Driving Around Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin in 4k Video
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Published 2023-08-23
The city takes its name from the Dells of the Wisconsin River, a scenic, glacial-formed gorge that features sandstone formations along the banks of the Wisconsin River.
Along with nearby village Lake Detlon, the combined area is known as "The Dells".
The city of Wisconsin Dells was founded in 1856 by the Wisconsin Hydraulic Company, a dam-building and real estate investment business. The town was originally named Kilbourn City for Byron Kilbourn, the president of the La Crosse & Milwaukee Railroad Company.
Kilbourn City quickly became a popular travel destination in the Midwest due to the scenery of the Dells of the Wisconsin River and the ready railroad access. In 1856, entrepreneur Leroy Gates began taking tourists on boat tours of the Wisconsin Dells and promoting the town to railroad travelers. These tours were given using wooden rowboats until 1873 when two excursion steamers, the Modocawanda and the Dell Queen launched.
In 1909, the Kilbourn Dam was completed across the Wisconsin River to generate hydroelectricity. It is now owned by Alliant Energy.
Kilbourn City shortened its name to Kilbourn in 1895 and then changed its name to Wisconsin Dells in 1931, identifying itself with the famous natural landscape of the Dells of the Wisconsin River.
In 1952, a new traveling performance from Chicago called "Tommy Bartlett's Thrill Show" came to Lake Delton on its second stop. Following the show's huge success in the city, its owner, Tommy Bartlett, chose to keep the performance permanently in Wisconsin Dells. To promote the show, Bartlett gave away bumper stickers advertising his thrill show and the city, effectively spreading word about the area across the nation. That tourist attraction closed permanently in 2020.
Soon more attractions followed to serve the ever-increasing tourists, along with many hotels, shops, and restaurants. Today, a large number of water parks are central to the local economy.
Tourism is the major contributor to the economy of Wisconsin Dells. The Dells area has many indoor and outdoor waterparks, proclaiming itself the "Waterpark Capital of the World".
Other attractions include boat tours, zip-lining, golf courses, mini golf, go-kart tracks, water sports, horseback riding, a water ski show known as the Tommy Bartlett's Thrill Show (now closed), museums, amusement parks, Wizard Quest, and a casino. Most attractions are located on the Strip, otherwise known as the Wisconsin Dells Parkway.
Amphibious DUKW vehicles called "ducks" began offering duck tours to tourists in Wisconsin Dells in 1946. The tours visit wilderness trails and enter nearby Lake Delton and the Wisconsin River.
Since the late 1970s, the Dells area (Wisconsin Dells and Lake Delton) has become a water park mecca. Noah's Ark Waterpark opened in Lake Delton in 1979 and has become the largest and the eighth most visited water park in the U.S.
As of the census of 2020, there were 2,942 people in the city.
The racial makeup of the city was 85.2% White, 2.9% Black or African American, 1.3% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 5.6% from other races, and 4.5% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 12.4% Hispanic or Latino of any race.
#travel #driving #drivingtour
All Comments (20)
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BEST Quality of Wisconsin right HERE! I'm going next month and can't wait!
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get your fudge. get the dells fudge packed fresh! went here in the early 1980's with my grandparents. things were simpler then. it was all weather dependant. no indoor waterparks yet. we stayed at a run down tourist court of little cabins just outside of town. still had black and white tv. probably long gone by now. a unique american place.
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Now that Is a beautiful day
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Quite a town!
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One cool place to go to near the Dells is Devil's Lake.
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Hey! I always come here on my birthday now. Every time now.
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Never benn there, good video
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I vote for Mr. Pancake. Extra cool touristy stops there.
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Curiosity would have me taking the Haunted House trip
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❤
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Fun for kids
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just wish you would have highlighted the blackhawk more. nearly 80 years as a family owned motel
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gostei de conhecer a cidade que meu filho esta fazendo intercambio
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Was this in the morning? It's so empty, or could be because it's near back to school time.
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Should I move there ?
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Not the same without Fort Dells & Tommy Bartlett
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Há quem não goste dos EUA e seu povo, mas eu adoro ❤❤😅 Jamais me esqueço da escola infantil da Igreja Metodista Americana no Brasil e suas belas lições. Falta agora conhecer melhor o inglês, pois apenas leio o básico.
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Where is everybody at? It's like a ghost town
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Like si fuiste J1 y desbloqueaste recuerdos con este video. 😂
