Splash down in the Dells

A decade ago, our neighbors invited my husband and me to pack up our three young kids and join them for a summer weekend in Wisconsin Dells. Happy to experience one of the Midwest's most popular family getaways, we hopped into our car a few days later and took off.

We had a good time during our trip, but a little research would have elevated it to a fantastic time. Some of the attractions we hit were rip-offs, others well worth the money. Our hotel was nice, but we later found a more kid-friendly spot. Fearing high-priced eateries lacking children's menus, we largely stuck with the same old chains, only to stumble upon some great, unique restaurants on our last day.

Today, after vacationing in the Dells more summers than I can count, I know what to see, where to stay, where to dine and what to avoid no matter how much your little one begs. So before you plan your own trip, read on.

Best place to stay

The Kalahari has the total package: great accommodations, prime water parks with a wide variety of rides (including the FlowRider, an über-popular surfing experience), a newly renovated spa, and shops and activities galore. The Kalahari also recently purchased 27-hole Trappers Turn Golf Club, one of Wisconsin's top-ranked courses; guests receive preferred tee times, shuttle service and free rental clubs and carts (1-877-525-2427; www.kalahariresorts.com).

Best place to house the clan

Large groups could happily stay at Chula Vista, which recently created an 80,000-square-foot indoor waterpark and added 220 plush condos and villas. But the log homes at the Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort are the real best bet. The roomy digs -- some more than 3,000 square feet -- let people hang comfortably with others or retreat to their own space. A bonus: The cabins are tucked in the woods a mile from the resort, so they're blissfully quiet. When you want to frolic in the water park, a complimentary shuttle awaits (1-800-867-9453; www.wildernessresort. com; for Chula Vista: 1-800-388-4782; www.chulavistaresort.com).

Splashiest Outdoor Water Park

Noah's Ark opened in 1979 as the Dell's first outdoor water park, and it remains the undisputed king. The 70-acre park in the heart of the Strip has nearly 50 water slides -- from kiddie size to heart-stopping vertical plunges -- plus wave pools, winding rivers, amusement park rides, mini golf and more. Every season a new ride is unveiled, ensuring there's always a reason to come back -- and that Noah's Ark remains America's largest water park.

My family still talks about the summer of 1997, when Dark Voyage opened; our warp-speed ride through an inky, twisting tunnel was every bit as thrilling as we'd imagined. This year a 4D Dive-In Theater is the new attraction, featuring a SpongeBob SquarePants movie with nine special effects, including squirting water, scents and wind (1-608-254-6351; www.noahsarkwaterpark.com).

Most luxurious spa

Most of the larger Dells resorts have modest spas, but at Sundara Inn, the pampering gets serious. Tucked amid 26 acres of pine forest -- with no water park in sight, thank you very much -- Sundara is not only the area's leader in rejuvenating services, but also one of the leading spas in the Midwest.

Lodging choices include sumptuous rooms at the inn and "villas," separate condo-type homes that sleep eight. If you don't stay overnight, booking any service affords access to the outdoor pool and Sundara's signature Purifying Bath Ritual, which involves scrubbing your body with a Cambrian sandstone polish, opening your pores in a eucalyptus steam room and alternating dips in a cold plunge pool and essential oil-infused whirlpool (1-888-735-8181; www.sundaraspa.com).

Finest Fine Dining

Field's at the Wilderness can almost make you forget you're vacationing in (admit it) a child's paradise. Here, adults get their share, too, in the form of great food amid a sophisticated-yet-welcoming ambience.

The prairie-style restaurant, on the Wilderness' golf course, soothes with quietly burbling water features and the gentle chirping of birds, unobtrusively piped into the background. The restaurant is known for its steaks, chops and fresh-grilled seafood, and even the Wilderness Salad -- studded with diced avocado and bacon and drizzled with a chile shallot dressing -- is inventive and flavorful. Kids get their own menu. Field's wine list boasts more than 100 domestic and imported varieties, served in Riedel stemware specially designed to enhance the flavor of different varietals (1-608-253-1400; www.fieldsatthewilderness.com).

Best Casual Eatery

My latest favorite restaurant is the Cheese Factory Restaurant (not to be confused with the chain restaurant, Cheesecake Factory). The restaurant, indeed, is in a former cheese factory, making for a quaint interior featuring knotty pine walls and huge, multi-paned windows. But while the ambience is charming, it's the food that really shines.

The menu features all freshly made vegetarian or vegan dishes, but don't let that scare you; you'll find everything from hearty soups and sandwiches to salads, pizzas and a range of ethnic dishes, all filled with ingredients you'll recognize. The Black Bean Burrito, for example, is stuffed with black beans, vegetarian chorizo sausage, rice, Monterey Jack cheese, onions, green chiles and the restaurant's own rojo chipotle sauce. The restaurant also has a loyal following devoted to its homemade desserts, and its cappuccino bar, ice cream fountain and free WiFi are a nice surprise (1-608-253-6065; www.cheesefactory restaurant.com).

Most fascinating museum

Believe it or not, Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum is worth the $12 admission ($10 for kids 5-11). Sure, there are a few lame exhibits, like the barbed wire collection. But the majority are so fascinating, horrifying or odd that they'll keep you spellbound. One of my favorites: the amazingly lifelike statue of Hananuma Masakichi. After being diagnosed with tuberculosis, the Japanese gentleman recreated his own anatomically correct image as a gift for his fiancée, using tiny pieces of wood so skillfully interlocked you can't see any lines. To top off this masterpiece, he adorned it with his own hair, fingernails and toenails. Rumor has it that when his fiancée saw the statue, she dumped poor Masakichi -- who later learned he didn't have TB after all (1-608-253-7556; www.ripleysbelieveitornot.com).

Best Live Show

Master illusionists at the Rick Wilcox Theater and the Fab '50s Live musical dinner show at Chula Vista are darn good. But nothing's quite as captivating as the 55-year-old Tommy Bartlett Show. This year's 90-minute, pirate-themed extravaganza features a high-speed water-skiing/stunt-and-trick segment, followed by various land-based performances, such as T.J. Howell's juggling show with the likes of machetes, fire and bowling balls ($15-$22; 1-608-254-2525; www.tommybartlett.com).

Best New Attraction

My family was excited to stumble upon Wizard Quest last year, an interactive computer attraction. Players get 90 minutes to wind through a 13,000-square-foot, castle-like facility (or "quadrasphere") and collect enough "glimmers" to release four imprisoned wizards. You receive glimmers every time you correctly answer one of the riddles or questions scattered throughout the facility, which is filled with secret passages, hidden entrances and even some traps (1-608-254-2184; www.wizardquest.net).

Just a few weeks ago, Knuckleheads Bowling & Family Entertainment Center opened its doors. The 80,000-square-foot facility features a 24-lane bowling alley, bumper cars, amusement rides such as a roller coaster, a multilevel electric go-cart track and 125 arcade games; it definitely has the potential to become our favorite new attraction (1-608-254-7332; www. dellsknuckleheads.com).

Wildest Experience

You may not realize it when you're driving bumper-to-bumper on the Strip, with a four-story Trojan horse looming on one side and a 130-foot bungee tower on the other, but the Dells area contains some prime places to commune with nature. The best is Devil's Lake State Park, about 20 minutes south. Wisconsin's most popular state park, Devil's Lake sits in one of the oldest river valleys in the world, created when swirling waters cut a gorge into hard quartzite millions of years ago. The scenic park features a crystal-clear lake and nearly 30 miles of hiking trails that criss-cross the surrounding 500-foot cliffs (1-608-356-8301; www.dnr.state.wi.us).

Biggest Tourist Trap

Even if you've got little kids, skip Storybook Gardens. It may seem enchanting, with its landscaped grounds featuring giant characters from children's stories (Simple Simon and Cinderella, for instance), but the 1950s-era metal characters are more worn than quaint. There's a tiny train and carousel, but it's insulting to pay for similarly-faded mechanical rides after you've shelled out $11 for adults and $9 for kids over 2 just to get in. A few years ago the owners added a wildlife park featuring giraffes, zebras and lions, but the place is still more whimper than roar (1-608-253-2391; www. storybookgardens.net).

Jerky ride alert

Mount Olympus Water & Theme Park, unveiled a few years ago, combined the Dells' Treasure Island -- with huge indoor and outdoor water parks -- and Big Chief's Mount Olympus Theme Park, a go-cart/roller coaster hot spot. Besides merging facilities, the park added several new outdoor water rides, an extreme underground wooden roller coaster and, last summer, an indoor theme park. Mount Olympus is a solid choice for those who don't want to spend their entire day in the water. However, if you're coming mainly for the roller coasters, beware. While the newer Hades provides a great, thrilling ride (it features a 65-degree drop, the world's longest underground tunnel and reaches speeds up to 70 mph), the park's three other coasters are old and quite jerky, leaving many riders with aching backs and necks (1-608-254-2490; www.mtolympusthemepark.com).

Pricey mini adventure

Dropping $20 at Timber Falls Adventure Park gets you an all-day pass to enjoy its 72 holes of mini golf, log ride, bumper boats and roller coaster. My kids have always loved Timber Falls' log ride, which has two steep vertical drops sure to get riders wet, and the mini golf. Still, it's not worth a day pass. After three or four log rides, they're ready to move on, and you can only mini golf so long (1-608-254-8414; www.timber fallspark.com).

Melanie Radzicki McManus is a freelance writer who lives near Wisconsin Dells in Sun Prairie, Wis.