Small Children Waterpark in WI Dells Area

We loved Great Wolf Lodge. In fact my son plays "GWL" at home regularly. I chose it based on online reviews and comparing GWL, Kalahari, and Wilderness. After also talking to some folks I was glad to rule out Kalahari - people like, but said for older kids. The part of Wilderness for kids that we wanted to go to was across the lake and would have required driving at the time we were staying in the Dells. We would have stayed in the main part of Wilderness - so that might be a factor. GWL had stuff for us but most importantly plenty for out 3 year old to do. The toddler area is great.

We've been to Kalahari (when my kids were 2.5 and 9 months) and to the Wilderness (when they were 2 & 4). Both had nice areas for toddlers and smaller slides for them. Both resorts also had life jackets available for the children. There was actually a lot of stuff for the little ones to do safely on their own, including some fairly long, "adult" style waterslides. I should clarify that we were there in the winter/spring both times so I only know what's available indoors.

Good luck!

The Wilderness hands down. We just stayed at Chula Vista this past weekend and it was ok but we would rather go back to The Wilderness way more pools to choose from and they have a shuttle that will take you back and forth because you have access to all their pools. We've stayed at Glacier Canyon and Wilderness on the Lake and loved both of them, they are all part of Wilderness. Glacier Canyon had really nice rooms they sound pricey but we had one with a kitchen so we went to WalMart and loaded up on groceries and did all of our cooking there so it kept us from eating out all the time. We've also cooked some stuff ahead of time and brought it with so all we had to do was heat it up like taco meat and made tacos one night. Have fun!

I agree that the Wilderness is awesome for little ones. They have the water parks, but they also have a dry park where they can play when they've had enough water.

If you want something outside, I noticed that Noah's Ark now has a kiddie area in their park.

We took our kids to the Kalahari (we went in Oct and only did indoor) when they were 4 and 2 and they loved it! There was an area specifically for younger kids where it was only several inches deep. We also went to the Wilderness and also loved that too - there are so many waterparks (probably 4 indoor and 4 indoor) that there is something for all ages!

We were just at the Kalahari with our 2 year old. They have a few sections just for littler kids. Some "family" water slides. And the provide life jackets. We had a blast!

Wilderness Resort has a whole pool area called "baby bear" My girls loved that room, even when they were a few years older than 4 and 2. It has really cool waterslides perfect and safe for younger kids, but that are still long enough to be very fun. They also have a lot of nice outdoor areas too. Great Wolf is also a very fun resort. I love the rooms at Great Wolf that have a separate "kids suite" that is like a little log cabin room.

Great Wolf Lodge has a really great area for kids; I've been there more than once!

My brother went to Great Wolf lodge a couple of times in the past few years. His daughter is 5 now so I am sure they have something. There is a hotel that has a special place for smaller tots. I am sure others do as well. I know Noah' Ark did when we went years ago. Check out www.dells.com for more info and coupons. They mostly do show the excitement stuff but you can also see the more tame areas for your kids.

All of the water parks have areas for small children, but your child may still be too small to go on the water slides. We go to the Dells every year, and never took our daughter along until she was tall enough to go on the rides with a parent. The waterpark is very large also, and can sometimes be extremely crowded, especially on weekends and hot days when the younger (17-21yrs) set decides to skip work/school to have a day of fun in the sun. You may want to consider one of the indoor water parks, as they are not as large and may be easier to keep track of your kids if they are wanderers. Information about the indoor parks can be easily found on line, and most have an 800 number if you have any questions.

Good luck, and enjoy your trip to the Dells, it's great fun!

We went to the Copa Cabana over spring break and it was wonderful! It is an older, mediocre hotel but the waterpark is fabulous for young kids. There is a ship on the kids side for them to play in with a couple of smaller slides. The water is only 2 or so feet deep, so no worries of them drowning. There is a deeper pool in the other room (I think it was 5 ft). I have pictures if you would like me to email them to you. Have fun!

The resorts have stuff for all ages- we went to Chula Vista when our son was one and we just floated for hours in the lazy river. Our nephew(4 at the time) played in another area. The summer is a great time for the Dells with the outdoor parks too! We've been to the Wilderness too, it is really big- bring a stroller for your little ones just to walk between the rooms and the parks. Lots of stuff for little ones there too!

We just got back from a vacation to the Dells with our 3 and 5 year olds. We stayed at the Copa Cabana and the kids loved it. It is designed for smaller kids. I'm sure they would let you play there for a day for a price. We chose to stay there because it was cheaper than the big water parks. The bigger parks charge more because they offer so much more, but that didn't matter to us because our children are too small to enjoy all that the bigger parks have to offer.
They do not have floaties so bring your own if you go!

You should look into Chula Vista. They have an indoor and outdoor water park, and the outdoor has some good toddler-friendly slides/areas.

KALAHARI! Hands down. Check their website online. We've been there 5 or 6 times. The last time we were there our kids were 1 month and 2 1/2. There was plenty for EVERYONE to do! It is one of the largest waterparks in the US. And we didn't even go to their outdoor one! They have a couple different areas for smaller kids. And their lazy river is so big! I've been to a couple parks where the lazy river is just a tiny circle and those are so boring....

We've stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge twice--once when my daughter was 3 and when she was 4. We had a great time. The suites are really nice. The waterpark has a whole area for the toddler that's really fun water play. There are also a couple of mini slides that they can go down (good to have a parent at the bottom to catch them!). There are lifeguards all over the place and the kids can wear those floatie life vests. They had bedtime reading in the lobby for the little ones. It was a really great vacation, which is why we went back a second time!

C.
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It has been a family tradition in my family to visit the Dells almost every summer since before I had children. There have always been plenty of things for the younger kids to do and now almost every water park has areas for smaller kids. Many of the hotels and campsites do as well. Here is a website to check out that tells of the different amenities offered - some have pictures. http://www.wisdells.com/WisconsinDellsLodging/camping.cfm
Just explain before you go that some of the slides have height restrictions for safety and the lifeguards don't let small children on them. My kids have always been ok with that and there are a few that are large rafts so the whole family can ride together and you can hold on to the child. Many of the parks have theme play areas with water shooting up all over and water guns and stuff that are more exciting to them anyway so they don't care much when they can't go on the big water slides. Have fun!