Wisconsin Vacation - The Dells

Considering Wisconsin Dells for your next getaway? 

We've been a few times while managing milk and nut allergies and had a wonderful time. 

Extended family has even joined us there a couple times, when our kids were babies and toddlers and again when they were teens. Eight kids in all. 

Here are ideas you may find helpful for heading to the Dells!

Our family takes a road trip in the Midwest at least once a year. 

Wisconsin Dells and Branson, Missouri are two of our favorites. 

Usually we stay about four nights, both are about six hours away from home. 

During these excursions, we are always looking for fun activities to do.

Because with food allergies, the focus is always more about the fun than the food. 

CHESTNUT MOUNTAIN COASTER

On our way up to Wisconsin Dells this last time,

a stop at Chestnut Mountain near Galena, IL was planned...for our first go at a mountain coaster. 

It's a ski resort that has an alpine slide running during the warm season. 

Not only was riding down on slides a blast, but the ski lift back up was beautiful and scenic.

We've never done skiing or ski lifts before, so it was a new experience and fun for the whole family as we made our way to Wisconsin. 

DOWNTOWN GALENA, IL

After Chestnut Mountain, we were starving for dinner. 

Not much research had been done about what to safely eat on the road.

But we planned to check out downtown Galena, IL, well known for it's quaint tourist shops.

If there wasn't a place to eat there, we could always hit fast food in the area. 

Downtown Galena touted a place called Durty Gurt's, known for their burgers.

And those are usually a safe bet for our food allergies. 

So we went in and asked about an allergen menu. Unfortunately, they didn't have one. 

But thanks to my son's oralimmunotherapy protections for dairy allergy,

it was decided that the burger and sweet potato fries should work ok. 

There was probably milk baked in the bun, but that works ok for him with his OIT therapy. 

And cross contamination in the kitchen is also not a huge deal with his food allergy therapy, either. 

If someone had a very strict dairy-free diet and anaphylaxis risk, this place may not be a good option. 

We also always make sure a hospital is in the area when eating out with food allergies. 

Here's the bacon burger my kiddo ate in Galena. 

THE HOUSE ON THE ROCK

Another experience we planned to hit on the way to Wisconsin Dells was The House on the Rock. 

Hubby and I had both visited this attraction as kids. 

And we thought our boys might find it interesting based on our memories.

The word interesting doesn't give this place justice, though. 

House on the Rock is a wild place, a home built on a huge rock formation that gives us Frank Lloyd Wright vibes. 

Then it morphs into museum-like areas with gobs of collections and takes hours to walk through. 

My favorite part is the lovely outdoor space with a Japanese garden feel to it. 

It's a little strange, massive, and leaves me with a lot of questions...ha, ha. 

My kids always like exploring new places, no matter how weird they are. 

MT. OLYMPUS AT WISCONSIN DELLS 

Alright, Wisconsin Dells was finally on horizon. 

The most fun part was meeting the whole extended family there!

Six teen cousins were ready to have a lot of fun together.

Once again, it's always fun over food when the cousins are involved. 

And we hadn't all done Wisconsin Dells together since the cousins were babies and toddlers. 

Back then, we stayed at Christmas Mountain and did more of the nature things, like Lake Denton.

But this time, the more thrilling Mount Olympus Water and Theme Park would fit the bill for lodging with teens.

It has all the entertainment we need right on site. 

Condo, amusement park, water park, go carts, arcade, and more. 

Mostly we stay in the Bluegreen Condos with full kitchens. 

And before our food allergy therapy, all our food was made in the condo kitchen. No eating out. 

There's a Walmart in the Dells, and safe breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack foods are easily found there.

Now my kiddo can eat out dairy-free and nut-free, though. I'll let you know where we ate. 

Mount Olympus resort also has hotel rooms with mini fridges and microwaves, we stayed a night or two in these before. 

But if you need to make all your own food, finding a condo with kitchen in the Dells would be the best. 

In Wisconsin Dells, there are plenty of places to stay. 

WISCONSIN DELLS RESTAURANTS

Even though Mt. Olympus itself had a few quick spots to grab food, we didn't utilize those snack stands with our food allergy. 

They had the typical pizzas, chicken nuggets, etc. 

Instead, it was breakfast and lunch in the condo with ingredients picked up at Walmart. 

Then we headed out around the Dells for dinner. 

FAMOUS DAVE'S

Kiddo enjoyed a family feast with us, including lots of barbecued meats, baked beans, and coleslaw.

Some items in the fest contain milk, like cornbread and Texas toast.

Make sure you consult the latest Famouse Dave's allergen menu and talk to your server and chef if you manage severe allergies. 

MOOSE JAW

This place is a very popular local spot in Wisconsin Dells.

Wait times are typically long.

But they have an allergen menu and are known for their house-made sodas.

The cousins had a blast trying the different flavors. 

My son enjoyed plain steak, fries, and steamed veggies. 

He's also built his own pasta at Moose Jaw, as well. 

See the Moose Jaw allergen menu here, and always talk to servers and chefs if you have severe allergies. 

PIZZA LAB

Kiddo was able to enjoy a personal pizza complete with non-dairy cheese at this fun build-your-own pizza place in the Dells. 

There's not an allergen menu specifically. 

But they do have non-dairy cheese available according to their online menu. 

I can't remember the brand off hand, but always check! 

And you'd always want to check the other ingredients in the crust and toppings. 

Kiddo can tolerate baked milk in a crust or dairy cross contact from the toppings bar.

This may not work for those with very severe anaphylactic milk allergy. 

But here's the Pizza Lab online menu in case you want to take a look. 

It would be best to talk to a manager directly if you have a severe milk allergy, to decide if you could safely eat there. 

FAST FOOD

Off the top of my head, I also remember grabbing dairy-free food at McDonald's and Culver's in the Dells. 

Check their allergy menus on their websites, and always talk to managers about ingredients and contamination precautions if you have severe allergies. 

Our kiddo didn't eat out until he was 11, after he had some protection from his milk desensitizing treatment. 

But yes, Wisconsin Dells has several fast food options. 

BASKIN ROBBINS

Plenty of snacks from Walmart were in our room. 

But the Baskin Robbins chain now carries dairy-free ice cream flavors so kiddo and I stopped in once.

I wouldn't do this if you have cross contamination concerns, the place is full of dairy ice cream. 

But it works for us thanks to my son's milk allergy treatment. He orders dairy-free but some dairy contamination is ok for him. 

I'm certain there's cross contamination at Baskin Robbins. 

Keep reading for hospital and emergency room info, something to always know about before heading out on a road trip. 

BARABOO, WISCONSIN

About 15 minutes outside of Wisconsin Dells is a small town of 25,000. 

It's where the area hospital and emergency room are, in case you need medical attention. 

On our first visit to the Dells, we made sure to visit Baraboo to see exactly where medical care would be if we needed it. 

And it turned out the downtown square is a quaint little place for tourists, as well. 

That's when we found a few of our favorite places to visit when in the Dells, when we are ready to leave the busy tourist spots. 

In Baraboo, my kids love the record and toy stores. 

And I always stop in the mom and pop health food store called the Grainery, to look for allergy-friendly brands and treats. 

There's a fun little kitchen store, too, with my favorite Le Creuset and USA Pans! 

Plus, we've gotten smoothies a few times at a place called Green Vine. 

They made my son dairy-free smoothies, and we could see them being made out in the open...which gives me more peace-of-mind.

But as always, talk to the worker and use your own judgement on if this would be safe for your allergies. 

I don't think they have designated dairy-free blenders. 

Here's the Green Vine website. 

And I think that about covers our hot tips and ideas for Wisconsin Dells with milk and nut allergy. 

TAKE FOOD ALLERGY PRECAUTIONS

Again, always take precautions before eating out with food allergies. 

• talk to your allergist about your limitations
• study online menus
• talk to servers, managers, chefs
• have at least two epinephrine injectors
• examine your food before eating
• don't be afraid to decline at any point
• know where the nearest ER is
• and more!

These aren't all the precautions you need to take. They can vary from person to person. But these are a good start to think about. 

I believe there's a vegan restaurant we looked into, but that was a definite no-go once we did our homework. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wisconsin Dells is truly a place where the fun trumps the food. 

Even if you need to buy all your safe, tried-and-true foods at Walmart...you will have a blast. 

There's a ton to do:

• water parks
• amusement parks
• go-carts
• mini-golf
• lake fun
• hiking
• outlet mall
• and more! 

Below are some links to things we mentioned in this post. 

We hope you can visit Wisconsin Dells someday and that you enjoy it as much as we do! 

You can save this Dells vacation on Pinterest for later. 

And see more vacation with food allergies info here! 

MORE HELPFUL LINKS

• Chestnut Mountain Alpine Slide
• Durty Gurt's in Galena, IL
• The House on the Rock
• Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park
• Baraboo, WI Hospital
• Wisconsin Dells Outlet Mall