December 12, 2023
When you hear the word “museum,” you may not be thinking of interactive attractions loaded with hands-on fun. In Wisconsin Dells, that’s exactly what you’ll get!
Get Hands-on at These Wisconsin Dells Attractions
The waterparks aren’t the only Wisconsin Dells attractions that will have you shouting for joy and clamoring for more. The proof is in the lists below.
Interactive Attractions for Families
While winter weather may keep you indoors more than you’d like, not to fret. There are indoor attractions that will keep you and your family very busy and happily so.
- Start with an adventure at Booby Trap Escape Rooms, where you choose from six different challenges. You’re left in a room for 60 minutes with a mission to use teamwork skills and brain power in an all-out effort to escape. The Slime Lab adventure is perfect for kids and you even get to create your own souvenir slime. The fully themed Pharoah’s Revenge is another mission that’s great for beginners and is family friendly.
- If you’re looking for something entirely out of the ordinary, then Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum is for you. There are galleries with way-out oddities and collections you won’t find anywhere else. One gallery experience not to miss here: Step into the role of an explorer and venture on a Bizarre Safari, encountering the most unusual animals and hidden rooms along the way.
- Calling all wizard questers. Escape into a fantasy world of wizards and dragons at the full-size labyrinth adventure known as Wizard Quest. Your questing, complete with tablet to keep track of your successes, will take you across 30,000 square feet of magical sets themed to the realms of fire, water, earth, and air.
- MagiQuest is another live action questing game, but this one at Great Wolf Lodge is geared to grade-schoolers. A special magic wand gives the kids extra powers as they journey into an enchanted garden or to the feet of a fiery dragon.
- Take Flight, An Aerial Adventure is part movie, part amusement park ride, and all excitement. You’ll find this attraction at the Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort. There’s a 65-foot screen paired with a full sensory ride that will have you feeling immersed in the breathtaking scenes. This fly-ride features wind, water, and scent while the seats dip, dive, and soar.
- The downtown location of the Dells Mining Co. is open year-round, so try your hand at panning for precious and semi-precious gemstones from all over the world. The best part is that you get to keep everything you find.
- We saved the most famous for last – the Tommy Bartlett Exploratory – Interactive Science Center, a staple among interactive attractions in the Dells. Generations have enjoyed the dizzying array of hands-on activities here, all geared to fun with science, space, and technology. With updated exhibits to boggle the brain, this is a must-experience.
Wisconsin Dells Attractions Geared to Grown-ups
- Asgard Axe Throwing is the bachelor and bachelorette headquarters of choice in Wisconsin Dells. Coaches teach you the finer points of flinging an ax at a bullseye target. Think darts on steroids. Follow that with a craft brew and homemade pizza.
- Brushes & Bubbly is a wonderfully descriptive name for this activity, where attendees create painted canvases – masterpieces if you will - while sipping on favorite beverages.
- Gear up for an evening of bingo or trivia at Grateful Shed. At this indoor food truck restaurant, the bar games will keep you and your friends exceedingly happy, while the menu of food truck specialties will keep everyone full and satisfied.
Two More Wisconsin Dells Museums to Visit in the Summer
- The H.H. Bennett Museum chronicles the birth of tourism in Wisconsin Dells. It’s the original 1875 studio of pioneering landscape photographer H.H. Bennett who is credited with transforming the community from a small lumber town into a nationally known tourism destination thanks to his exquisite landscapes of the Wisconsin River. This historic site is open May-October and is a treasure trove of people and places. Pair this with a visit to the open-air Soul of the River gallery at the entrance to the downtown Scenic River Walk which features photographs of people with modern ties to the river.
- The Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom is an outdoor living history museum and, by that, it’s meant that you can actually ride the restored steel coaches built a century ago, transporting you back to the Golden Age of railroading. When visiting, also take time to explore the indoor/outdoor museum filled with award-winning restorations and railroad exhibits. Mid-Continent Railway Museum opens mid-May.
Find more Wisconsin Dells attractions to plan your next visit.
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Last Updated May 21, 2024