Inside Tips on the Wilderness Water Park in the Dells

H.,

We took our 3 y/o and 1 y/o (at the time) to the Wilderness late last summer for the first time. It was great. Since then, we've been back twice (during the cold months).

For the little ones, there are a couple of areas for them that are great. Wild West has a baby slide, swings and then a slide for those that are a little more brave (my 4 y/o isn't!). At the same time the 11 y/o can go on the bigger rides. Actually, almost all the parks have an area for little ones that is shallow enough for them.

When we went there was a good buffet at Wild Canyon where the kids ate free with an adult meal. Nice.

You don't need your own towels, but we brought our own life jackets (I'm paranoid, I guess). The boys wore them and it gave me a piece of mind.

There is also a place not too far from there...Buffalo Phil's...where you can get good pizza. They have an attached indoor game/ride area (kinda like a Dave and Busters but for kids and much smaller).

Also, since you said you are getting a condo, I'm assuming you're staying at Glacier Canyon. The rooms there are amazing! We loved it and it has spoiled us now. You'll have a full kitchen and a dishwasher. So, stock up on easy foods to make for the kids. Snacks, milk, juice. It will save you a lot of money.

Have fun! I was just on their site yesterday looking to book another summer trip.

T.

We love to go to the Wilderness. We started going when my oldest was 2 (now 8.)
You can bring your stroller to the pools. Crowded? Yes - but since your kids might sleep, you might want it.
They have pool towels there, so no need to bring your own.
Bring along buckets, etc. to play with in the water. I don't think they allow noodles, though. But, they can wear vests and water wings.
You can bring your own food and drinks to the pool. They do have food service there, but this is an option for picky eaters - plus less expensive. The kids get hungry playing in the water.
There are several different indoor and outdoor pools there. Each area will have an area for the younger kids. There are activities for all ages.
The place is large, so you may have a bit of a trek to get from your room to the pool. Bring what you need to the pool to avoid long trips back.
There is an indoor play area - aracade, climbing toys, etc. The kids need socks for the climbing area.
Have a great time!
Write if you have any other questions.

You've gotten great advice, but I just wanted to reverb that Wilderness is awesome!!! My entire family goes for a few days every August and it is a blast. I recommend bringing things for the adults too for at night (bags, cards, ladderball, etc.) Once the kids go to bed you can step right outside the condo and have tons of space to sit and talk, play, etc. I also recommend bringing putters because there is a small green right in the middle of all of the condos. I always bring a small cooler with drinks and some snacks to the pool. If a kid gets hungry it could take about 20 minutes to get back to the condos and you'll have a fitting kid the whole time. Plus it is pretty expensive to get stuff there. I heard they opened a whole bunch of new stuff this year, I also heard it is like 25 bucks a person a day extra to do it. If you do it, let me know as I'll be going in about a month.

My parents in law treat us to the Wilderness every year for a week (4 nights) during the winter. It is fantastic. We have been staying in a condo for the 7 visits. We have a 1yr old, 3 yr old, 7 yr old and 13 yr old. There is something for every age group. You don't need to bring your own towels however the ones they provide are really small and thin so you end up using 10 at a time.
With the condos there is a washer and dryer so pack light and bring laundry soap. I would throw in a load every evening to cut down on packing. Also there is a full kitchen so we would have either a lunch or a dinner at the condo to cut down on the costs. The condos have dvd players, and a crib if you need it.
I second bringing life vests. They do have some for use but I was able to relax more if my kids were wearing the vests. It gets really crowded and you can lose track in a second. The baby/toddler areas are well contained but the older kids can wander a little more. I would recommend at least one adult per kid.
That is all I can think of for right now. H. it is a good start.