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| My recommended accommodations in the Dells for families with young children (young toddlers to early elementary-age): |
By Kelly Rush
Meadowbrook Resort
1533 River Rd, WI Dells 1-877-993-3557
www.meadowbrookresort.com
Summary: There are several enormous water park resorts in Wisconsin Dells with activities for
toddlers, but our family chooses to stay in a smaller, more peaceful resort - yet just a walk away from
downtown restaurants and activities.
At Meadowbrook, there are a variety of accommodations: Private cabins, 3-bedroom suites, and what
I refer to as "motel-style" rooms (their Ponderosa building) or "hotel-style" rooms (their Timber
Lodge). The Ponderosa rooms are where the outside door goes into your room with a roomy
balcony area, picnic tables and chairs to eat, play cards or let the kids color outside on a nice day. The
Timber Lodge is what I refer to as their "hotel" building, where the office & lobby are located and
carpeted hallways leading to the rooms. This main lodge is also where the indoor attractions are,
complete with a small arcade, lounge area where they have a few toys and host movie-nights, and
most importantly, their indoor water features, especially for toddlers and younger children. Unlike a
typical hotel, these rooms also offer balconies, furnished with a plastic table and chairs, and they
overlook either the outside pool, or the parking lot.
We've been to Meadowbrook several years in a row, including peak, off-peak, weekends & weekdays
and it is still quiet inside and out because so many travelers are busy touring the Dells and other
attractions. Meadowbrook is truly a down-to-earth, understated 'best-kept-secret' that has plenty
amenities and a comfortable, clean, place to nap, bathe or sleep for the night. They truly run their
resort with preschool-age children in mind!
Our initial visit was a family celebration, where we took up the upper row of five rooms in the
Ponderosa. We could all join each other outside our back door, coordinating and eating meals
together on the very spacious balcony, and then meet again to play card games at night. We returned
with just our little children and have loved our experience, whether a 4-yr old, or an 18-month old
along. In the Ponderosa, rooms include a twin bed built into the wall on one side, then we simply
brought a guard-rail for the other side of the bed when one of our children were at the
transition-stage of crib to bed. Once asleep, we could sneak out the door (right next to their bed)
and have a "date" outside playing cards and eating microwave popcorn! Another aspect we love about
the rooms, are a very solid table for eating or coloring with solid heavy chairs we can re-arrange, but
stable enough for younger children to stand on and play at the table. When we wanted to dine
al-fresco, we could strap a booster chair to one of them for our youngest child and bring it outside.
Take a thorough look through photos on their website to choose your preferred style, but the
Timber Lodge has several bunkhouse rooms, where there are two twin-beds nestled in a little nook
with a built-in night stand in between and a partial wall around to look like a little cabin - perfect for
two kids and their books or sippy cup. A queen bed is on the other side of the partial-wall, with plenty
of room for a playpen, porta-crib or another guest sleeping on a sofa-sleeper.
If you go: The rooms do not have phones - so bring your cell phone charger. All rooms do have a
TV with cable, but we've brought along our own VCR for kids videos. An episode of Dora the
Explorer or Calliou have been a good way to transition to bedtime (even though it's not our norm at
home), As for kitchen and cooking amenities; each room offers something different, ranging from
counter-top portable burners to full-size refrigerators. Most (or all?) rooms include a basic set of
dishes with a pitcher, colander, pots & pans and more.
Back to other WI Dells activities
Read article about my family's experience visiting Meadowbrook in Preschool Life, Summer '09
Meadowbrook Resort
1533 River Rd, WI Dells 1-877-993-3557
www.meadowbrookresort.com
Summary: There are several enormous water park resorts in Wisconsin Dells with activities for
toddlers, but our family chooses to stay in a smaller, more peaceful resort - yet just a walk away from
downtown restaurants and activities.
At Meadowbrook, there are a variety of accommodations: Private cabins, 3-bedroom suites, and what
I refer to as "motel-style" rooms (their Ponderosa building) or "hotel-style" rooms (their Timber
Lodge). The Ponderosa rooms are where the outside door goes into your room with a roomy
balcony area, picnic tables and chairs to eat, play cards or let the kids color outside on a nice day. The
Timber Lodge is what I refer to as their "hotel" building, where the office & lobby are located and
carpeted hallways leading to the rooms. This main lodge is also where the indoor attractions are,
complete with a small arcade, lounge area where they have a few toys and host movie-nights, and
most importantly, their indoor water features, especially for toddlers and younger children. Unlike a
typical hotel, these rooms also offer balconies, furnished with a plastic table and chairs, and they
overlook either the outside pool, or the parking lot.
We've been to Meadowbrook several years in a row, including peak, off-peak, weekends & weekdays
and it is still quiet inside and out because so many travelers are busy touring the Dells and other
attractions. Meadowbrook is truly a down-to-earth, understated 'best-kept-secret' that has plenty
amenities and a comfortable, clean, place to nap, bathe or sleep for the night. They truly run their
resort with preschool-age children in mind!
Our initial visit was a family celebration, where we took up the upper row of five rooms in the
Ponderosa. We could all join each other outside our back door, coordinating and eating meals
together on the very spacious balcony, and then meet again to play card games at night. We returned
with just our little children and have loved our experience, whether a 4-yr old, or an 18-month old
along. In the Ponderosa, rooms include a twin bed built into the wall on one side, then we simply
brought a guard-rail for the other side of the bed when one of our children were at the
transition-stage of crib to bed. Once asleep, we could sneak out the door (right next to their bed)
and have a "date" outside playing cards and eating microwave popcorn! Another aspect we love about
the rooms, are a very solid table for eating or coloring with solid heavy chairs we can re-arrange, but
stable enough for younger children to stand on and play at the table. When we wanted to dine
al-fresco, we could strap a booster chair to one of them for our youngest child and bring it outside.
Take a thorough look through photos on their website to choose your preferred style, but the
Timber Lodge has several bunkhouse rooms, where there are two twin-beds nestled in a little nook
with a built-in night stand in between and a partial wall around to look like a little cabin - perfect for
two kids and their books or sippy cup. A queen bed is on the other side of the partial-wall, with plenty
of room for a playpen, porta-crib or another guest sleeping on a sofa-sleeper.
If you go: The rooms do not have phones - so bring your cell phone charger. All rooms do have a
TV with cable, but we've brought along our own VCR for kids videos. An episode of Dora the
Explorer or Calliou have been a good way to transition to bedtime (even though it's not our norm at
home), As for kitchen and cooking amenities; each room offers something different, ranging from
counter-top portable burners to full-size refrigerators. Most (or all?) rooms include a basic set of
dishes with a pitcher, colander, pots & pans and more.
Back to other WI Dells activities
Read article about my family's experience visiting Meadowbrook in Preschool Life, Summer '09
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