To the Dells or Somewhere Else???

When we went to the Dells we actually didn't stay "in the Dells" - we stayed at a place called Holiday Shores. It is listed as a campground in the Dells. BUT it has hotel/motel cabins. You can google them at holiday shores. Then check out the "motel" rates. I loved it! Their "motel rooms" are each their own little cabin with 2 beds (you can have a travel crib in their also), TV, mini fridge, bathroom. Then outside of each one is a picnic table, and a firepit and in between each 2 is a grill and their are 2 playgrounds right by the hotel rooms also.

They have a swimming beach, a game room, their own little general store, you can rent boats or waverunners, they also had kids activities etc. And then when you want to go into the dells themselves it's only about 10 minutes but you can also just stay out of the hustle, bustle, and expense of the dells and chill out right there at the hotel/campground area. We went to Walmart one day and got charcoal, burgers, hotdogs, etc and did out own on the grill there so saved a fortune on meals out. The general store made their own donuts in the morning and had coffee etc so you could go right there and pick up fresh hot donuts and coffee for breakfast. And then we sat around our own campfire in the evenings roasting marshmallows and making smores. And during the day, you can go to the beach area, the kids can play in the playground, go on a boat ride etc.
When you are in the mood to go shopping or to the waterpark, drive 10 minutes into the dells proper. We loved it and will probably be going back again at the end of summer.
Hope this helps a little.
R.
http://www.mythirtyone.com/yourbaglady

I actually think the Dells is your best bet....We are planning a trip there this summer I have a 14 month old and I know there is so much for all ages to do.....I have been there several times over the years and I absolutely love the Dells......Enjoy!

My family has done a family vacation there for years, we have people of all ages that go and most everybody has a great time (minus a few drama queens!!!) We stay at Wilderness in the cabins, you wouldn't need something nearly that big, but it can sleep up to 15, but we have slept more then 20 in there at once. I think your 13 year old is really going to love the dells. I recommend if you go try to avoid downtown on the weekends, it can be a crazy mess to get down there. The shops are cute, but not always worth the hassle of getting down there. There are condos where you can stay that have kitchens, which is great for saving money, there is also a super walmart a few minutes from the dells. Have fun...it is a great time!

The Dells are great but remember it can be pretty expensive and you sometimes have to make reservation a little ahead of time.
There is also Timber ridge Lodge in Lake Geneva, WI. http://www.timberridgeresort.com/index_2.asp?sourceid=
It is a water park with in the Lodge.

Have Fun...
S.

I don't want to sound like the KOA lady, having already offered this suggestion to another mom, buttttttttt....... it's a blast! They have cabins, some are 2 rooms (totally recommend if you want any privacy, there's a room with 2 sets of bunkbeds, and a separate room with a double), others are lodges which have more room, then there's the one-room ones with a set of bunkbeds & a full bed in one tiny room. You bring your own linnens but they're clean and fun! There's a picnic bench outside and a fire pit (none in Texas, but then it was a dry area) and a porch swing. And there's a grill so you can make your food there and save more moolah (I could do a whole book on great camping food you can do on a grill - make kabobs ahead of time, freeze them and they'll thaw in the cooler so you have a yummy, healthy dinner, or do the whole burger thing ... you get the idea!)

They're so much fun, but what's even more fun is the campgrounds have a playground & pool, some have other activities (the one near Naperville has dance parties on weekends & hay rides, very fun but only 1 room cabins there). Our oldest was graduating from Air Force Basic Training in San Antonio, Texas, last August and we'd planned to camp. But that'd have been way too much gear for our little van. So I found out about KoA in doing my homework loved the idea of the cabin and went for it. We stayed in Mo, a stone's throw from Branson and that was our fav, also in Dallas (not so much) and San Antonio. They were all pretty standard and clean. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

So all that said, I looked at their website .. www.koa.com and they have one outside Springfield, which would be a blast for all your kids- do the Lincold museum (supposed to be really cool and high-tech), take in some other sites, have s'mores and chill by the fire in the evenings. I may take my family there this year. Check out the site and see if that'd work for you. They have photos of all the various campgrounds so you can see what you're getting yourself into. I really hope you'll give it a shot, your kids would like it and they're way more affordable than a hotel and more fun!

Have fun!
D.