Wisconsin Dells Planning

We've reached this point in our vacationing lives where we're trying to stick with the familiar a bit more. Our recent trip to San Diego was nice in that it was our fourth trip there, even if we tried newer things. We enjoyed not having to learn the territory again, and also knowing where we were going and what was good and what wasn't, so when we were watching the little vacation video I put together about our Wisconsin Dells trip from last May, we decided that since we were going to have another little 4 day weekend coming up in June and the boys had SUCH a blast the last time we went, it'd be a great opportunity to try again.

We just booked another stay at Meadowbrook Resort after we had such a great experience with it the last time. We're staying again in the Lodge, and looking forward to being able to take part in more of their outdoor amenities this time, since last time it was just off the peak season, and the outdoor pools weren't open yet.

We really enjoyed our stay here, as it's a little more out of the way from the bigger resorts and has a more personal, family feel to it. I'm a little more nervous that it's going to be MUCH busier, since we'll be right during peak season this time, but either way, it'll be a fun time!

Things we know we'll want to repeat this time around:

Buffalo Phil's and Knuckleheads This time around we'll make a bigger deal of it and probably go a little earlier than last time. When we went last time, we didn't realize Knuckleheads was attached, so the kids were disappointed when we had to drag them out after a short while, since it was getting so late in the evening.

The kids LOVED the meals arriving via the train, but we know this time to take the kids to the arcade after ordering so that we don't have to deal with them constantly touching the stinkin' train! Also, to go when they're going to be hungry so we don't have to entertain them while trying to eat haha

Kicker's We were so pleased with this restaurant when we took the kids there on our last visit. The service was outstanding, and so was the food. The people-watching was really great as well, and we had the perfect spot out on the deck.

New things we'd like to try:

Pirate's Cove Adventure Golf We'll probably stick to the 5 hole option, as the kids really aren't good at golfing at ALL at this point, but I think they'd have fun trying. The only thing I'm not 100% sure about is entertaining Ryan while the big kids golf. He's significantly more mobile than before, and sitting in a stroller the whole time doesn't sound like the greatest option, nor would he put up with it.

Circus World Museum We *might* give this a try this time around. I recall it being a tinge spendy last time, but we already had a full schedule, so it just didn't make the cut. It's also in Baraboo, which is a little backtracking, but not too bad. I think the kids would really have fun with it!


Of course, we'll spend most of our days probably just swimming at the pools at the resort, and our evenings we're going to try to hit the s'more stations this time around, and probably the free movie at the resort each night as well. We've learned that with little kids, you have to have a pretty flexible schedule so as to not over-do it and end up with cranky kids. We will just have the two full days there with the other two being travel days, so the schedule will be pretty lazy, really. Just enough time to enjoy our stay but be ready to come home when we're coming home.

San Diego 2017 Activities Review

For our five day trip, two big activities, and a few small ones made for the PERFECT short vacation with kids in tow. We planned to do our big activities every other day to give us a break from all that walking, and that was very wise!

Coronado / Silver Strand Beach

We were so enthralled with this beach when we went in 2009 with Mark's sister that we wanted to take the boys there when we went. We were VERY disappointed to find that there were signs up pointing out to stay out of the ocean as it was contaminated (from the recent storms, we found out later). We ignored them and dipped our toes in the ocean a bit, but then our oldest son ended up touching something on the beach that actually burned the crap out of his hand. It was really gradual, and he didn't complain about it for a day or two afterwards, but it was really freaky. It ended up causing blisters ALL over his hand, prompting him to say he "never wants to go to the beach again." We had a wonderful time when we were actually AT the beach, though! It's beautiful there, and fairly quiet. There is a campsite right there on the ocean as well. It was really a great time!

It does cost to get in - something like $4 for 2 hours, which was off-putting to Mark, but I didn't mind. As a result, we left after 2 hours, though, when we probably would've stayed all day otherwise.

Seaport Village / Embarcadero

Since we left the beach early, we decided to venture to Seaport Village to get some cookies with the boys. I love all the little shops there, and I did get some souvenir t-shirts, but there was no way in heck I was going to take my 5 and 3 year old boys in those shops with all that breakable stuff. Thankfully, Mark took the boys over to run around in the big park nearby (Embarcadero) while I shopped, and that worked out well. This is a really perfect, romantic little spot to stop if it's just a couple, or people with older kids who like to shop, though. We just didn't enjoy it as much as we had when we went there in 2010.

You do have to pay to park, although it's cheaper if you get your parking validated.

San Diego Zoo

If you're going to the Zoo, bring your walking shoes! This is a really awesome zoo! We enjoyed the bus ride at the beginning, and the Skyfari ride when our feet were really tired. However, in between those two, man was it a lot of walking.

Balboa Park

Balboa Park is a really fun, walkable park. There are the traditional "park" type areas, with a playground and picnic tables and such, but there is also a huge area filled with all sorts of neat museums, incredible gardens, fountains and restaurants. We went back in 2009 and then again this trip, and would recommend it for sure! Keep in mind most all of the museums close by 4pm, so you'll want to plan for that earlier in the day, especially as many of them charge for admission, so you'll want to get your money's worth.

Seaworld

We really had a great time each day of our entire trip, but this one may have been our favorite day. SeaWorld is seriously the perfect place to take kids. All of the shows are highly entertaining for the kids - especially the dolphin one and seal one. They have a huge kiddie play area with bouncy house and rides appropriate for kids around ages 3 (maybe even 2?). They have one big roller coaster (Manta) in the middle, which my oldest son was actually tall enough to ride (at age 5!), so that was a big highlight. They just really did the place up right, and even though we didn't end up doing even probably a quarter of what they had to offer, and we were bummed that we were too early in the season for the Cirque show, we had one heck of a wonderful day with the kids. It was really nice to have our sister-in-law and niece with us to help out with the kids a bit, so I'm sure if they hadn't been there, it would have been a little more stressful for us. The biggest downside was cost, but it was worth every penny! For even a small child, it's about $75 a ticket (if you purchase in advance online, that is - at the gate, it's more like $90), and the food inside is really expensive, so you'd have to plan for that as well. However, everything beyond the food once you're inside is included...except some of the carnival games in the kiddie area. It's a fantastic, fun family activity for a day.

La Jolla Cove

This was a new spot for us this vacation. We didn't stay for long, and we were really glad we didn't plan an entire day or even few hours here. We stopped on our way back up to LA for our flights later that afternoon. It was really neat, and the scenery was beautiful! Downfalls were that it wasn't really easy to find parking, and there wasn't really a whole lot to do when you were there. There were restaurants across the street in some of the area (but not very kid-friendly ones, so we opted for Jack in the Box further into town). They did have a few vendor booths, but they weren't really selling anything we were interested in. We spent maybe about 30 minutes there before we were bored and ready to go get some lunch. It was a nice place to stop and just check out for a half hour, but not a place to hang out and stay the whole day by any means. But then again, I guess we're not really the types to sit and just watch seals sleep on the beach.