Info on Kalahari Waterpark

July 5, 2005 5:08 AM

Has anyone visited the Kalahari Waterparks?

The first one was in the Wisconsin Dells and there is a new one in Sandusky, OH. We would be taking an infant and a 10-year old and staying at the Sandusky one for two nights. Just wanted to see if anyone else had been before plunking down the hefty chunk of change.

posted by Otis to travel & transportation (2 comments total)

Living in Madison, I've known a lot of people who've gone there for a weekend (particularly popular in the dead of winter, due to the indoor waterpark). I, however, tend to like the other waterparks in the Dells (Mt. Olympus and Noah's Ark), so I don't have any personal anecdotes to give you.

In general, anything sourced at the Dells is going to be big-business Las Vegas style "do you need anything else? That'll be 5.00" charge-you-as-you-go. That's not to say it's bad, just a fair warning about the personal limits you're going to want to have on your spending.
posted by thanotopsis at 5:42 AM on July 5, 2005

I'm also in Madison (Hi thanotopsis--you wouldn't happen to take your name from Staggerford, would you?), and I second the remarks above. There was a recent NY Times article about the Kalahari in the Dells (a travel review, actually). I'm sure it's in the for-a-fee archives by now, but the reviewer had a decent time, all things considered (it seems the key is accepting the fact that you're in a giant, expensive, cheesey, family-oriented tourist attraction). You might get more enjoyment for your buck if you wait and go in the dead of winter. There are probably a lot of opportunitie for you to be outside and playing in the water this summer, but in about mid-February the chance to enjoy warm water might be more appealing.

Personally, it's not my thing, but I can see how it might be a more attractive option for someone with kids. My sister-in-law went with some friends the summer before her first year in college to try the surfing. I don't know that she'd go back, but she said it was a good time for a couple of nights. They got one of the big suites and went with a lot of other people, so it brought the cost down.
posted by handful of rain at 6:55 AM on July 5, 2005