I stayed at the Wilderness Resort towards the end of January as a weekend get-away with some friends. We rented a condo, so I won’t be able to give you a view of what the actual resort hotel rooms are like, I can give you an overview of pretty much everything else.

The condo itself was a 2 level log home divided into 4 “apartments”. Each apartment has its’ own exterior access with shared parking space. (Each condo can have 2 cars parked at the condo; extra cars need to be parked in the main hotel lot. ) There was no charge for parking.

The interior décor was done up in a rustic way, making the condo feel kind of like home and not part of some large, corporate money making scheme (As I hear those are what built the Dells :-) )

As you entered the condo, there was a coat closet right by the door, with a stacked washer and dryer in the closet next to it. (There was even a vacuum for your use if you so feel inclined)

There are 2 bedrooms, one larger master bedroom type room with a gas fireplace and patio door that accessed a screened-in 3 season porch with a small patio set.

The 2nd bedroom had 2 double beds and a pull out couch. There was also a small bathroom in it.

There was a large bathroom also on the first floor with both a shower stall and a large whirlpool.

The living room was situated in front of a large bank of windows stretching up 2 stories, and was very comfortable with a couch and a couple chairs. There was also a TV cabinet with a VCR. A gas fireplace helped to set the rustic charm.

The kitchen and dining area were divided by a bar with 3 barstools. The table sat 8, and the entire area was tiled. Plates, cups, and other kitchen equipment was provided, as well as a dishwasher and garbage disposal. The stove was electric.

Upstairs, was a 3rd bedroom with 2 double beds and a 2nd TV. Another bathroom with a standard bathtub and shower combo made for a short trip at night. Finally, a small couch in a seating area overlooked the living area from a balcony.

A call to the front desk summoned a Wilderness Resort Shuttle. These are about 20 passenger buses that can take you from the condos (Located about 1/4 to 1/2 mile from the main resort to the resort itself. Response time was very quick, as I don’t think I had to wait more than 5 minutes from when I called. The drivers are very friendly and even get to know you over the course of a weekend.

--Main Resort Parks—
The water parks are broken into 3 different areas. The 1st is a huge wave pool. The roof is specially designed to allow UV light to pass, thus letting you get a tan even in the middle of winter. (The hotel materials recommend sun screen) There were plenty of 1 and 2 person tubes available for use in the wave pool, and the waves are a good 5 to 10 feet tall in the deep end. There is also a racing water slide where a group of your friends can all take a big tube down and race against another tube. A kid’s play area is off to the side of wave pool and features a place to keep youngsters entertained.

The 2nd water park features a number of tube slides and rides. There is a lazy river that rides around the border of the park. 2 tube slides (Where you ride on an inner tube) splash down into the lazy river. There is also a hot tub and pool that go both inside and outside, no matter what the weather. It was pretty cool to sit in the hot tub and catch snow flakes. A couple of basketball hoops in the pool allow for a quick game of 2 on 2 (or what have you) There is also a 45’ tall kids play area (fun for adults too, so I’ve been told) This park also has the hurricane ride, which drops you down a short slide into a large cone where you slide back and forth, which is quite fun.

The 3rd water park has a smaller wave pool with water guns and bubble blasters (Shoots air from the bottom of the pool) There is another kid’s/adult’s play area with plenty of levels and activities. 2 more group waterslides, as well as 4 other body slides. The Cannon Bowl ride was closed during my visit. There is also another hot tub that is both inside and outside.

The number of water slides available gives the rider plenty of choice for their riding pleasure. A number of hot tubs also made for a nice and relaxing “Down” time.

Also for the kids, was a couple dry play areas, including a 4 story play structure with tubes, slides, and more. A center column features a nerf ball play area, complete with ball shooters, and sling shots. (A problem I found was that the balls seemed to disappear over the course of the weekend. ) Mesh bags are available to help collect ball ammo.

Other dry attractions include lazer tag ($5.00 per game) and an extensive arcade where tickets can be redeemed for prizes. Outdoor fun during winter included a snow tube hill.

Overall, this resort is a blast, and the problem I know I had is that there is almost too much to do for just one weekend. The hotel staff is very polite and understanding. Since we had the kitchen available to us in the condo, it was not necessary to leave the resort (Except after checkout…Of course)




Recommended: Yes