Christmas in Wisconsin is so much fun!
When the holiday season is upon us, many people are looking for that perfect Christmas vacation destination. Some people like Christmas extravaganza in a big city. If you are one of them you may be interested in my earlier post, Christmas in Chicago. Some people, on the other hand, like to escape the hustle and bustle of a city and enjoy holidays in the country. If this sounds like the right cup of tea (or hot cocoa) for you then continue reading as you are in for a great treat – Christmas in Wisconsin may be exactly what you are looking for!
Wisconsin may not pop up at the top of your travel list when you think about Christmas but there is so much holiday cheer to enjoy in this State that I guarantee you will love every minute of it. In this specific itinerary I will only highlight attractions in the Southeastern corner of Wisconsin, which is within a short drive from several major airports, such as Chicago and Milwaukee.
Christmas in Wisconsin stop #1
Lake Geneva, WI
Start your Christmas in Wisconsin road trip with a couple of nights of holiday decadence at Grand Geneva Resort & Spa. It’s a luxury resort located in Southern Wisconsin very close to the border with Illinois, just 70 miles from O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. Grand Geneva is famous for its Christmas celebrations which they call “Christmas in the Country”. It encompasses a variety of activities during the month of December, such as: gingerbread house making and display, breakfast with Santa, Holiday Tea, Polar Express, holiday lights trolley tours and much more. The gingerbread display is my personal favorite – it is an exhibition of dozens of gingerbread houses done by various people from kids to professionals. You can come every year and each year the display will be different but always amazing!
The resort is always impeccably decorated for the holidays inside and out which makes you will feel like you are living in a Christmas wonderland right in the middle of Wisconsin.
The resort also has a number of winter outdoor activities organized, weather permitting, such as: ice-skating, sledding (with your own sled) and downhill skiing. A couple of words about the latter: Wisconsin is not a mountain country, so do not expect anything grand. BUT if you have beginner skiers in your family (kids or adults) who just want to learnt the sport, the resort’s bunny slope is perfect and they have good instructors there too. I have to confess, this is the place where I learnt to ski myself. 🙂
I also always enjoyed Grand Geneva’s Spa facilities. You can not only book treatments but use their sauna, steam room and whirlpool as well. The only thing that bums me out about the resort is that they now forbid kids under 18 to use the swimming pool (which wasn’t the case when we visited several years ago).
This small wrinkle aside, Grand Geneva is a great Christmas in Wisconsin destination. Especially because if you really would like a pool for your Christmas family vacation you can find it just 2000 ft up the road at Timber Ridge Lodge and Water Park, which is located on Grand Geneva grounds. The water park offers pools, slides, lazy river and a hot tub.
When you book your Christmas in Wisconsin vacation, compare the prices for both Grand Geneva Resort and Timber Ridge so that you can find the best deal and once you are in the area you can easily move between the two locations. Booking.com usually has great deals comparisons:
So to sum up, you will have lots of things to do at Grand Geneva resort during your Christmas family vacation even if the weather is not cooperating and there is no snow outside (which would be a rarity).
Christmas in Wisconsin stop #2
In addition to everything mentioned above, the town of Lake Geneva, where the Grand Geneva resort is located, is worth your attention too. It is a charming small town with cute cafes and restaurants, artisan shops and galleries located on the banks of lake Geneva. Several years ago the town started a new winter tradition – Ice Castles. The castle, created by skilled ice-carvers, features slides, tunnels, fountains, crawl spaces and more. There is no set date for the opening of the attraction because it is dependent on the weather. However, they typically strive for an opening in late December, before the holidays, so that all people celebrating Christmas in Wisconsin can enjoy it.
Christmas in Wisconsin stop #3
House on the Rock
About 120 miles drive North-West from Lake Geneva you can find a very unique attraction. House on the Rock in Central Wisconsin is an architectural wonder and a museum all in one. It began in 1945 when a man named Alex Jordan decided to build a retreat high on a rock with phenomenal views. Since those early days, the construction Mr. Jordan created has grown far beyond the original house and into an attraction with many buildings, exhibits and collections. My favorite part of the house is the Infinity Room that extends far off the rock and over the big void below. It is really hard to describe in words, you have to experience it!
During the Christmas season (from middle of November to December 31) Santa takes up residence in the House on the Rock, which makes it a perfect location to enjoy Christmas in Wisconsin. Over 6,000 collectible Santas of all shapes, sizes and types are displayed throughout the House of the Rock, decking the halls and adorning the walls. It is a very merry attraction for Christmas in Wisconsin that should definitely not be missed. And I guarantee that it will leave in awe kids and adults alike.
Christmas in Wisconsin stop #4
Cascade Mountain
Cascade Mountain is a downhill ski resort in Wisconsin, which is located 56 miles North of the House on the Rock. It is not a mountain per say, more of a big hill, but for Midwest it is a very decent ski area. It has a mixture of trails for various levels and it will definitely be great for beginners as it has a good inexpensive ski school. In addition to ski area, Cascade Mountain has an excellent tubing hill.
Christmas in Wisconsin stop #5
Just 20 miles from Cascade Mountain is a town of Wisconsin Dells, the American capital of water parks, a lot of which have an indoor park in addition to the outdoor one for summer. Several of such water park resorts will have Christmas activities going on.
For instance, Great Wolf Lodge transforms into Snowland with plenty of activities and attractions perfect for Christmas in Wisconsin, such as:
- Grand Lobby fully decorated as winter wonderland complete with twinkling lights, Christmas trees and daily snow showers;
- Life-size Gingerbread House inside which kids can decorate cookies with Mrs. Clause;
- Snow’n’Glow Dance Party with glow sticks under the falling snow;
- North Pole University, where kids complete fun, holiday-themed assignments around the resort for the chance to earn a Snowploma;
- Polar Wolf Walk, where a tour of a lobby teaches lessons about polar bears and penguins;
- Visits from Santa and more.
In addition to two days of play in the water park for each night stayed at Great Wolf Lodge, all of the Snowland activities are included complimentary as part of an overnight stay. The photo below is from Great Wolf Lodge web page.
Other water park resorts in Wisconsin Dells that typically have special Christmas activities and events are: Chuhla Vista, Wilderness and Kalahari.
Whether you stay in Southeastern Wisconsin for a weekend or longer this family road trip itinerary gives you a lot of opportunities for good, healthy, beautiful and fun times in the country for a merry, happy Christmas in Wisconsin. If you would like to visit more attraction in Southeastern Wisconsin, check out this article about 10 top things to do in Milwaukee.
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