How to make the most out of your Kalahari stay

We’ve been fans of waterparks since our kids were toddlers.  We live in Ohio, so Kalahari in Sandusky was our go-to.  However, this summer we headed to Wisconsin Dells for a conference that my husband attended.  It was held at Kalahari and they encouraged participants to bring their families.  Lucky for us, we got to tag along!

First of all, the resort is huge! There are two waterparks—one indoor and one outdoor, a huge conference area, restaurants, an arcade and entertainment center, spa and more.  If you’re counting your steps, you won’t have any problem getting them in!

Accommodations

Kalahari has a variety of accommodations, including rooms that are right in the resort and others that are a few miles away on Lake Delton.  Since my husband was attending a conference—and because the waterpark was the main attraction for our kids, a room right at the resort was what we needed.  We stayed in Double Queen Sofa room, which included two Queens and a sofa bed.  This was the perfect size for the 6 of us. 

Just a couple of miles away are the Lake Delton Waterfront Villas.  If the waterpark is appealing, but not necessarily where you want to spend most of your time, then these villas may be a better fit for you.  This rustic, lakeside option has room layouts accommodating between 6 and 20 guests and you still receive complimentary admission to Kalahari Waterparks.

Activities & Entertainment

Kalahari offers a variety of activities for your entire family, with the obvious being the waterparks.  However, there is an awesome arcade and entertainment center that was also a huge hit on our trip.  In addition, you’ll have access to the Tommy Bartlett Exploratory and Timbavati Wildlife Park.

Indoor Waterpark

There were several water attractions for guests of all ages.  We had my niece on this trip so we had kids who were 14, 11, 10 and 7.  The older kids stuck together and rode all of the bigger slides, while my youngest kiddo stayed with me and we rode things that we could do together. 

He was a little nervous at first, but once he got his feet wet with the double-rider slides, he was ready to take on the single-rider ones!  If waterslides aren’t your thing, there are plenty of other attractions to enjoy including several pool areas, hot tubs and the Flo Rider surfing area.  In addition, there is a larger wave pool, lazy river and areas designated for toddlers and smaller children too. 

There are plenty of tables to sit and eat or relax.  You can grab a bite to eat at the quick service restaurant or even indulge in some adult beverages at the bar. 

Outdoor Waterpark

The outdoor waterpark had similar offerings, including waterslides, pool, food and bar options.  To be honest, we didn’t spend much time outside.  Even though we were there in July, the pools were freezing, so the kids preferred the indoor park.

Tom Foolerys Adventure Park

I honestly don’t know what the kids enjoyed more—Tom Foolerys or the waterpark!  I have three boys and no matter where we go, they are drawn to the arcade.  Tom Foolerys is an entertainment center that includes rides, go carts, rock climbing wall, ropes course, lazer tag, mini golf and more.  This was definitely one of the biggest hits of our trip. 

What’s even more awesome, is that they offer resort guests the option to purchase an unlimited package for Tom Foolery’s that is good for your entire stay—for one low price!  This offer is only available to guests staying at the resort and it has to be purchased at least 24 hours BEFORE your trip.

The cost is $119.99 and includes a 4-pack of passes.  The passes give you unlimited access to Mini-Golf Laser Tag Ferris Wheel, Go Carts, Climbing Wall Ropes Course Carousel, XD Dark Ride, Atomic Rush G-Force One RevoFOOLtion Vortex Tunnel Sky Rangers Lil Toucan Climb and more!

The cost does not include bowling, the golf simulator, arcade games or food/beverage, but even without that, it’s such a great deal!  Because we were there for five days, it cost us less than $25/day—for our three kids and my niece.  Activities are always a big expense, but this option was incredibly affordable and totally worth the cost!

The kids also spent time and money on the arcade games too.  There is seriously something about earning enough tickets to purchase an item we can get at the dollar store!  On most trips, we give our kids their own budget to spend on souvenirs, extra snacks or activities that we’re not doing as a family.  For this trip, most of their money was spent on arcade games. 

Timbavati Wildlife Park

All stays at Kalahari also include free admission to Timbavati Wildlife Park.  The park is a 25-acre wildlife park with hundreds of exotic animals including giraffes, flamingos, parakeets, kangaroos and more.  You even have the opportunity to pet and feed some of the animals.

We spent the morning at Timbavati and the kids really enjoyed it!  I would suggest setting aside at least a couple of hours to tour the park.  If you plan to see any shows or take a train ride, plan for more time.  This park was such a nice added benefit and a perfect way to get out and explore Wisconsin Dells!

Tommy Bartlett Exploratory

If you’ve read any other posts on our blog, you know we love science centers.  Even before we had kids, my husband and I took daytrips to our local science centers because we enjoyed them.  Tommy Bartlett Exploratory has more than 175 interactive activities for kids and adults of all ages.  This attraction is not too far from Timbavati so we spent our morning seeing wildlife and our afternoon doing hands-on science activities. 

The Tommy Bartlett Exploratory is also included with your Kalahari stay.  Regular prices are $16 for adults and $13 for children so free admission for the six of us saved us a lot of money and added that extra value to our Kalahari stay!  We all enjoyed our time and would come back again!

Other Activities

If you’re still searching for activities, you have a variety of additional options!  There are escape rooms, a bowling alley, golf simulator, virtual reality, spa and fitness center. Just keep in mind that these activities are an added cost.

Dining

Kalahari has two sit-down restaurants as well as a variety of quick service options throughout the resort.  These dining options are open at various times of the day, offering breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

For most of our trips, we book hotels that offer free breakfast.  It’s nice to not have to worry about finding breakfast options, plus it saves us quite a bit of money.  Kalahari does not offer free breakfast; however, our room had a refrigerator and microwave, which allowed us to bring our own.  We stopped at the grocery store and picked up some snacks, cereal, milk, luchables and uncrustables.

My husband had breakfast and lunch included with his conference ticket so the rest of us ate our breakfast and lunch in the room.  Then we all went out for a nice dinner each night.

Wisconsin Brew Pub

One of the restaurants right inside Kalahari is the Wisconsin Brew Pub.  It’s so convenient to have options right at the hotel.  After a day of swimming and playing in the arcade, it’s nice to just walk down the hall and enjoy a sit-down restaurant. 

We ended up eating at this restaurant a couple of times during our stay.  Everything we ordered was good too.  One of our favorite appetizers in Wisconsin were the cheese curds.  You just can’t go to Wisconsin and not try them!  The kids gobbled them up so fast. 

The Last Bite

When you walk into the lobby, you’ll likely be lured to the dessert counter at the Last Bite.  There are plenty of options including chocolate, fudge, caramel apples, ice cream, and more.  We had our fair share of snacks from this place.

Quick Service Restaurant & Bars

We also ordered food and drinks from the different quick service restaurants.  I like fruity drinks so my favorite was the Vortex.  I also had Captain’s Coco and the Ultimate Mai Tai, which were good too.

Get more bang for your buck

No matter what hotel you stay at, be sure to check on their policies.  Most of the time you can utilize certain services like luggage check, prior to check in!  Kalahari’s check-in time is 4pm and check-out is at 11am, but the waterparks can be accessed before and after those times!

Waterpark access

Although check-in isn’t until 4pm, you can actually arrive as early as 10am and begin using the waterpark!  That means you can pack a small bag and use the changing rooms and start your trip early!  Plus, you can use the waterpark on your check out day until closing time!  Taking advantage of those extra hours in the park can really give you some extra bang for your buck!

Towel Service

Towel service is also available.  Just show your room key and pick up towels for your family.  After you use them, drop them off in one of the designated areas.  You’ll never have to worry about using cold, wet towels or hanging them up to dry!  Just be sure to return them, otherwise you’ll get charged $25/towel. 

Life Vests

Kalahari requires life vests for children under 48;” however, they are provided free of charge!  That’s just one less thing you have to remember to pack! 

Have you been to Kalahari?

Our kids had an absolute blast on this trip!  We were at the resort from Sunday until Friday and were able to experience a variety of things the resort has to offer.  Have you been to other Kalahari Resorts that offer different activities?  We’d love to hear about them! 

Need more inspiration? On our drive from Ohio, we checked out Chicago and a pretty cool restaurant called The Safehouse in Milwaukee, WI.