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Meeting place not just for kids
Before planners jump to the usual meeting destinations, tourism officials urge, they should strongly consider a place known for kids: not Disney World but the Wisconsin Dells.
"Yes, it’s the world’s water park capital, and yes, kids love this place, but the grown-up side of the Dells is worth a good long look, too," said Melanie Platt-Gibson, spokesperson for the Wisconsin Dells Visitor and Convention Bureau.
Since its inception, the 20-square-mile community of Wisconsin Dells has been one of the most enjoyable all-ages destinations in the US, and planners have come to count on it for groups with children in tow. But the area is increasingly becoming a destination sought after strictly by adults, say tourism officials.
And that also goes for meetings, since aside from an unparalleled concentration of indoor and outdoor water parks, the Dells also boasts group-friendly resorts and function spaces, as well as activities ranging from golf to riverboat cruises.
With more than 8,000 hotel rooms sprinkled throughout Wisconsin Dells, planners have options for booking everything from intimate incentive programs to large-scale business meetings.
Somewhere near the top of the list of particularly adult-oriented properties for group gatherings is Ho-Chunk Casino Hotel and Convention Center, where delegates are encouraged to try their luck at blackjack, poker, craps, bingo, off-track betting and more than 2,400 slot machines.
If the group is after pampering during downtime, several properties offer a spa experience, including Sundara Inn and Spa, Spa Kalahari and Salon at Kalahari Resort, Spa del Sol at Chula Vista Resort, Elements Spa at Great Wolf Lodge, and Rhapsody Resort and Spa on Lake Delton, which features poolside spa services overlooking the lake.
Though seemingly geared toward children, adults also like the water parks, tourism officials say. To provide them some privacy, many resorts have poolside cabanas available for rental for about a dozen people.
"Cabanas provide an adult oasis," Platt-Gibson says.
By David Wilkening
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