16 Cities Near Wisconsin Dells (+ Things to Do)

We just got back from a trip to Wisconsin last week. When we started planning our trip we originally planned to go to the Wisconsin dells but ended up staying in one of the small towns near the Wisconsin Dells.

As we first started to plan our trip to Wisconsin we learned about the Wisconsin dells and planned to stay there. Before going on our trip I did a bunch of research and found so many fun things to do on the trip.

Wisconsin Dells

What are the Wisconsin Dells? There are two possible answers to this question the City of Wisconsin Dells or the dells of the Wisconsin River. Both are in the same area in central Wisconsin.

The city of Wisconsin Dells is a city along the Wisconsin River in south central Wisconsin about 50 miles northwest of Madison. The city is located within 4 different counties including Sauk, Adams, Juneau, and Columbia county.

The dells of the Wisconsin River is a 5-mile stretch of glacier-carved sandstone formations you can explore along the river when visiting the town of Wisconsin Dells.

The Dells

The City of Wisconsin Dells plus the village of Lake Delton make up an area known as “The Dells”.

The Dells is a popular Midwestern tourist destination and is home to several large resorts. Each year the town has between 4 and 5 million visitors. But the size of the town and population might surprise you.

The Dells (city plus Lake Delton) total area is just over 19 square miles and has a total of just under 6,000 permanent residents.

Why do so many people visit this small city in Wisconsin?

They visit for the waterparks and other attractions. The Wisconsin Dells is famous for its waterparks. This city with all the waterparks has been named the waterparks capital of the world.

Not only did the area pioneer the first indoor waterparks (the Polynesian Resort Hotel and Suites in 1994), but now has the most indoor and outdoor waterparks anywhere in the world.

The Wisconsin Dells is home to numerous water parks including Noah’s ark waterpark which is the largest waterpark in the United States.

The area has the most hotel rooms and lodging options of any destination in the state; with several different resorts and hotel options.

We were a little slow planning our trip to be able to get rooms at some of the resorts for our larger group. After talking about it and exploring more options, we decided to find a vacation rental instead of staying in a hotel.

There are a few vacation rental homes in the dells but we ended up deciding to stay at a house in one of the cities near Wisconsin dells instead.

The dells have a lot of tourist attractions but once you leave that area the towns in the surrounding area are pretty small.

Cities Near Wisconsin Dells

There are several cities and towns near the Wisconsin Dells. Chicago and Milwaukee are both within driving distance to The Dells. The largest city within a smaller radius of 50 miles or so is Madison.

Within that smaller radius of 50 miles, there are numerous small towns and closer places to explore when visiting the area.

A few of the cities near Wisconsin dells include:

Plainville (6.9 miles)
Lyndon Station (9.3 miles)
Dellwood (28 miles)
Easton (17 miles)
Grand Marsh (21 miles)
Oxford (20 miles)
Westfield (31 miles)
Harrisville (35 miles)
Montello (33 miles)
Endeavor (20 miles)
Briggsville (11 miles)
Portage (17 miles)
Baraboo (13 miles)
Reedsburg (16 miles)
Mauston (21 miles)
La Valle (21 miles)

There are several other towns and nearby cities I didn’t include in the list because it would take too long to name them all. But this list gives you an idea of some of the towns in the Wisconsin Dells area.

After searching for a vacation rental that would fit our group we ended up finding a cute lake house in Montello Wisconsin.

Montello Wisconsin

Montello is a tiny city with a population of about 1500 people. The city is surrounded by small lakes and the downtown area is charming.

With how young our kids are a lake house sounded much more relaxing than the tourist attractions and waterparks.

Lake House in Montello

The vacation rental we found is called Under the Oaks. It is such a cute little house on Buffalo Lake. The house was stocked well with everything you need for a fun and relaxing lake getaway. They even had a cabinet full of games the kids loved playing.

The house had a beautiful view of the lake with a backyard fire pit and hammock in the trees. There were also 2 kyaks we took out on the lake a couple of times.

Since I wasn’t at all familiar with the area when I was planning this trip I was surprised to find that buffalo lake is not a lake you want to swim in. It’s a shallow lake with a lot of things growing in it.

You can definitely enjoy a pontoon boat ride on the lake or take out kayaks but you probably don’t want to swim with all the plants and dragonflies.

Luckily we were able to find another lake a short 15-minute drive away that was perfect for swimming and taking out the paddle boards.

Tuttle Lake

Tuttle Lake was where we ended up going and being able to swim. There is a public boat launch and beach area along the lake that was perfect for us to play in.

There weren’t many people at the lake so we had fun for a couple of hours swimming, paddle boarding, and playing in the sand.

Montello Waterfall

On our way back through Montello to the house, we stopped to see the waterfalls at the granite quarry in town.

You can park at the gas station or across the street and walk to see the lookout. The waterfalls flow over what used to be a granite quarry. The granite mined from the quarry was used to make many famous monuments.

Other than visiting Tuttle Lake and exploring a little bit of Montello we spent most of our time relaxing at the beach house, roasting hot dogs and brats, kayaking, and playing corn hole.

On our drive home, we decided to spend some time in The Dells, you could easily make a visit to The Dell a day trip on your vacation.

As we drove through the dells our kids informed us we drove past all the fun stuff. So I’m sure a trip back up to The Dells is in the future.

Even though we didn’t visit the waterparks and only spent a little bit of time in the dells we were able to do some fun stuff.

Things to do in the Wisconsin Dells

Since we only spent one day in The Dells we just started to scratch the surface of all you can do in the area. But next time we visit I will be more prepared with the best places to visit and fun activities to do.

Visit a Cheese Factory or Shop

We noticed there are quite a few different cheese shops as we drove through town. We visited the Carr Valley cheese factory that’s just a little bit north of town and it was our favorite.

Be sure to try the cheese curds along with whatever other cheese you want to try. I noticed that Carr Valley Cheese had chain stores in town if you don’t want to drive out to the factory.

Beef Jerky Experience

Ok so I’m including this on the list of things to do but honestly, I probably wouldn’t do it again. As we were driving to The Dells we saw a sign for the Beef Jerky Experience saying they had over 100 types of jerky.

Yes, they probably have over 100 types of jerky but it wasn’t much of an experience. The sign made us think it would be more than it was. In reality, it was a little shop with a couple of bags of each flavor of jerky hanging on the walls. You can sample the jerky before you buy it so that’s nice, but it’s kind of expensive to buy.

Get Ice Cream or Custard

There are tons of ice cream shops throughout Wisconsin Dell but they are hard to find on google maps. I only found a couple of options when looking online but as we drove through town I noticed a lot more cute little shops.

We stopped at Captain Scoopy’s Ice Cream and enjoyed some ice cream and the cute little shop. Our favorite ice cream was the Munchie Madness it was cake batter ice cream swirled with salted caramel and brimming with Oreos, M&M pieces, and peanut butter cups. It was amazing.

Like I said before we didn’t get to do that much during our one afternoon in The Dells but next time we visit I want to do so many things. Including visiting the Rocky Arbor State Parks hiking trails, playing at one or two of the waterparks, and going to the Wisconsin deer park.

Frequently asked questions

Which city is close to Wisconsin?

The state of Wisconsin borders Michigan and Lake Superior to the north, Lake Michigan to the east, Illinois to the south, and Iowa and Minnesota to the West. The 2 largest cities close to Wisconsin are Minneapolis and Chicago. Minneapolis Minnesota is about 27 miles from the western border of Wisconsin and Chicago is about 55 miles from the southeast corner of Wisconsin.

Why is the Wisconsin Dell so popular?

The numerous attractions, indoor and outdoor waterparks, and natural beauty are just a few reasons The Dells are so popular.

What is the waterpark capital of the world?

The Dells (aka Wisconsin Dells) has been named the waterpark capital of the world. Home to the first indoor waterpark in the united states, the city now has the most indoor and outdoor waterparks anywhere in the world.

Is Wisconsin Worth Visiting?

This was our first trip to Wisconsin but we have driven through the state before and I definitely feel like it’s worth visiting at least once. Wisconsin is a beautiful area of the country. When you’re visiting don’t forget to try some of the local foods (we love the cheese curds and Sprecher soda.)

What is the largest waterpark in the USA?

Noah’s Ark in the Wisconsin Dells is the largest waterpark in America.