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Closer to Home

It's been a rough year for the Dells, but you can still have the same kind of fun (and avoid the long trip).

Friday Jul 25, 2008.     By Karl Klockars

Travel + Tourism Feed

After this spring's flooding devastation to the Wisconsin Dells region, it's understandable to imagine that a lot of plans have been shifted away from the Disneyland of the Cheddar Curtain. While the rebuilding has gone well and most of the Dells are open for business again, it's not a bad idea to have a backup plan closer to home.

So where do you go when you want to party at a water park? Where does one go to fill his or her go-kart needs? And what about all that beautiful Wisconsin cheese? Curds don't exactly grow on trees down here. Centerstage has your fill-in Dells destinations.

You want to: Swim and sun at Noah's Ark
Your local option: A shorter trip to Key Lime Cove

The Dells have long been a great place to splash about in huge pools, shower in waterfalls and face down massive waves in their wave pools. It's about sun, it's about escape, and it's also about people watching. Noah's Ark has long been the face of the Wisconsin Dells waterpark, but what if you don't want to go north of the Wisco border?

The newly opened Key Lime Cove, just a stone's throw from Six Flags and the Gurnee Mills shopping center, offers the huge water experience you crave, and with swimming facilities for toddlers, big kids and adults all around, you can get all the wetness you want.

With its waterslides, wave pool and lazy creek, as well as multiple restaurants and amenities like an onsite spa, Key Lime Cove has everything you need except the sun; it's inside, but that just means you can have a Dells-style experience in the dead of winter as well.

You want to: Take in the Majesty of the actual Dells
Your local option: A shorter cruise to Starved Rock

With all the man-made entertainment that the Dells has to offer, it's easy to overlook exactly what made the Dells the destination that it is. The grandeur of the natural formations that make up the Dells is a great trip, be it on boat or by the more famous ducks. So what kind of natural awesomeness can you find within a shorter drive from the city?

Starved Rock State Park is 80 miles away from the city proper, not exactly walking distance but certainly far closer than the nearly 200-mile drive you'd have to go through to get to the Dells. Starved Rock offers huge rock formations created by glacial movement thousands of years ago. Eighteen canyons, waterfalls, miles of trails, sandstone bluffs and deep forests filled with wildlife and foliage make up the bulk of the park, and cap your stay with a night in the Lodge, a 1930s-era building made of stone and log and offering a relaxing stay after a day full of wandering, horseback riding, and fishing.

You want to: Cruise the go-karts at Big Chief
Your local option: Chicagoland Indoor Racing

If you're too waterlogged to hit the pools at the Dells, or sun isn't your speed, perhaps you've hit the tracks at Big Chief go-karts. From racing on asphalt to wooden tracks stories above ground to races that take you "underwater," Big Chief has some of the best karting in the Midwest.

But if you're sticking closer to home (and don't want to risk a rainout), turn to Chicagoland Indoor Racing. Featuring 88,000 square feet of race space, prices for groups and an "arrive and drive" price, as well as a full bar for post-race action, CIR should feed your need for speed.

However, it's not for kids; these are serious karts, so all participants need to be above 18. This isn't circular carting, either, where every turn is "left." Three tracks and multiple configurations ensure that your drives aren't all uniform. Meeting facilities are on-hand, so if you need to crunch out a budget you can follow it up by crunching a co-worker's bumper.

You Want To: Enjoy the Circus Museum of Baraboo
Your Local Option: Train to Join the Circus Yourself at the Actors Gymnasium

Just 10 miles away from the Dells is the town of Baraboo, most famed for its long history with the circus. The Ringling Brothers called Baraboo home during the long winter months, even before their joining with the Barnum and Bailey folks. Since then, a museum to document the changes and history of the circus as well as the people that made it has been there, educating and entertaining millions who want to know more about the clowns, animals, magicians, acrobats and ringleaders that make childhood a little brighter.

The Museum is still going strong, even in the face of the floods. However, if you want something closer—and certainly much more hands on—the Actors Gymnasium is for you. Offering classes in the circus arts, the Actors Gymnasium can train you to juggle, refine your clown face, twist yourself into a pretzel and even fly through the air with the greatest of ease.

Summer camp programs are great for the kids, and adults can join the children with the parent-tot circus and gymnastics classes. It's not cheap—classes range in the $200 range—but how much would you be spending to get to the North Woods? Wouldn't you rather use the gas money as class money?