Wisconsin Dells 2021 - Downtown Walking Tour

Filmed in July of 2021 in full 4K HDR, this video shows a complete walk up and down both sides of Broadway in Downtown Dells.
We start at the Showboat Saloon and continue east along the sidewalk passing many Downtown Dells favorites including The Haunted Mansion, Swiss Maid Fudge, Monk's Bar, High Rock Cafe, and The Chalet.
We then cross the street and head back west down the hill passing The Dells Mining Company, H.H. Bennet Studio & Museum, Uptown Trading Post, Nig's Bar, Ripley's Believe it or Not, Wizard Quest, Riverfront Terrace, and The Upper Dells Boat Tours.
I make note of some much-loved businesses and shops that we've lost over the years including The Mocassin Shop (Hi, Gregg!), The Patio Restaurant, The Upper Crust, Bailey's Landing, and Giftland.
Ordinarily, this channel is focused on touring locations in and around the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul but in this video, Robin and I thought we'd bring you along for a visit to one of our favorite midwest vacation spots. We hope you enjoy it!
Thanks for watching,
- Kevin & Robin
If you are thinking of moving to the Twin Cities from anywhere in the world or are considering relocating within the metro, I'm here for you!
Have questions? Click the link below to schedule your private call with me at a time that's convenient for you.
calendly.com/kevincall/questions
Kevin Huntington | Managing Broker & Attorney | Metro Home Connection Realty

[@Abonanno24601]

I just took my wife up there for the first time this summer. I'm from the suburbs of Detroit but lived in Rockford Illinois for about 5 years. My dad would take me there every summer back in the 80s. My favorite place were and still is the duck boats and the robot science center.

[@501764727]

Does anyone remember when the Dells use to have commercial tv channel that would broadcast 24/7 in all hotel rooms, cabins and resorts that were commericals for various Dells attractions??

[@jas22980]

yep, watched it from my home in the dells all the time

[@501764727]

@@jas22980 I'd give anything to find footage on that and go back and watch those old commercials for those attractions.

[@jas22980]

@@501764727 was some classic stuff for sure. Some of those old Noah's ark commercials are still roaming around KZbin

[@501764727]

@@jas22980 Yeah I saw 1 or 2 of those. Wish I could see the old Pirates Cove and Rocky Rococo commercial, those were silly. The House On The Rock commercial was cool.

[@nuttybarz8676]

Brings back countless childhood memories

[@Shadow600SS]

Thanks my friend, I,m Lucas from Brazil, i lived in Dells in 2005 to 2006 and your video brought me some good memories of that place! Seems like it changed so much, so many different stores... I hope to visit Dells again some day! Thank you so much! Greetings from Brazil

[@tracythorn2918]

Thank you for this tour! I have many memories of the strip from the '70s and 80s. The River Walk is an excellent addition as is that open-air patio where Giftland used to be. That "Pop Con" section was once original buildings but is now cheap/junky-looking storefronts. Downtown Dells was always a tacky/tourist trap strip but they embraced that and did well. The old architecture was a part of that unique vibe and I'm sorry to see it disappear, The powers that be need to understand that the old architecture is fundamental to the Wisconsin Dells vibe, save it or rebuild it in the same style or lose the soul of what was "The Dells".

[@destinationtwincities]

Hi Tracy - Thanks for watching and for taking the time to share your thoughts. You put it perfectly in saying that the old architecture is fundamental to the Wisconsin Dells vibe. One hopeful spot is the new store, DooHickey's, which is mentioned early on in the video. The former store at that location was The Mocassin Shop, which was a long-time Dells gift shop with checkered tile floors and the classic gift shop look. Over the years we became friends with the old owner, Gregg, who was always super friendly and personable with everyone who came into the shop. He also didn't want to see another cheaply thrown-together tee-shirt shop at his long-time location. Fortunately, the new owners came in and put in a very nice store. They even updated the brick exterior, maintaining the vintage look of the building. Hopefully, future owners follow suit!

[@acidgougewaltz]

i too spent time in the dells in the early 80s. do you have any photographs from the period? my family has been staying at the blackhawk for most years since 59. as a kid my favorite as xanadu. and i'm just old enough to remember ft dells

[@jas22980]

Doohickeys is a fun store, run by the family that's owned Paul Bunyans for many many years.

[@kristen4616]

Oh I would love to see old pictures and videos of downtown Dells!!!! 💙🙏❤😍

[@destinationtwincities]

Hi Kristen, thanks for watching and for posting your comment! If you'd like to see more old photos of downtown Wisconsin Dells, do I have a great recommendation for you! The company Ad-Lit, Inc. - (these are the folks who for years published one of the annual Dells travel guides) - have a website with hundreds of old photos of Wisconsin Dells. Some are old postcards, and some are just really old photos. Several of them are buildings and street scenes of downtown Dells over the past 100+ years. You can check out their site at: www.vintagewisconsindells.com/ . I can get lost for hours clicking through all of these old pics!

[@annettenelson8820]

I liked the tour. Have not been to the dells since the mid 1990's. Thank you.

[@ericaperry1325]

Thanks for the tour going to the Dells for the first time ever this summer 👍🏾

[@paulmcdonald4232]

Thanks, I haven't been to the Dell's since the 1980's. I hope to see it again after my tour of duty.

[@HoosierDaddyOfficial]

I’ve never been to the Dells, but we’re planning to go next month. Thanks for the tour!

[@stratostatic]

Very enjoyable. Thanks Some nice childhood memories from the 70s. The boat docks were much busier back in those days. That area seems to have changed dramatically.

[@midwesttraveldestinations]

Yeah - there was definitely a greater variety of shops and attractions downtown. I'm sad that the wax museum and shooting gallery are gone along with some more traditional gift shops. It's fun that some long-time downtown attractions like The Haunted Mansion, the old-time photoshops, and the fudge making shops are still there and maintain some of the old vibe.

[@fenix648]

People often leave this part out of their videos of the Dells. Thanks for showing this!

[@AnnLippert1]

The video quality is AMAZING!!!

[@estelasteele1173]

Wizard Quest is a lot of fun! Even our 3 year old granddaughter had fun.

[@midwesttraveldestinations]

Is it fun for adults too, without kids? I've been told it is, but we still haven't tried it out yet.

[@thomastherriault8632]

The Mexican restaurant used to be the Dells Cafe or Restaurant, I don't remember which one, had lots of good memories there as a kid, the food was always good, much more simpler times. 👍

[@kathybell7098]

Thanks for the tour - I didn't know all this was in Wisconsin Dells - I usually go for the outlets

[@virgoblonde0828]

it's our anniversary summer weekend every year! we'll be there next weekend! can't wait!

[@jeffreylenz7314]

Great video, love the dells

[@destinationtwincities]

We do too!

[@JBro9091]

Thank you for mentioning Monk's and Upper Crust! I sure do miss their pizza. Oh, and I miss the Wax Museum as well!

[@destinationtwincities]

Thanks for your comments! I also miss Upper Crust and the Wax Museum. I do love the fact that the Haunted Mansion is still there after so many years. Monk's definitely has some of the best burgers anywhere. I feel like their burgers are better at the downtown location than their Wilderness location, though the Wilderness location is nice for larger groups and families.

[@yaris5150]

@@destinationtwincities Monks is always great!

[@jimbean9054]

Thank You For Sharing 🙂

[@melissabrown2429]

Thank you.

[@jimmybuckets5863]

Good thing they have so many t shirt shops around, so you can easily walk in and buy the next size up, after eating 70 pounds of fudge and cheese.

[@destinationtwincities]

Ha, hah!

[@geedavia1785]

I must've walked that strip 100-times. Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. I don't like fudge, been to Ripley's once took a Delightful Upper boat tour. Always stop at the candy shop, bowled at the chalet many times. Ate at the Mexican restaurant. Long wait, great food. remember they had a Cajun Restaurant on the East-end of the Glockenspiel. Great food, went there the next-year, it was gone. Also remember at the height of the Dells, they had a small walk up restaurant that charged an arm & leg for a hot dog and fries. Used to stop at the book store every year, it's gone too. Dont care for the fried dough stuff with the powdered sugar(funnel cake-?) 1-time we tried to free Lance it getting a hotel. room. Ended up at a hotel on the Eastside of the street. The owner, cranky old man was nuts. He watched your ice usuage, accused us of stowing someone in our room. The room was antiquated w/a analog tv & crappy towels. Same year, we ordered food from Famous Dave's & it was hideous, really disappointing. Dave's was my Wife's favorite spot. We Started going to the Dave's in Lake Denton. There was once a shrimp place, right off Broadway that closed. The shrimp were great. First time I'm the Dells(tried to) eat a meal at Monks. A drunk dude made it very uncomfortable. Burger was great(what I ate of it)Enjoyed breakfast at the restaurant on the very end of the strip near the car wash, I think it changed hands last time we were there. & we always stopped at Zinkes. My wife didn't fell right unless she got Staples from Zinkes & candy from goody-goody gum drop. And lastly there was a pizza joint on the strip w/a temperamental pizza owner. He'd holler at the patrons. Got mad if you left him a poor review. He opened up a 2nd location in a smallish location. Kids are grown, haven't been In a few Years, Pandemic and all. Was in the Dells after the river went dry. We had pictures of us in the middle of the dry river bed Was up there when folks in Chgo we're dying from the heat. Was there one February when it was 70 & folks were in shorts. Been up there when it was do cold you ran to your car, to your hotel. Musta been -10 & been there when it was a ghost town. *Great memories. Gotta get* *back soon...*

[@101southsideboy]

one of Amtrak's most famous trains stop off in the dells "Amtrak's Empire Builder" East bound arrives at roughly 10:55 daily ( if on time ) the west bound train arrives around 6:45 ( again if on time )

[@mmmmmm8606]

Nice tour! It looks better through your camera than actually being there. Though the underwhelming stores really don’t interest me so much. It’s at most an hour side trip so you can see what’s going around and see some of nature after being cooped so much inside of the water parks.

[@midwesttraveldestinations]

Thanks! I agree - when in the Dells, it's always important to get downtown and take a look around. Parking is plentiful, and the Riverwalk is a nice addition.

[@yaris5150]

I feel like the Dells culture has really declined in the last decade since Mt Olympus has taken over all the little hotels, and downtown was pretty barren when I visited last summer. Nonetheless it's a staple of my childhood and I love the area.

[@midwesttraveldestinations]

I definitely hear what you're saying. I loved the Dells of the 1970s, but some old standards like the Dells Boat Tours, Ducks, Noah's Ark, some family-owned resorts, and a handful of restaurants still seem to keep together much of what the old Dells used to be like.

[@Mszahnclass95]

I agree 💯 the wax museum was the attraction an now gone .I personally think the 80s was the best time to be there .

[@destinationtwincities]

@@Mszahnclass95 I sometimes think the 80s was the best time to be anywhere!

[@gailalicea1622]

Yes , everything is gone. All the little mom and pop motels that made everything so cute and so homey just gone. It's so sad with all this new and improvement stuff that they have to ruin the old. All those new shops do not give it charm like it used to have.

[@501764727]

@@Mszahnclass95 Strongly Agreed with that! The 80's/early 90's was Def the Dells hayday.

[@lindakrueger5048]

Hello from a local! You toured the downtown. The “strip” is actually highway 12 from the lower Dells intersection into Lake Delton where all the attractions and hotels are.

[@hollyswaney3436]

Ye Olde Nerd Shop is a newer store within the past couple of years, owned by the owners of Ripley's and Wizard Quest. Beforehand it was a similar store named Characters, which was a store that sold merchandise with popular cartoon characters and pop icons stuff. The Point is where the old Penny Arcade and shooting gallery used to be. Wizard Quest has taken over the Chalet building with the exception of Carr Valley Cheese and the bar/bowling alley and will completely be Wizard Quest. They opened in that location in December. Rumor has it that Ripley's will be moving to the old Wizard Quest location and no word yet on what is going to replace the current Ripley's location.

[@Geenalee1]

Nice !!!! Been To Long Since I have Been to the Dells.... New Sub Here !!!!

[@alpkerembilir]

I was there kast summer and i missed soooo much great American Town

[@101southsideboy]

the guy who owned that camera shop at one time took a picture that was uncommon at the time due to the tech was not available yet . in fact many people thought the picture was cropped ( fake). a pic of a man jumping from one rock to another while suspended n mid air between the 2 rocks just a picture was un heard of at the time due to ( as i said) the technology was not there yet for that kind of picture to be taken

[@sollara5547]

Hi, someone know which place is better for work in summer please?

[@nopawsclark4064]

Please enjoy your day.

[@destinationtwincities]

Thanks - you too!

[@MaynardGKrebs-tt1dd]

You passed my Grandpa's old butcher shop when you were walking east. I lived above that shop until I was four years old. Things have long since changed.

[@midwesttraveldestinations]

Hi Maynard - That's really cool that your Grandpa's butcher shop was right on Broadway. I went back through some old photos to try to guess which location it was at. My best guess was the spot on the east side of Monk's Bar that used to have a sign reading, "Quality Super Market." Was that it?

[@MaynardGKrebs-tt1dd]

@@midwesttraveldestinations I think so. it was across the street from Monk's, but I cannot recall exactly where because of all the changes on Broadway. He sold it in the early 60's and it became Stulke's Hardware. It was later renovated into an amusement sort of place. The whole block has really changed.

[@destinationtwincities]

@@MaynardGKrebs-tt1dd Hi Maynard - It's Kevin from the video here - (I do both of the channels.) Thanks for getting back to me on this. From the old photos I was looking at, I think I've found Stulke's Hardware, but I couldn't find any photos of the building when it was a butcher shop. I'm betting it's at the location of the "Wild Fun Zone," which shows up at about 5:45 in the video. If you're interested in seeing out a great collection of old photos, check out VintageWisconsinDells.com, (run by Ad-Lit/Dells.com). This site is simply a collection of photo galleries categorized by, 'People,' 'Street Scenes,' 'Attractions,' and so on. Thanks for sharing your information about the butcher shop - I've got a collection of old Dells postcards myself, and I enjoy tracking the various storefront and real estate uses over time.

[@MaynardGKrebs-tt1dd]

@@destinationtwincities Thanks Kevin. I will pass on the link to my 87 year-old Mom who grew up in The Dells. Until a few years ago, she visited regularly. My cousins still have a Beauty Shop there.

[@destinationtwincities]

@@MaynardGKrebs-tt1dd Sounds good, and thanks for your comments!

[@destinationtwincities]

I'm throwing in a new tour video of one of our favorite nearby vacation destinations, Wisconsin Dells. If you've been to the Dells, I'd love to hear your take on it - please comment below!

[@patrickprendergast9589]

i have a frend who lives next to the dells in baraboo he gor rich investing in bitcoine

[@rich1034]

Definitely have to go in mid June and july it’s crowded so bad

[@jeannie3147]

New subscriber here. Loving your channel! Can you tell me how close Sherwood Forest Campground is to this area? The website says 3.5 blocks from downtown and I'd like to make sure this is the downtown they are speaking of. Thank you

[@midwesttraveldestinations]

Hi Jeannie! This is Kevin from the video (I also run the channel, Midwest Travel Destinations). Thank you so much for your very kind comment! The short answer to your question is that Sherwood Forest Campground is just around the corner from downtown - about a ten-minute walk. The long answer is... I went ahead and made a special video based specifically on your question. If you click the name/photo attached to this reply, it will take you to the Midwest Travel channel and the first video you'll see will be, "Sherwood Forest to Downtown Dells." There are also three other videos about Sherwood Forest on this channel, and one of them is actually a 360-degree tour. We've stayed at Sherwood Forest several times, so if you have any other questions about the campground or the Dells in general, I'm happy to provide any information I can! This link should take you right to the video too: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fKLYammNlp1_npo

[@destinationtwincities]

I can confirm that Midwest Travel Destinations is me too!

[@jeannie3147]

@@midwesttraveldestinations Oh Thank you! You are most helpful!

[@crzzymnn911]

Minocqua is another great WI city.

[@karelysvicunanoriega9636]

Hi, could u please tell me if the lake delton is near from there?

[@destinationtwincities]

Hi Karelys - thanks for watching. Yes, Lake Delton (the actual lake) is about two miles from Downtown Dells - on the other side of the Wisconsin River.

[@kaylakuhnwald1]

You need to do an update wizard quest is in a new bigger building and Ripley's is moving into the old wizard quest building

[@jeffreylenz7314]

I think that dells distillery use to be connors bar

[@destinationtwincities]

Interesting... I don't remember Connor's Bar, but I do have a bunch of old photos. I'm gonna see what I can find.

[@jru20]

Living in Chicago, most city’s downtowns are not as beautiful and pleasing 😭 always good to travel though 🧭

[@Top5ForYouyt]

What is the best thing to do in Wisconsin Dells?

[@stich21]

water parks for sure

[@jimbean9054]

ROBIN 🙂

[@keyshawnscott12]

Yeah I worked at the water and theme park for a few days until I said Fuck that shit

[@jas22980]

cool story bro, how's mcdonalds?

[@jamesanonymous2343]

I USED TO VISIT THE DELLS WHEN I STAYED IN OXFORD WISC A FEW MILES AWAY. 1950'S, 1960'S ,, "OLD TYMES" NOW IT'S A FUCKED UP TOURIST GHETTO. ALL THE MOBS LOOK LIKE THEY GOT THEIR DUDS FROM THE SAME LAUNDRY BIN,OR MAYBE AN "OLD NAVY", SECOND HAND SHOP.

[@gailalicea1622]

So much change and not for the better. You took away all the old charm when Mount Olympus took over. They should have left Familyland alone. New doesn't mean better. You painted everything ugly white and blue , WHY. The charm of the dells was all the little mom and pop motels , driving up and down the strip and seeing all the different colors and the different signs the different names of the comfy n homey motels. The charm is gone. It's gotten so overgrown and so crammed now , it's a whole different place. If anybody wants to experience the wonderful charm of what Wisconsin Dells once was go back and watch the older videos. Look at all the different little hotels and motels they had. I missed the Rocket on the side of town where the water parks are. They took away so much charm from over there. They cemented up all the motel indoor and outdoor swimming pools and hot tubs. So now you've got to go to the bigger places. We loved going and staying in the motels all day especially the Luna the Pine Dells the Indian Trail. Every year we would stay at a different place. And we would stay in the hotel all day in the pools because everyone was at the water parks. We always had the pools to ourselves it was wonderful. Mount Olympic ruined everything. Why would they cement beautiful indoor and outdoor swimming pools. Greed. They didn't want you enjoying the motel they wanted you to have to come to Mount Olympus to swim. I have never been there since they ruined it and took away Familyland and I will never ever go to Mount Olympus anything.

[@vincent2993]

So much hate is inside of you

[@kevin..9360]

Just came back…feels like your in Mexico the downtown has cars going up and down the strip playing that sh!tty rap music not child friendly after dark. Minorities have ruined this place, not what it was in the 80s unfortunately.

[@rickm.3688]

The dells is a dump anymore nothing like it used to be.