Water Parks and Scary Rides in the Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin

Robots and Aliens

Three Tier Human
Pyramid at the
Tommy Bartlett
Thrill Show

Water parks may be The Dells' hottest attractions. But old-fashioned amusement centers are far from washed up.

At Extreme World, you can bungee jump from a 130-foot tower, then take home a video to show everyone how crazy you really are. Their oldest daredevil to date was 77. If you prefer "extreme" thrills at ground level, feed one of the live gators at Alligator Alley.

On rainy days, take cover at Tommy Bartlett's Robot World and Exploratory, next door to the attraction's thrill show amphitheater. Robots lead the tours here, and young Einsteins can play with lasers or make their hair stand on end by entering electric fields. Your little cosmonauts can tour a real Mir space module (one of two the Russians built that never went into orbit).

Feel like indulging in some of the Dells tackier offerings? Check out the American UFO Museum. Your youngest might be too freaked out, but 9- to 14-year-olds will get a creepy kick out of the Roswell alien autopsy and the Star Wars and Alien movie monster displays. An exhibit on alien abductions is straight out of the supermarket tabloids. Fun fact: Wisconsin is second only to New Mexico in UFO sightings.