Happy Friday! I've got one final Wisconsin post to wrap up this unintentional Wisconsin Week here on the blog. We had a great trip so it's fun to share the highlights with you. We loved the Wisconsin Deer Park and the Dells Duck Tour that I shared earlier in the week. The rest of our time was filled with relaxing, enjoying our favorite spots and some new favorite activities. It's neat to see what the kids are learning to love to do here as they're getting older and it was fun to invite my parents up to Wisconsin for a couple of days with us. They had never been and I think they'd tell you it was pretty great!
We have visited Wisconsin in the Spring, Summer and Fall and stayed at Wilderness Resort. I'm going to make a bold statement, but I think Wisconsin in July is my favorite. It's warm enough for all the outdoor parks to be open. There's tons to do inside and out and it's just such a pleasant, patriotic time of year to visit. I could see us making July in Wisconsin a tradition.
Wisconsin Highlights:
1 // Kevin's birthday
We got to celebrate Kevin's actual birthday in Wisconsin this year. We did whatever he wanted all day long and then we headed to Bobbers Island Grill for dinner. The food was good and if you're up for it they have a giant sand box for kids to play in if you dine outside.
Real life: Leo knocked over my entire glass of pink lemonade in my lap about 5 minutes after we sat down at our table. I wish I had ordered ice water. haha
We noticed that people decorate their condo doors for birthday so I sneakily packed decorations for our door and our room. The kids helped me make signs in secret so Kevin was surprised to wake upon his birthday to see the room looking so festive.
2 // Extra Snuggles & Late Bedtimes
We all enjoyed staying up late, snuggling and sleeping in a bit. The kids spent way too much time talking about which bear was which kid :)
3 // Outdoor Water Parks
Leo loved standing under this water fall. Silly guy. The big kids preferred the slides, lazy rivers and obstacle courses. The first time we came here Leo couldn't walk yet. It's way more fun to come now that he's older :)
4 // Dreamy flowers
I admired the flower beds and flower arrangements all week long. They were STUNNING! They put together the prettiest combinations of flowers. Every flower bed and pot is packed with every color of the rainbow. I snapped pictures for inspiration for my flowers for next year. I won't bore you with every flower picture I took - just two of my top favorites.
5 // Swim outside
We tried all the different outdoor pools and the crowds weren't bad at all. I was proud of each of the kids for being brave to try new things - big slides, going down the slides solo and being little fishies. The water was chilly some days and perfect other days. We swam regardless and hopped in the hot tub with the big kids from time to time.
6 // Red, white & blue
We loved all of the patriotic decor for July 4th.
7 // Kids Club
The kids had the best time doing the free crafts, activities, glitter tattoos and winning coloring contests in the kids club during the week. It was a favorite hang out spot for all of us. It's a hidden gem at Wilderness Resort.
8 // Claw Machines
All the kids love a good claw machine. They're actually pretty good at them so it's fun to see them win. Squishmallow machines are always a favorite and Leo loves the rubber ducky machines. He's the best arcade date because he's just happy to run around and pretend to play everything. Much less expensive than going with the big kids.
9 // Patio Plans
We loved looking over the maps and brochures to find new things to do this trip. The kids tried go kart racing and we discovered some new short cuts connecting the water parks. Leo was very into the maps and brochures. If only he could read...
10 // Our spot
This bridge is one of our favorite spots on the resort property! I think we've taken a family picture on it almost every time we have visited.
2021 family picture here. The kids have all grown a lot. Olive is eager to pass me up!
11 // Wisconsin Dells Riverwalk
We headed downtown to check out the Riverwalk for the first time. It was so pretty! I was snapping a picture of the group and a man kindly offered to take a picture with our whole group. It was pretty and shaded and such a pleasant spot to walk. The boys loved watching the boats go by and there are several restaurants nearby. Kevin would recommend the beef jerky outlet downtown and while most places weren't stroller friendly, there was tons to see and do. This downtown area is definitely bustling with things to see and do.
12 // Our View
We enjoyed this pretty view from our condo patio all week long. It was a favorite for sure. Our room was pretty far away from all the water parks, but we ended up loving our quiet corner of the resort. We got lots of good exercise walking everywhere. Leo rarely uses a stroller at home, but happily hopped in his stroller to get pushed around Wilderness Resort. We loved being on the ground floor so the kids could hang out there without any worries. We saw deer and bunnies and the weather was just perfect to hang out on the patio a lot.
13 // Horseback Riding
Olive's dream came true this trip - she got to go horse back riding. Fletcher decided to go along and he's glad he did. Kevin said they had the best time until they got poured on the last 10 minutes of their one hour ride. They were all brave, learned how to drive their horses and were so excited to tell us about their adventures through the trails through the woods around the resort. The trail actually went right by our room at the top of this hill so we sat on the patio and waved to them when they went by.
Kevin splurged on the picture package because he knew I'd love these pictures. Correct - pictures are my favorite. He also snapped a few pictures on their ride. They can't wait to do it again with me the next time we go to Wisconsin.
#1 Dad always doing all the fun things! The kids were so proud to tell me everything they learned about riding horses and about the funny personalities of each horse.
14 // Eating Out
We don't eat out very often when we're at home so it was a favorite to dine out and enjoy some good food! We loved Mr Pancake, Bobbers, Pizza Ranch, Moose Jaw Pizza and Noodles and Co.
15 // Gem Mining
We loved gem mining in Tennessee earlier this year so the kids were eager to try it in Wisconsin. Spoiler alert: Tennessee was way better (tons more rocks for half the price!)! We didn't come home with many rocks from Wisconsin, but it was still fun. It was freezing!! Leo's teeth were chattering as he sifted his sand. We bundled up as much as we could and I kind of loved it. Jean jackets in the summer is basically my dream come true.
16 // LOVE
We LOVE Wisconsin always and forever.
17 // Wiggly Tooth
Fletcher has a thing about losing teeth in Wisconsin. His first tooth fell out here and as we were loading up to leave on our last day, he hands me a tooth. Never a dull moment when you're traveling with kids!!
I hope you put Wisconsin on your travel radar and get to visit here someday!
Have a great weekend :)
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