Family Vacation Ideas and Help for Family Vacations

    We soon found out that we were one of the first families to try out the new Bonanza Bluff as it had just opened that morning. While the area was also previously a play area, this new section now allows an open view for parents to relax and watch from the sidelines. The Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort is constantly improving and adding to the fun and this was just one of the year’s many renovations.

    Next on the agenda was the Wild West Waterpark, a 70,000-square-foot indoor waterpark featuring:

• the Cannonball, a two-person tube slide with a 45-foot drop
• the Fantastic Voyage, a five-person raft ride that takes guests through twisting and turning tunnels
• Ransack Ridge, a six-level play area with slides, water blasters and water jets
• the Surge, a wave pool where spectators can shoot water canons at unsuspecting wave-riders

    It was here that my son heard the Wild Water Dome housed the nation’s largest indoor wave pool. Needless to say, we were moving to our next destination. The Wild Water Dome is the newest water park at the Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort. This amazing area features the Foil Tec roof that not only allows guests to tan indoors, but saves the resort approximately $16,000 a month in gas and electric costs and is another example of the resort’s energy-consciousness.

    While we were busy making faces at the live webcam and calling the grandparents on our cell phone, we noticed the Dueling Mammoths, a tube ride where families race down the slide for prizes (not to mention lots of screams!).

    There were also plenty of non-water activities to keep us occupied when it was time to dry off.

• Snow tubing
• Ice skating
• Lazer Tag
• Pottery Painting Studio
• Rock Climbing Wall
• Arcade
• Indoor Park
• Hair Braiding
• Air-Brush Tattooing

    We spent most of the evenings in the Northern Lights arcade where there were enough games to bring out the kid in even this serious mom. The kids especially loved Dodge ‘Em City, a 30,000-square-foot indoor park with the Dell’s first maximum ballocity, four-story dry foam playhouse. They spent hours climbing, sliding and blasting Nerf-like balls into the air.

    In fact, our successful planning allowed the kids some time to run around and climb in Dodge ‘Em City before ending our trip and heading home. Both kids were asleep in the car before we even exited the Wilderness Territory and we were granted a peaceful ride home.

    If energy could be created from smiles alone, the Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort would be able to provide energy for the entire world and of course, be the first to receive the award for Fun and Simple Energy Creation.

    While we did not hear “I’m bored” once during our trip, we certainly did hear “When are we coming back?” enough times to last a while.

    Perhaps our return visit will be to experience the outdoor waterparks and new Wild Rock Golf Club opening in May 2008.