Mall of America or Wisconsin Dells advice?

[mrsklamc]

Ok so my in-laws are not interested in Disney...

I'd like to rent a vacation home in one of these areas..if in Minnesota, we're looking for somewhere maybe with a cabin but where we could make a day trip to the mall of america.

Tips? opinions? wonderful places you've stayed?

Thanks!

 

[rigs32]

The Dells are about a 3-4 hr drive from the Mall of America (depending on traffic). That would be a looooong day trip. As for cabins, there are always things on skyauction.com in MN north of the cities (also a couple hrs away). You're better off renting a cabin/home for a week and taking on a day or two at the MoA before or after.

 

[mrsklamc]

I'm sorry, I wasn't clear. We're just looking to do one or the other.

 

[amarberry]

We go to the Dells a couple of times a year. It's always been an overpriced tourist trap, but I think it has gotten pretty ridiculous in the last couple of years. I still keep going back though!

Try looking at tripadvisor.com. They have a fair amount of reviews for the Dells. Some of the Dells hotels are not so great.

Also, another place you might want to look is the Three Bears Lodge in Warrens, WI. It's probably a half hour north of the Dells and is brand new. Here is the link: http://www.jellystonewarrens.com/index/Three_Bears_Indoor_Water_Resort

Honestly though, I don't know much about the Three Bears Lodge, but have driven by it on the highway several times as it was being built. It looked pretty interesting and I believe most of the lodging is in cabins.

 

[golfgal]

http://www.brainerd.com/lodging/resorts/index.html

Take your pick of any of these resorts in MN. Some of the nicer ones are Craguns, Izatys, Grandview Lodge, Maddens. All have GREAT golf, beaches, water activities, some have indoor waterparks but not on the scale of the Dells. All are going to be less expensive then pretty much anywhere in the Dells. You could hit MOA on the way up or back, about a 3 hour drive.

 

[Deb in IA]

We usually stay here http://www.wildernessresort.com/index when we go to the Dells.

They have at least 3 indoor water parks, and you have to be a resort guest to use their pools. They have some great winter rates, starting at $99 per night, and they also have an assortment of standard hotel rooms, villas and condos, and cabins.

 

[rigs32]

I'm sorry, I wasn't clear. We're just looking to do one or the other.

No, I realize that. What I was saying is that it's not practical to make a day trip to the MOA from the places in MN and WI with lots of vacation homes to rent.

 

[freckles and boo]

We usually stay here http://www.wildernessresort.com/index when we go to the Dells.

They have at least 3 indoor water parks, and you have to be a resort guest to use their pools. They have some great winter rates, starting at $99 per night, and they also have an assortment of standard hotel rooms, villas and condos, and cabins.

We have stayed here four times and our kids love it. It is massive, however. You will get your exercise walking from one end to the other. There are shuttle buses, but I can't comment on them as we have never used them.

 

[mrsv98]

If you are doing a whole family vacation, I would recc renting a house. We have one this summer from http://www.sandcounty.com/ We rented from them a couple of years ago and were very happy. They have a wide variety of houses and locations in the area and it is much cheaper to stay in a house. There is a nice Walmart Super Center right off the highway where we get groceries. Then you can go into the tourist areas if you chose or stay in the quieter residential areas.

The house we are renting is right on a lake with a couple of little boats for paddling.

 

[princessjv]

We have stayed here four times and our kids love it. It is massive, however. You will get your exercise walking from one end to the other. There are shuttle buses, but I can't comment on them as we have never used them.

We too stay at the Wilderness when in Wisc. Dells (LOVE IT). It is a great resort! they also have vacation town homes, if you are looking for more privacy.

As for the MOA, well, I live here and although I do shop there a lot, I would not make it a family vacation to visit (unless you are planning on seeing a lot of Mpls/St. Paul).

 

[Disfan3]

We too stay at the Wilderness when in Wisc. Dells (LOVE IT). It is a great resort! they also have vacation town homes, if you are looking for more privacy.

As for the MOA, well, I live here and although I do shop there a lot, I would not make it a family vacation to visit (unless you are planning on seeing a lot of Mpls/St. Paul).

We make a yearly family vacation (3 or 4 days) and we are from Iowa. We take a full day to do the amusement park, then we see the Underwater Adventures and shop on another day and then we see a movie at the theater and shop some more....
I guess it works for us seeing as tho we have three girls and they can spend hours in a mall or a bookstore!!! We loved Cereal Land when they had that!! FUN!! Now they have some Dino exhibit that looked boring to us....

We stay in a hotel room there. I forget the name. It is a suite place and it is right across the street from MOA.

I agree that it probably would not be a vacation for a big family function though, although they do have that new hotel-water park over there...that may be fun...Sorry OP I do not know the name of it

 

[mrsklamc]

It's just me, DH, his brother, and parents, and they've gone on a previous vacation to Mall of America. That was in high school and I guess the guys spent all day at laser tag The websites are great everyone, thanks so much!

 

[corie161]

Also check out www.exploreminnesota.com for lodging info. You can pick any area and do a search for whatever type lodging your looking for.

 

[doombuggy3]

Also, another place you might want to look is the Three Bears Lodge in Warrens, WI. It's probably a half hour north of the Dells and is brand new. Here is the link: http://www.jellystonewarrens.com/index/Three_Bears_Indoor_Water_Resort.

We LOVE this place! And wow, does it have a lot to do, waterparks, mini golf, planned activities. We've gone there for many many years and the Dells is only a short hour/hour and a half drive away if there's things you'd like to do there too like go-karting or the DUCKS tour. While true it's pricey, it's pretty fun to do every once in a while!