MINNEAPOLIS — Among the Midwest travel destinations that are awaiting tourists this summer are a natural adventure park in the Dells, mountain bike trails on the North Shore, and a luxury cruise that doesn’t require an ocean. Here are five experiences to consider before the season gets away from you.
1. New in the Dells: Land of Natura & Medusa’s Slidewheel
Wisconsin Dells is famed for its waterpark innovations, but this year it may have outdone itself. The all-new Land of Natura, dubbed a natural adventure park, is slated to open in July in the Lower Dells. The first phase of the $60 million project consists of a five-acre, naturally filtered manmade lake — Lake Wisconsin Dells — with a floating waterpark, an 1,100-foot self-guided canopy tour, and more than 10 miles of hiking and mountain bike trails. In true Dells fashion, the floating waterpark, canopy tour and naturally filtered lake are all billed as the largest or longest — in the nation, North America and the world, respectively.
The park also features 2,000 feet of Wisconsin River shoreline, a beach with a volleyball court, clear kayak rentals, and food trucks serving local specialties. There’s also Mount Natura. This manmade mountain is perched alongside the lake, with waterfalls and slides ranging from 100 to 150 feet long that whisk you right into the lake. The completed 150-acre Land of Natura is expected in three to five years, and will remain open in winter for snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, ice skating and tubing. (landofnatura.com.)
Meanwhile, at Mt. Olympus Resort in the Dells: Medusa’s Slidewheel is the first “rotating waterslide” in the nation. The raft ride consists of tubular, serpentine waterslides that pass through a rotating Ferris wheel, propelling riders forward, backward and sometimes airborne. The accompanying 22,500-square-foot indoor waterpark expansion is Mt. Olympus’ largest investment in its five-decade history. (mtolympuspark.com.)
2. New at Split Rock: Shipwreck Creek & Split Rock Wilds
Arguably Minnesota’s No. 1 landmark and visual icon, the 1910 Split Rock Lighthouse stands high at the fore of one of its most popular state parks. Now that park is cutting the ribbon on a new modern campground to help out with the bursting popularity of the North Shore, while fostering the rise of mountain biking along Lake Superior.
