Things to Do in Watertown

Packs of go-kart racers keep pace as they round an uphill turn, and dart through the stomach of a giant Trojan horse. They drive past Greek ruins and navigate ramps up to elevated tracks—or head under the water of a manmade pond. Riders soar past these scenes pulled straight from Greek and Roman mythology on many of Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park's eight go-kart tracks. Alongside other themed attractions, the racetracks sprawl across the 200-acre year-round resort's four areas: an indoor and outdoors theme park, and an indoor and outdoors water park.

In the outdoor Zeus theme park, screams and laughter echo around the turns of four wooden roller coasters and seven themed go-kart tracks. At the Parthenon indoor theme park, a wild mouse roller coaster pulls passengers through dips and spins, while smaller children learn the basics of government cover-ups in an extraterrestrial-themed ball pit.

The Medusa indoor water park and Neptune outdoor water park contain 44 waterslides that send riders down dark tubes and steep inclines, or spinning around a giant funnel. Indoors, a tubing river runs past decorative Mayan ruins, and a beached pirate ship houses tunnels and waterspouts. Outside, visitors navigate a six-story semi-aquatic fortress, and ride currents in a surf pool. Visitors who can’t soak in all of these park attractions can find overnight lodging in more than 20 resort buildings and a Roman-themed hotel.

From the 10-story peaks of Timber Falls Adventure Park's Hellcat roller coaster, visitors can view the entire family-fun facility before quickly gliding back to the grounds. The Hellcat is one of three high-speed rides that keep adrenaline levels soaring at the facility. The park also hosts a log flume with two steep vertical drops, and a gravitational-force skyscraper ride that sends passengers as high as 160 feet in the air. Between high-speed public-transit simulations, guests can enjoy relaxing features such as the 72-hole miniature golf course. Tall trees and wooden bridges sit between each hole, providing the experience of jungle exploration without the inconvenience of having to hunt down your dinner—a Hot Pocket in a jungle-dweller’s refrigerator.

Forget actors, scripts, or props: Wisconsin Dells Ghost Tours likes its ghosts stripped bare of gimmicks and its encounters backed by bone-chilling authenticity. Its guides spin true tales of eerie happenings, all supported by police reports and historical documents, raising goose bumps as guests rumble through the darkest corners of the Dells on a luxury bus. The 75-minute expeditions visit more than 20 haunted locales, including unmarked burial grounds, houses plagued by spirits, and back alleys populated by dancing zombies. The tour guides open the closets of Newport, Wisconsin Dells, and Lake Delton to reveal skeletons lurking inside, and the tour’s well-researched, heart-quickening stories thrill and educate minds both old and young.