What does “Getting away from it all.” mean to you?  It could mean anything from spending a weekend at a resort or spa, to climbing Everest, or simply finding a quiet little spot around home.  This weekend our version of  “Getting away from it all” meant hiking up a long stream to discover a place we’d seen on a topo map, but never had heard of before.  It was really amazing.

Riverside & Great Northern Railway in Wisconsin Dells

I was on my way out to Stand Rock Campground a few days back when I passed by the Riverside & Great Northern Railway on County Rd. N in Wisconsin Dells. Driving by reminded me that I had been wanting to talk about Great Northern since it holds a bit of that vintage Wisconsin Dells spirit that many remember. It also provides another unique way to enjoy the natural beauty of Wisconsin Dells.

The Great Northern Railway is a 15-inch Gauge mini-Steam train that travels on a 3 mile track through canyons, forests, rock walls and of course along the upper Dells of the Wisconsin River. Great Northern is open now on the weekends and will be open daily from memorial day forward. Train rides are $10 for adults and $8 for children (3 and younger ride free). They also offer a free ride to active duty military personnel and their families which is very cool. Check out their website for all the details and scroll to the bottom for a $1 web discount.

Oh, and if you are into trains don’t miss the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom.

Now that Lake Delton is once again a lake, it seemed like a good time to fix up the free public boat landing at Adams Street and Canyon Road.  It was completed just yesterday and already somebody thought they should try to back their vehicle right up onto on of the piers.  Nice.  Well, they did’nt do any damage other than some rather un-attractive tire marks.  Other than that the the new landing looks great.    Here at WisDells.net if you are looking for general fishing information or you need a map to figure out just where the public landing is simply visit our fishing page.

Being the “outdoorsy” type, when I’m planning a vacation I’m always looking for the best spots to hike, bike, paddle or whatever when I get to my destination.  The thing is, I always know I’m missing something.  Maps and Chamber of  Commerce websites rarely do a good job showing you where the best best trails are.  With that in mind I’ve added a new section to WisDells.net called “Where We Go“.  The “Where We Go” section will tell you about the places we enjoy right here in the Wisconsin Dells area.  Each article will include a general overview, directions and observations that we hope will give you some new ideas when exploring the area. 

Starting off I’ve got two activites for you.. Hiking the South Face of the East Bluff at Devil’s Lake State Park & Paddling the Baraboo River.  Check the new “Where We Go” section every week or so as I will be posting more of our favorite outdoor spots as soon as I can write them up!  Also for a more general look at Natural Areas around the Dells go to our Natural Areas section.

As we’ve begun our new focus on outdoor recreation we realized we need to get out and take new pictures for the Natural Areas section. Yesterday we managed to get out to Baxter’s Hollow about 20 miles south of the Dells, Natural Bridge State Park (even further south), and the Dells of the Wisconsin river right here in Wisconsin Dells. It was a great day for a road trip and a hike. The DOWR Natural Area opens officially on May 15th of each year. Click here for more.

Yep, there are lots of you out there that almost cringe at the mention of Wisconsin Dells.  For some it’s certainly become the anti-vacation.  A weekend full of running around, stress, unhealthy food, kids on sugar highs, traffic and well, you know…  Well,  there is another side to Wisconsin Dells of course.  It’s just getting hard and harder to find.   As a paddler, hiker and general outdoorsy type myself  I could’nt help thinking that there are lots of us out there who actually want to relax on our vacation and not just run from crowded spot to crowded spot being separated from our money.   It was that thought that encoraged me to take a bit of a right turn here at WisDells.net.  I decided to get out of the “rat race” as it were, and focus on building this site around outdoor enthusiasts, families who want to play together, and actually relax.   So with that in mind let’s see where 2009 takes us.  There will be lots of new content coming under the heading of  “Outdoor Guide” soon.  Feel free to post here. Suggestions & comments are welcome.

The picture of the day is from the Wintergreen Resort in Wisconsin Dells.  ( Um, and in summer of course!) You may want to check those guys out if you are planning to stay in Wisconsin Dells over the summer.  However, what was actually on my mind this snowy Sunday morning was a couple reports I’ve heard from folks who work in Wisconsin Dells.  They are telling me that it’s all Gangbusters at the momment.  I’m told that at at least 2 of the most popular resorts the indoor water parks are packed over the weekends and some folks are even putting in extra hours.  Now you know how hearsay goes, but it’s interesting none-the-less.

On thing about being a photographer, I still get to see what the rooms look like in Wisconsin Dells Hotels.  Well, occasionally anyway.  I thought I’d share this shot from the Atlantis.

I’m making a few changes here at WisDells.net for the new year mostly to bring WisDells.net in line with the rest of the guides in the network (BarabooNow.com, DevilsLakeWisconsin.net, MirrorLakeWisconsin.com). After the way 2008 was going what with the floods and the sudden disappearance of Lake Delton it just seemed like it was time for a little “Out with the Old” treatment.  Like many of us in the Wisconsin Dells area, I’m just looking forward to a new season.  This year we are going to head just a be more off the beaten path and focus on the natural beauty of the area.  Nature offers so many benifits to a family vacation it’s hard to name them all.  One thing that comes to mind this year more than most is that exploring the great outdoors is often much less expensive.  Anyway, we’ll talk more about that as the 2009 progresses.  As always, thank you choosing WisDells.net, “My little dells guide”.

]]> http://wisdells.net/2009/02/15/changes/feed/ 0 http://wisdells.net/2008/11/25/accents/ http://wisdells.net/2008/11/25/accents/#comments Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:14:57 +0000 derrick http://wisdells.net/?p=94 We’re happy to introduce you to a new business in Wisconsin Dells, Accents With Taste!.  Perfect timing too.  Accents With Taste is a perfect location to visit when shopping for holiday gifts.  Accents offers Unique gifts, Wines and Cheeses and much more.  I’ve been helping them out with their new website so I’ve had a [...]]]>

We’re happy to introduce you to a new business in Wisconsin Dells, Accents With Taste!.  Perfect timing too.  Accents With Taste is a perfect location to visit when shopping for holiday gifts.  Accents offers Unique gifts, Wines and Cheeses and much more.  I’ve been helping them out with their new website so I’ve had a chance to browse around a bit and have been pretty impressed.  Another thing they do is customized gift baskets for business or holiday occasions.  You’ll be amazined by all the unique little tidbits they find.  You can visit their website at www.accentswithtaste.com.  The site is pretty new so there is lots more to come.

Accents with Taste is located on Highway 13 just west of the highway 12/13 intersection on the south side of the road.  Here is a google map to help you find them.

It’s getting to be that time when we say, “it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.”. Well, without the snow anyway.  After a couple weeks in Israel I’m back in front of my desk and getting back up to speed.  Tomorrow evening the Holly Jolly Light Parade is being held in Downtown Baraboo just minutes from Wisconsin Dells.  I write more about that here.

Which brings me to my next bit of info.  I tend to post at this blog more often in summer, however if you are interested in the goings on around here I invite you to visit my blog, “The View From Here” which is regulary updated over on BarabooNow.com