Things to Do in Watertown

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 Its guides spin true tales of eerie happenings, all supported by police reports and historical documents, raising goose bumps as guests rumble through the darkest corners of the Dells on a luxury bus.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.

Dells Watersports, a boating haven founded in 1979 by Steve and Kathy Zowin, creates adventures aboard its high-speed and leisurely paced watercraft. Atop the waters of Lake Delton, inflatable tubes bounce over waves as they’re pulled by rental ski boats, and rental waverunners heed the stop signs held up by mermaids. Taking more leisurely trips, kayaks and canoes carry groups on scenic floats by sandstone bluffs, white pine trees, and the Timme Mill dam. Back on shore, staff members man a full-service marina department stocked with boating equipment. Dells Watersports also maintains sister facilities for watercraft rental at Mirror Lake, Castle Rock Lake, and inside all the world's fishbowls.