About 150 years ago, boat tours began luring tourists to view the unusual sandstone cliffs along the Wisconsin River. A water ski show that debuted in the early 1950s still packs them in today. Duck tours, using the water/land vehicles that have recently become popular in many areas, debuted in the mid-1950s. And, of course, swimming has always been a popular Dells pastime.
But swimming took a new twist in the 1980s when water parks opened, grew to gargantuan proportions and cast Wisconsin Dells as a water park haven. Many of the town's hotels also took the plunge and developed slides and other water attractions at their outdoor pools.
In late 1994, the Polynesian Resort Hotel (Palm trees in Wisconsin? You betcha!) unwittingly kicked off another water park revolution when it opened the area's first indoor water play area.
Water, water everywhere
"Basically, it all started as a mistake," admits Tom Lucke, former co-owner of the Polynesian. "We just wanted to shore up business in June. It's an iffy weather month and we thought this would guarantee weather-proof fun." During early 1995 however, word spread about the resort's indoor water activities and, much to his amazement, visitors began jamming the resort throughout the winter and into the spring. "The place went nuts," Lucke says with a laugh. "We thought, 'Hmm. Maybe we're onto something here.' "
Once other Dells hotel owners saw the stampede to the Polynesian during the traditionally dead off-season, it didn't take them long to build their own attractions. In just eight years, eighteen properties developed climate-controlled water elements--and the concept is spreading. For example, the folks that run the Great Wolf Lodge also operate indoor waterparks in Sandusky, Ohio (home to Cedar Point), Traverse City, MI, and Kansas City, KS. And others are opening all the time. It's a concept that just makes too much sense.
Previous Page: Indoor Plumbing--Wisconsin Dells Water Parks Overview
