Hey there friends! We spent 4 fabulous days in the Wisconsin Dells! Today I am going to be talking about day two. Be sure to check out days one, three, and four!
On Day 2, we really just did whatever our little hearts wanted! We had a general idea of what we wanted to do, but unlike our other vacations, we weren't constrained to a schedule. This is bad and good in many ways. My kids and I thrive on some sort of schedule or routine, and my husband's anxiety is worse without one.
The kids woke up about the usual time. We ate breakfast in the room. Our hotel gave us free passes to Noah's Ark Waterpark, the largest in the country. However, even for August, it was a bit chilly in the mornings. We decided we'd wait until the afternoon to see if it warmed up.
We still had the discount books, and we toyed with the Riverside & Great Northern Railroad. We had a BOGO Free adult coupon and Nolan was free, so we might as well! They didn't open until 9:30 and the train left at 10, so we cruised the strip again. When we got there, we viewed their toy shop. I found little train wooden letters. They were only $3.50. I had seen some online before for two or three times that, so I decided to get the boys their first initial. I would have loved to get their full first names, but hadn't budgeted for that. After a few minutes of checking that out, it was time to board the train. It is a small little train, but such a lovely ride. Both kids enjoyed it, but Liam especially.
After we were done, it was around 11 and we were getting hungry for lunch. We were so overwhelmed by where to eat. It's hard enough sticking to your budget on vacation, but trying to find vegan friendly places can be challenging. We decided to eat at Pizza Pub. They had an all you can eat lunch buffet. It featured an over 50 item salad bar, along with unlimited pasta, pizza dessert, and pizza. They had a veggie pizza and I'm sure they could have made it without cheese, but we pretty much stuck to the salad and pasta. Kyle ate probably four plates and the kid's and I had two each. We also all got dessert, their apple pie pizza. With our coupon, Liam's meal was free, and Nolan was free as well. We all got water to drink. We were completely stuffed and happy they were so accommodating to our restrictions.
After that, it was warming up quite a bit. We decided to go back and get ready for the water park and digest a bit.
This may seem silly, since the Dells are considered the waterpark capital of the world, but we aren't big waterpark people. It just seems really overwhelming for us. All the bathing suits, towels, sunblock. Then you have all the people crammed into a smaller space. I think it just gives us all anxiety. Since it was included in our stay, we planned on not stressing about it too much. We would go, have some fun for an hour or two, and bail. We did have to pay for parking, but the tickets were free.
This next part may be cringe worthy, but we only went to one spot of the largest waterpark. I'm sorry, but even in their "slower" season, when it was barely 70 degrees, it was still crowded! The entrance we came in was right next to the kids area, and that's where we stayed! Liam had tons of fun. There was a decent sized water slide and he went on it, probably, 10 times! First with Kyle, then eventually by himself. Nolan enjoyed some of it, but anytime something sprayed him, he got very upset. It would be extremely warm one minute, then the sun would disappear and it'd be freezing! Nolan had fun for maybe 30 minutes, then he and I retreated to our beach chairs under towels the rest of the time. Liam continued in the pool and slide. He and Kyle explored for a bit. Some areas of the park were closed, so they ended up coming back for a few minutes, before we decided we were done. Low and behold by the exits, there was a Dole Whip kiosk! I could have died! Not only do they give you that nostalgia of our favorite place ever (Disney World), but the pineapple soft serve is vegan! UM, YES! Sign us up! We got two, for all of us to share & they were giant! For 4.99, we could have all shared one! After we finished our treats, we headed back to our motel. We didn't even bother with naps. Liam rarely takes them, and Nolan refused to sleep on the bed when we laid him down. Of course though, he did fall asleep in the car.
We got back, showered, changed, and attempted to recharge our batteries. It was mostly Kyle napping, me watching TV, and trying to keep the kids from being too wild. We ate dinner there, just some peanut butter sandwiches, chips, fruit, and veggies. Then we headed our for our next adventure!
Our hotel also included Khalari Indoor Amusement Park. It was actually for each night of our stay! Had I realized that, we probably wouldn't have done knuckleheads the night before, and gone there both nights. I though that maybe there wouldn't be much for the kids. We had watched videos and there only appeared to be a few rides.
There was tons for all of us! We were all able to do the Ferris Wheel & Merry-go-Round. Liam & I did a small, yet wild rollercoaster. He also did the Vortex Tunnel probably 5 times! He & Kyle then did go-karts. They had a ropes course for small kids that Liam enjoyed. We played a small round of mini golf. This did not go as well. Some of the things Liam really struggles with are impulsiveness, patience, and self-control. I'm not sure if it was just the fact he was getting tired or his issues, but we had to cut the game short. Kyle ended up doing the adult ropes course. We planned on coming back a different day, where I could do it too, but that didn't end up happening.
We headed back to the hotel & got ready for bed, it had been a big, exciting day! After the kids fell asleep, Kyle got us some "grown up drinks" and we enjoyed spending some time together at our outdoor seating. Then we headed in for bed.
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