Wisconsin Dells

In June of 2013, we traveled north in search of fun times, family, and cheese.  Yes, that's right folks, cheese!  I ate my first cheese curd ever in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin!

This trip all started because we went to Bass Pro Shop one afternoon.  Bluegreen Vacations is a timeshare company that does a lot of their selling and promotions out of Bass Pro.  We were convinced that we needed to spend (only!) $100 and we could stay two nights at any of their resorts, plus get a bunch of Bass Pro gift cards.  Sounds like a steal, right?  Well, let's just say we won't make that mistake again.




We decided to use our two nights in conjunction with a trip to visit my husband's family for his cousin's high school graduation, so Wisconsin Dells it was!  We wanted a little bit longer of a trip than just 2 days, so we booked our first night at the Black Hawk Motel.  This place was absolutely amazing, and in hindsight we wished we would have stayed there all three nights we were in the area.  It was conveniently located, the rooms were clean, the staff and owners were super friendly, and it just had this cozy, community like feel to it.  I would HIGHLY recommend staying at this hotel if you're planning a Wisconsin Dells trip.


Cashing in our two nights from Bluegreen, we stayed at Chula Vista Resort.  There was poop on the walls of the first room they tried to give us.  Literally poop.  So we got upgraded to a suite, with a beautiful fireplace and balcony overlooking the river.  We appreciated the upgrade, but were pretty grossed out and not very impressed with Bluegreen and the Chula Vista Resort in general. so we only stayed one night.  Unfortunately, we were obligated to attend their timeshare pitch the next day and it was TERRIBLE.  It took several hours and was very high pressure.  At the end, we had to sit one on one with a guy who ended up practically begging for us to buy a timeshare.  It was mortifying and absolute torture.


We had pretty high expectations for Wisconsin Dells, but our time there didn't really live up to the hype.  As a couple in our mid 20s with no children, it wasn't really the type of place we are interested in.  It's a very tourist trap-y kind of place and their target demographic seems to be families with young children or people over the age of 75.  There are many activities for families, including a large choice of water parks, and it's definitely worth checking out if that's your kind of fun.


After our time in Wisconsin Dells, we traveled further north to Rice Lake, Wisconsin.  We really enjoyed that little town but we mainly spent our time visiting family.  I still think this would be a nice destination for people interested in fishing and lake activities. We stayed at the Super 8 Rice Lake and it was about what you would expect from a Super 8.  Mostly clean, somewhat outdated but in pretty decent shape.


If you're into cheesy, forced fun kind of places, Wisconsin Dells should be on the top of your list.  In my opinion, it's not the type of place you would go without kids and I'll probably never be back.