I have to admit, when I think of Wisconsin Dells, I think of myself as a 10 year old, so excited to go there with family and again as a teenager, so excited to spend the day with friends, going down super fast slides while getting a tan. Before having a kid, I would have told you that a waterpark was no place for a preschooler, let alone a toddler Mason’s age. Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells definitely proves this wrong!
Just this past winter, they renovated their indoor waterpark and the renovations included a baby/toddler water area, called “Tiko’s Watering Hole.” Once I heard about this, I knew it would be a perfect vacation destination for our little fishy. And boy was I right!
Complete with 10 waterslides, lots of geysers, musical turtles, and its own lazy river, this area was restricted to children under the age of 5 and under 48″ tall. We spent a LOT of time here both days of our vacation. The water in most areas was only a few inches deep and there were two lifeguards roaming the area on foot, so had we not been taking pictures (and possibly occassionally going down the slides ourselves *cough* me *cough*), we definitely would have felt comfortable to lounge on the ample seating and watch Mason play, possibly even enjoying a few adult beverages (maybe next time!)
Mason LOVED the musical turtles (their heads responded like xylophone keys) and could have played tunes on them all day long had not kept distracting him with waterslides and “kitties.”
He loved “riding” all the various jungle animals
He wasn’t so sure about the lazy river, but he sure looked cute in the tube!
After that, he tried to get us to chase him through the tunnel
The geysers were a huge hit and totally made me wish splash pads were more common in Northern Wisconsin!
He LOVED the waterslides in Tiko’s Watering Hole and went down the same one about a hundred times. It was super nice that he was able to do the steps on his own without our assistance, because by trip 40, we would have been less than enthused by his love of this particular slide. LOL
There are more pictures of his waterslide fun here.
Tiko’s Watering Hole was an absolutely perfect park for Mason (age 25 months) and I really liked not having to worry about him climbing up stairs that were too big for him or getting shoved aside by the bigger, faster kids. I can definitely see Mason still enjoying this area in a year or two and it seems like it would be a great area for kids who are a bit scared of the bigger slides or who aren’t very comfortable in the water as well.
Mason, SuperDad, and I give Tiko’s Watering Hole 6 thumbs up. Kudo’s to Kalahari Resort to really putting some thought into the ideal family vacation – one that includes stuff for the youngest crowd too!
Tune in later this week for way more vacation photos and fun!
This time last year – Best of Intentions: No! / Easter Egg Hunt
Two years ago - Tummy Time / Smiley Boy
Disclosure: We received a 2 night free stay at the Kalahari Resort in exchange for this review. We were not compensated monetarily and all opinions are entirely my own and not influenced by their generosity in any way.
