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Wisconsin Dells and Lake Delton call themselves the "Waterpark Capital of the World"
is this place well known where you live? have you heard of it?
or is it probably more of a Midwestern attraction.
In Minnesota its a very popular place to bring the family for a weekend vacation, only a 3 hour drive.
I have heard of it years ago. My father had a vacation booklet (magazine) about the area which looks like it is jam packed with things to do for kids.
But for actually going there, I am not sure if I ever met someone who actually went there. Its kind of far away for New Yorkers unless they are doing some kind of cross country trip.
When I was a kid we visited the Dells a few times...before the age of waterparks. It was more about camping and boat rides and miniature golf. It is a beautiful area with great hiking, particularly in nearby Devil's Lake State Park
I wish that Wisconsin as a whole would advertise their tourist attractions more. I live in Michigan and we never hear much of anything about Wisconsin over here, but I have heard from a family member who visited the Dells that they are beautiful. Honestly, even though we live in the Great Lakes/Upper Midwest region, I don't know if I would even know about the Dells if that family member had not gone there years ago.
Wisconsin seems like such a pretty, unspoiled state, and you have the western coast of Lake Michigan. Is there anything for Wisconsin tourism akin to the Pure Michigan brand? Whoever thought that up was a genius. Tourism here is absolutely booming!
Wisconsin sits wedged between the 10 million Chicagolanders and some 4 million residents of the Twin Cities...they don't really have to advertise to reach those two markets. From Lake Geneva in the south to the North Woods, the state is loaded with Chicago visitors without any need to advertise.
Wisconsin sits wedged between the 10 million Chicagolanders and some 4 million residents of the Twin Cities...they don't really have to advertise to reach those two markets. From Lake Geneva in the south to the North Woods, the state is loaded with Chicago visitors without any need to advertise.
Yep, that makes sense. I guess I had overlooked the fact that Wisconsin would be the obvious choice, due to its close proximity, for millions of Chicagolanders who want to get away from the city. That alone would pump millions of dollars into the state's tourism industry every year.
I still think, though, that if there was a TV ad campaign run in places like Ohio and Michigan, more people would visit Wisconsin. We just know that it's a pretty, green state, but we really don't know what all is there. There is a ferry that runs between Muskegon and Milwaukee that makes it easy to avoid the Chicago traffic if someone from Michigan wanted to visit Wisconsin. We almost took that route to visit Milwaukee a couple of years ago to attend an Art Garfunkel concert, but then Art cancelled and we stayed home.
I would call it regional as well. Had heard of it when I lived in eastern Iowa but not before nor since. I'm glad my daughter was poking her DS when we drove out I-90 to western national parks a couple of years ago and didn't look up to see all the waterparks fly past.
I first heard about it on The Weather Channel and wondered "dells, like The Farmer and the Dell?" since I assumed WI was just farmland and was known for its cheese (which still stands alone!). That said, most of the awarness comes from the Midwest, but also parts of central Canada (Manitoba/Western Ontario) based on where the posters on the Wisconsin Dells Forum at Trip Advisor are. As an East Coaster, I find it appealing for places in the Midwest due to the lack of big mountains nearby along with the indoor attractions for the non-summer months, but I'd only use it as a stopping point on a long trip to the Northwest.
When I was a kid we visited the Dells a few times...before the age of waterparks. It was more about camping and boat rides and miniature golf. It is a beautiful area with great hiking, particularly in nearby Devil's Lake State Park
Agreed, the area is very beautiful, and is on the Driftless border so there are multitudes of things to do west and north (Black River Forest, northwoods, etc). Devil's Lake is the state's most popular State Park (I believe Peninsula in Door County is the next most popular), partially due to Dells overflow. There are also many canyons/microclimates to explore (Parfrey's Glenn/Pewit's Nest) along the Baraboo Range in the Devil's Lake area. We just do it off-season, too many people, too many ridiculous "attractions."
Quote:
Originally Posted by canudigit
I wish that Wisconsin as a whole would advertise their tourist attractions more. I live in Michigan and we never hear much of anything about Wisconsin over here, but I have heard from a family member who visited the Dells that they are beautiful. Honestly, even though we live in the Great Lakes/Upper Midwest region, I don't know if I would even know about the Dells if that family member had not gone there years ago.
Wisconsin seems like such a pretty, unspoiled state, and you have the western coast of Lake Michigan. Is there anything for Wisconsin tourism akin to the Pure Michigan brand? Whoever thought that up was a genius. Tourism here is absolutely booming!
While what midwest1 said is true to an extent, I have family involved pretty heavily in the state's tourism via Door County, and to me it's more ineptitude than anything else. The state spent millions a few years back for a marketing company to "come up with" the "jewel" LIVE LIKE YOU MEAN IT, which became quite the local joke until it was quickly pulled: State puts 'Live like you mean it' slogan on hold
The poorest areas of the state are some of the most remote/beautiful, and they need the boost more than established spots like the Dells, Door County, Lake Geneva, Minoqua, etc. Areas of the Driftless and some northwoods spots that don't have established-for-generations tourist dollars need more than a horrible, scrapped "Live Like You Mean It" campaign. Michigan has done incredibly well, and it would behoove Wisconsin to look at what they did and apply it to the areas that are in need, rather than slapping each other on the backs over the established locales that fill up due to large number of people living just south (Chicago) and West (Minneapolis) of the state.
Wisconsin seems like such a pretty, unspoiled state, and you have the western coast of Lake Michigan.
The Wisconsin side of of Lake Michigan is more rocky than sandy, and doesn't have the natural features of the Michigan side, so Wisconsin will never have the same type of draw as Michigan re. Lake Michigan.
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