautiful hike.

     From there we finished driving to the Wisconsin Dells.  We stayed at on BlueGreen property.  We bought a sampler  package earlier this year and are looking forward to checking out their property this year.  The indoor pool was under construction when we first arrived but we did enjoy a swim in the outdoor pool and hot tub.

cheese factory tour

Cheese curds

Balanced rock 

Devil's Lake

Hiking 

Devil's doorway

Devil's Doorway

Devil's Lake 

Devil's Lake

Outdoor hot tub fun 

Tuesday-We decided that today we would enjoy the amenities at our property.  We went put put golfing and enjoyed the paddle boat and kayaks.  We also enjoyed their outdoor hot tub and indoor pool area with slide and play features.  After lunch we drove into town and I took the kids to the Grateful Shed.  We got dessert and cheese curds.  We enjoyed playing big Jenna in the outdoor space.  The kids enjoyed seeing the town and all the stuff that’s available in the summer season.

Free kayaks from the resort

Outside hot tubs

Enjoying the slide at our resort

Enjoying free put put at our resort

We got ice cream and cheese curds at the Grateful Shed

Outside at the Grateful Shed

Wednesday - We went to hike the Dells today.  It was a beautiful trail and mostly empty.  We only saw a few people.  We really have been enjoying the beauty of this place. After our morning hike we came back to the resort and had lunch.  We enjoyed the resort for the rest of the day.  The kids really enjoyed the craft area that had a tie dye project.

hiking the Dells

Enjoying nature at the Dells

Our hike to the Dells

Tie dying at the craft center

Thursday - You can't go to the Dells without visiting a water park.  All of the outside parks were closed for the season.  We could see them from the road and they all looked amazing! We got passes online for Mt. Olympus for around $5 on sale.  I was a little disappointed with the indoor options.  There were only 2 water slides.  They had a lazy river and a kiddy splash area.  The indoor amusement area was lacking too. This place is defiantly a better place to visit in the summer. After we visited the water park we drove toward Madison and had a hotel stay there. 

Mt. Olympus Water Park 

The indoor water park

Indoor amusement park 

Indoor amusement park 

Mt. Olympus sun deck

Enjoying the lazy river 

Friday - I have a son that is obsessed with mustard.  Outside of Madison is the national mustard museum. It was the cutest little museum.  They also have a free testing bar. It was a fun stop on the way home. 

National Mustard museum

The tasting bar