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The Dells Does Halloween in a BIG Way

By Sponsored Advertising Content October 19, 2016
The season of spooks and goblins is creeping up quickly, which gets me thinking that it is prime time to start planning my calendar to fit in all the halloween haunts, tours, hayrides and more. Wisconsin Dells is rich with opportunities for families with kids of all ages, and whether you are looking to be spooked, gain some historical holiday knowledge or find some action packed fun, there really is something for everyone to enjoy. Be sure to check the Wisconsin Dells website often to find information on all the fall attractions.

Ghost Stories That Get You Thinking
Here's a disclaimer: Don't read this if the idea of poltergeist makes you uneasy. O.K., with that out of the way, let's take a little tour of places in Wisconsin Dells that are purported to be haunted.
  • Showboat Saloon, a 100-year-old building located at 24 Broadway in downtown Wisconsin Dells. It's long been regarded as haunted by a past resident – her name is Molly – and she favors the upstairs kitchen, opening and closing doors and fiddling with appliances. Some say a strange voice has been heard numerous times near the stage area.
  • Legend says that the ghost of Leroy Gates a lumber rafter turned riverboat captain haunts the waters of the Wisconsin River. Gates was one of the first entrepreneurs to see the potential in sightseeing tours for the area and in 1856 he took out an ad declaring he had purchased a boat for the purpose of touring occult caves of the Dells. Gates met his death on September 8, 1895, but his apparition apparently didn't get the memo.
  • Then there's Belle Boyd, famous Confederate spy who spent her final days in Wisconsin Dells. As the story goes, Boyd, aided Confederate generals using her flirtatious charms to get information from a Union general's aide. On June 9, 1900, she arrived in Wisconsin Dells to give a speech to veterans of the Union Army. Two days later, at the age of 56, she suffered a fatal heart attack. Her gravesite in the Wisconsin Dells Spring Hill Cemetery was completed with stones from each of the Confederate states. Some claim her ghost wanders the paths of the cemetery yet today.

Frighteningly Good Times
If all that ghost talk gives you the heebie-jeebies, perhaps you'd have more fun exploring manmade attractions dedicated to scaring visitors.
  • The Ghost Out-Post Haunted House has more than a dozen bone-chilling animatronics-filled chambers. It's open daily through the end of October, then on the weekends after that. Note – this attraction is not intended for little ones afraid of the dark.
  • The Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort sure knows how to celebrate Halloween! The whole month of October is filled with family friendly activities such as wagon rides, trick or treat trail and Ken-Ducky Derby Halloween Duck Races. Don't miss their Family Halloween Costume Party on October 31st, featuring a costume contest with prizes for all winners.
  • The October calendar looks eerily appealing too at many of the Wisconsin Dells Waterpark Resorts. Throughout the month there are various haunting activities such as hayrides, mazes, trick or treating and more.
  • One other not-to-be-missed attraction is the vampire exhibit at Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum. Look for the secret passageway and also allot time to bone up on your vampire trivia while you're there.


Ghost Tours by Land and by Sea
  • The Ghost Boat “Journey to Haunted Canyon” of the Wisconsin River take passengers on an eerie after-dark excursion to Witches Gulch. Boats depart from the Dells Boat Tours® main dock at 11 Broadway in Downtown Dells, where even the historic ticket building will be decked out for Halloween. Upon arriving at Witches Gulch, passengers will disembark and snake along a narrow boardwalk leading deep into the darkened gorge. This after-dark tour, which runs Friday and Saturday evenings through Halloween weekend, is not recommended for children under the age of 11. Reservations are required and can be made by calling Dells Boat Tours® at (608) 254-8555.


Hayrides and Mazes and Zip Lines, Oh My
  • Less than a half hour from Wisconsin Dells in nearby Mauston, Red Ridge Ranch Riding Stable will have haunted hayrides and a haunted corn maze Friday and Saturday nights from dusk to 10 p.m. through the end of October. Weekday activities are a little less scary and include pumpkin painting and a petting zoo.
  • If you like zip lining during the day, you’ll be screaming with delight knowing you can now zip by the light of the moon at the Moonlight Canyon Zip Line Tour at the Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort. The tour spans six towers, with the longest run 907 feet. You'll be 55 feet above the floor of Lost Canyon. Tours continue through the fall, weather permitting. Advanced reservations are required at (800) 867-9453. Whee!
  • Looking to get lost in a corn maze? Stop by Chula Vista Resort’s 7-acre cornfield. It’s open (weather permitting) Friday - Sunday. In October, the corn maze features zombie events. Attendees are encouraged to dress up in their best zombie costume. Chula Vista also has a GPS and trivia game app for smartphones. Download it, and you will be given clues that help guide you through the maze. Isn’t that nifty?

Scary Good Deals
For details on all the businesses listed above and up-to-the-minute information on special deals and packages, visitors can head right to our deals page!

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