Treasures of our Town
Embark on an exhilarating voyage through the heart of America's captivating towns and cities with the enthralling travel podcast, "Treasures of our Town." Join your experienced hosts, Craig (Seemyshell) and Joshua (Geocaching Vlogger), as they unveil the hidden gems and extraordinary treasures that lie beyond the surface.
Delve into a world of cultural exploration as our hosts guide you through historical sites, natural splendours, and extraordinary local experiences. All their travels are guided by their love of outdoor games like Geocaching and Munzee. Whether you're a seasoned globetrotter or a curious beginner, our captivating city tours and off-the-beaten-path destinations will ignite your wanderlust and leave you inspired.
Are you ready for an unforgettable adventure? Tune in now and prepare to immerse yourself in the allure of "Treasures of our Town." Let us ignite your curiosity, fuel your desire for exploration, and set your spirit free as we unravel the secrets that make each town a true treasure trove.
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Website - www.treasuresofourtown.buzzsprout.com
Email - treasuresofourtownpodcast@gmail.com
Treasures of our Town
America’s Best Tourist Trap: The Wisconsin Dells
Wisconsin Dells represents the ultimate tourist destination in the heartland of America, complete with water parks, unique geological formations, and quirky attractions. We dive into this nostalgic vacation spot that transforms an entire town into an amusement park experience with activities for all ages.
• Noah's Ark Water Park features over 50 water slides including innovative experiences like the Black Anaconda roller coaster water slide
• Wisconsin Duck tours use WWII-era amphibious vehicles to show the beautiful sandstone formations from both land and water
• The natural beauty of the area was first popularized by photographer H.H. Bennett in the mid-1800s
• Devil's Lake State Park offers hiking trails to impressive rock formations like Balancing Rock and Devil's Doorway
• The Upside-Down White House exemplifies the quirky tourist trap nature of the town with its alien conspiracy theme
• Wisconsin Deer Park provides opportunities to hand-feed approximately 100 tame deer in a 40-acre sanctuary
• Mount Olympus combines water park and theme park attractions including Poseidon's Revenge wave pool with its massive 20-foot wave every seven minutes
• Paul Bunyan's Cook Shanty serves lumberjack-style family meals on tin plates with must-try hot cinnamon sugar donuts
This one every seven minutes is a gigantic, like 20-foot wave, and then it just everybody waits. Do you love to travel? Do you love road trips? Do you love finding hidden treasures in towns all over the USA? Hi, I'm Joshua.
Speaker 2:And I'm Craig. Welcome to Treasures of Our Town. It's a podcast that explores unique and charming towns scattered throughout the United States, guided by our love for location-based games like geocaching.
Speaker 1:Join us as we venture into some of the country's most intriguing destinations, uncovering hidden gems and local secrets along the way.
Speaker 2:On today's episode. Josh, we talk you. You, josh, you've been here, you did this. I've got no idea, I've got no clue. I'm like most of probably Americans and listeners out there, and that is, we're talking about the Wisconsin's greatest tourist trap, maybe the world's best tourist trap you've written here and that is the Wisconsin Dells. Yes, the Wisconsin Dells. I've never even heard of this, josh, and you put it in your show notes and you're like we're going to do a show on Wisconsin Dells. I'm like, okay, I believe you and I'm going to be open and curious in regards to what you have to say about this, and we can go from there, mate, mate, mate. But in the meantime, let's talk about what's going on with you. First and foremost, number one is your physical appearance At the moment. If people haven't seen any of your social media, josh, uh, your recent social media anyway. You're sort of, you're growing up, you're becoming a man, you're getting a little bit of a beard.
Speaker 2:I like it, I like it, I like it, mate, it does suit you, buddy, it really does. It really does see and I know this is an audio only podcast, so people can't even see anything at all but go to josh's social media in the recent posts and you'll see some stubble growing on the face area of Joshua, the geocaching blogger, mate what's happening?
Speaker 1:This is actually like almost three weeks of growth, which is that's very pathetic.
Speaker 2:No, it's not. No, it's not.
Speaker 1:You know, sometimes you just need to change you know. Sometimes when there's transitions in life and things going on. You know, like women, often when there's like big transitions, they chop their hair off. Hair off, they get a haircut.
Speaker 2:I know, or they dye their hair. They dye it like a mad color, so you know got a lot going on in my life.
Speaker 2:So this is the male version of chopping the hair off. Wow, wow, it's growing a beard growing a beard. Well, as I said before, josh, in the start, it does suit you, mate, it does, thank you, I think, personally, I'm gonna, I'm gonna chuck you under the bus here, joshua johnson, and that is you, sir, when this podcast goes live. So on monday, you soon need to put out a poll on your instagram with a photo saying keep or shave.
Speaker 1:It's so funny. I think that'll be a cool. I've been getting, you know, I get positive feedback from people because people will say, oh, I really like it.
Speaker 2:But the thing is is that if somebody doesn't like it, they're not going to tell you yeah, but if they don't say anything at all, that means you know they probably don't like it. So the amount of people everyone you meet says they like it there's a very limited few don't say anything at all about it there are some people that don't say anything, so maybe some people.
Speaker 2:That's okay, joshua. You, of all people, should know you focus on the positive, focus on the positive people in your life and, more importantly, if you look in the mirror, do you like it? So?
Speaker 1:that's. That's. That's the true. Do you like it? That's the true test. That's the true test. Do you like it yourself? Yeah, and I'm kind of 50-50 on it. That's okay. But speaking of positive things in life, we've got to talk about our upgrades and our delays.
Speaker 2:There we go. Well, my upgrade is already seeing you growing a beard. No, it's not, but anyway keep going. What is it growing a beard? No, it's not, but anyway keep going.
Speaker 1:Do you want to start with my upgrade or my delay, or do you want to start? I heard about your upgrade already on the Munzee podcast.
Speaker 2:Well, I had to say it because it is an upgrade and a half. I never even knew this sort of upgrade existed and or upgrade this sort of quality existed. And that is a Michigan sunset. Have you ever seen the Michigan sunsets, Joe?
Speaker 1:I have not, but I can imagine. If you're on the west side of Michigan looking towards Lake Superior to the west, that means the sunset is setting on your view of Lake Michigan. So if that's what you mean, I can imagine. I've never seen it, but I can imagine it's really amazing, Beautiful.
Speaker 2:That's exactly what it is. Exactly what it is. It's the sunsets over Lake Michigan itself, and where I was, I was situated at higher elevation, so I was about 100 to 200 feet above the actual water level itself. It's on this area and again, I found it not through any of our location-based games, but I did find it on an app and basically it's a big car park area there as well, and so you can park there overnight. You see, there's no overnight parking allowed, so I can park the van there overnight, so I stayed there overnight.
Speaker 2:I stayed there in the afternoon and, josh, seriously, I watched this sunset. I've got a short or a TikTok and an Instagram reel out there as well on my channels, and this thing is absolutely stunning. If you can't sit there and watch a sunset for an hour, for instance, then you're in the wrong place. But one of my favorite parts is not watching the sunset, it was watching the people come and enjoy the sunset as well, and when I say people, I'm talking from, you know, the young kids out there, or young, young ones of today who are doing the instagram photos and also and they had their cameras out, like their phones out, taking photos and selfies all the time. But, josh, I'm talking about the older couples in life, you know, um, the retired age couples who, josh, I saw this guy, he got.
Speaker 2:I saw this guy. He got out of his car. He parked, got out of his car Older guy when I say older guy, I'm talking 60s, maybe even the 70s. He got out of his car, he opened up his wife's door. She got out as well. They held hands. He got his camera and a tripod as well. They held hands and walked to this swing area and the whole park is set up for the sunsets. He walked to this swing area, he set up his tripod, his camera and stuff as well. And then they sat there, josh, for over two hours, laughing together, talking together, holding each other's hands, you know, really embracing the love for one another of a couple of that age. And of course, he, like you, had to document or, like me, we have to document these things and uh, but no, it was a really, really beautiful moment. Actually, I'll put on my personal page, my personal Instagram page. I'm going to put a photo of it, because I've got a candid shot, perfect.
Speaker 2:Of the couple, of the couple, yeah, of the couple, because that's the thing I love the most as well is you see the love. You know what I mean. You see the joy in people's faces. It's not just what the sunset is, it's the people around you as well. So that's a long-winded upgrade, but I think it was well worth it. It can tell by my enthusiasm that I really really did enjoy it too. So that's a well-deserved upgrade. What about yours, mate? Oh my gosh Craig.
Speaker 1:Since we recorded, I had the most amazing thing happen to me. So I'll try not to make this a long story, but you know my love for my favorite movie. Back to the Future, of course. Oh, yes, and my friend Andy owns a Back to the Future DeLorean time machine car, yep, and so sometimes he makes appearances with the car.
Speaker 1:So July 3rd was the 40th anniversary of the movie. Back to the Future 40 years, oh wow. And so there was an event, a baseball game, like a Northwoods minor league-ish baseball game, by the Rochester Honkers that's the name of the team.
Speaker 2:It was a geese team course. Yeah, oh, those sort of honkers not like hooters. Anyway, I went there, I went there. Anyway, keep with your story.
Speaker 1:Anyway, it was back to future night, so we drove down there in the time machine. I'm kind of like the the delorean's handler because he dresses up like doc brown and I'm the one who's like taking pictures and catching social media and stuff like that.
Speaker 2:But also you know how it feels now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly I'm. But I'm glad to do it, I'm glad I know, I'm proud. I'm proud of that, DeLorean.
Speaker 2:That's a rare thing these days.
Speaker 1:And so there was a guest there from the movie. In the movie, if you know, at the end of the movie there's Marvin Barry and the Starlighters. He sings the song Earth Angel.
Speaker 2:Yes, you know, Earth, Angel and that makes his parents kiss.
Speaker 1:And you know whatever, marvin Barry, he's an actor by the name of Harry Waters Jr. Harry Waters Jr was there, no, and he was in his full blue suit costume. Wow, he's about 72 years old now and this guy, I mean, he's just salt of the earth, he is just amazing. And so what happened was we hung out with him or whatever, and then he was going to stay in Rochester because he didn't have a car. An intern came to pick him up from Minneapolis and we said hey, do you just want to ride home or going back to Minneapolis? And he goes oh, you would do that. And I looked at Andy and I was like, oh my gosh, we're going to give Marvin Barry a ride home In the DeLorean.
Speaker 2:No, not in the DeLorean, because the De bury a ride home in the delorean.
Speaker 1:No, not the delorean because the door was being pulled by truck. But anyway we pulled. Oh yeah, yeah, anyway. So I'm driving him home in my car and I say I turn to him he's in the front seat. And I turn to him and I say I'm sorry, harry, I just have to do this. My brother would be so mad at me if I didn't. And I put on his version from the Back to the.
Speaker 1:Future soundtrack of Earth Angel. And now I'm singing along with Marvin Berry in my car on the 40th anniversary of Back to the Future, singing with him carpool karaoke. If you told my seven-year-old self because I saw this in the theater when I was seven year old self, because I saw this in the theater when I was seven years old I'd be sitting in the car with Marvin Barry driving him home singing that song, earth Angel, I would have said no way no way it pretty much made my year yeah, it would have, absolutely would have.
Speaker 2:And what did you? Did you message or ring your brother? Or what happened there?
Speaker 1:we filmed it. There's a video of it.
Speaker 2:Oh wow, oh, there's a video. There's a video of it.
Speaker 1:Of course there is, so if you go to my social media, if you go to my personal again my personal, so it's Instagram, Mr Joshua Johnson. Yeah, you can see the video of me singing along with Marvin Barry in a car Nice, oh, my gosh, Craig. It was so good that it overshadowed any delay that I would have. So I have zero delays because it was so, so good.
Speaker 2:Good, good, good. I was going to say the same. That makes me feel better too, because I'm thinking to myself before we started recording. I'm like delay, what have I got as a delay? My only delay that I could actually think of, josh, is that my next task and the next place I have to be is in Ohio, in Washoe, ohio, for the Midwest Geobash. That's my next task I have to be, and that's not for another week and a half.
Speaker 2:Wow so you're stalling, but yeah, and I'm like around the area, like it's going to take me literally a couple of hours to get there, so I'm going to do a loop around Wisconsin.
Speaker 1:Wisconsin or.
Speaker 2:Michigan, no, michigan, michigan. I get this too. So I'm going to do a loop around Michigan and I've decided I'm going to do some county caching too. So I stop in every county as I go around the loop. So I go from there.
Speaker 1:So that's pretty cool. Are you going to to mackinac island up there, where you can't you know, we've talked about it on the show where you can't bring cars, you have to take a ferry.
Speaker 2:Oh, is that? It is it up here? It's in michigan, yeah it's oh well, I'll have a look. I'll have a look, give it a look, it sounds really cool.
Speaker 1:I mean you have to take a ferry to this island. There's no cars. There's no cars on this island, and several movies were filmed there, so I've never been there. I think it would be awesome to visit I'll take a look.
Speaker 2:I'll take a look. Meanwhile, I have had um, a munzee player. Reach out to me, um, I'm meeting up with him this afternoon, josh, as we record this. Uh for a beer. Um, he said you know, are you coming up this way? I'm like, oh, I can come up, like, oh, I'll buy you a beer, so I'll be there then. So, and it's an, it's a Perfect, and it's a male person, it's not an old lady. So craft beers and old ladies, anyway, that's a motto of mine. Meanwhile, josh, should we get on to the actual episode itself, because I am stinging to find out about this. Wisconsin Dells, first and foremost. Where is the Wisconsin? Where exactly?
Speaker 1:It is right you've driven by it, craig. It's between Chicago and Minneapolis, almost right in the middle on Interstate 94. So you've literally drove. It's just past Madison about an hour. Yeah, so it's right on 94. So yeah, craig, you've driven by it and you didn't even know it, you didn't even know the treasure trove that is the Wisconsin Dells.
Speaker 1:And let me just tell you a little bit about Wisconsin Dells. So a little history on Josh. I was probably growing up in the 80s. I was probably, you would say, lower middle class, but when all my friends were going on their vacations to Disney World and Disneyland, my parents couldn't afford that, nor did my parents have the time to do that. But my parents, once a year when I was a kid, had just one weekend where they had off. My parents worked retail so often they had to work on the weekends.
Speaker 1:But, one summer a year, every single year in my childhood, we would go to one place and that was the Wisconsin Dells, which is kind of like, back then, the lower middle class version of going to Disneyland, basically Wow, wow. And this place is so ingrained in my mind that even now, even now when I have dreams about it, that I have dreams back when I was a child experiencing Wisconsin Dells. It is like a little city, it's a very little town, but it's like a fun town. You walk downtown and there's not just clothing stores and stuff, no, there's a haunted house. You walk downtown there's a place where they sell fudge. Call back to Uranus, right?
Speaker 1:Call back to.
Speaker 2:Uranus. Right yeah, it is known, Craig, as the water park capital of the world.
Speaker 1:Oh really, they have several humongous indoor water parks and several, several outdoor water parks. So I thought it would be appropriate to talk about Wisconsin Dells, because this is, mainly historically, a very amazing summer destination.
Speaker 2:I was going to say summer destination, because it ought to be frozen over in wintertime.
Speaker 1:Although now, back in the 80s it was like a ghost town during the winter. Now they've built a lot of indoor water parks, so now it is also a destination even in the winter as well. Yeah makes.
Speaker 2:Now it is also a destination even in the winter as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, makes sense. But not only is it, it's very touristy, it's very much a tourist trap. I would argue. Maybe the big, the whole town is a tourist trap. Craig the whole town.
Speaker 2:It's not just like this or that the whole town it's built for tourism.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the whole town is a tourist trap, but in the best best way, because it's just so, as you will hear, it's just so fun and there's just a lot going on. It's just like a whole town. Imagine a whole town that is an amusement park. That's what Wisconsin Dells is Wow. Wow, but why, craig? Why? Why is a random place in the middle of Wisconsin an amusement park town? Why Are you wondering, craig? You're so curious, I'm sure.
Speaker 2:I'm just thinking that maybe, maybe, just maybe someone who owned property there, et cetera, and thought to himself well, I'm going to make the best amount of money here, let's make a tourist sort of destination location, that sort of thing, tell me, tell me.
Speaker 1:Well, there was a reason. First of all, what you need to know is it's not only a touristy trappy place, but it is one of the most beautiful places to visit in wisconsin. 15 000 years ago, glacial meltwater carved this amazing sandstone sort of rock sculptures. So it's on a river and a lake. So the reason it's called del the del is it's on lake delton, so that's oh, okay, and so the river and the lakes have created the most beautiful like rock sculptures.
Speaker 1:And in the um in the mid 1800, there was a photographer by the name of HH Bennett and he went there and he basically kind of discovered this because he was a photographer and he took pictures of these amazing rock sculptures and got these rock sculpture photos out into the world, like in magazines like National Geographic and stuff like that. And people started to see these amazing photos and they're like where in the world is this? And it was the Wisconsin Dells. And so it started drawing people from all across the country to see these amazing sculptures. But as time went on, it wasn't just the sculptures, they were like oh my gosh, there are people coming here to look at our beautiful scenery. Why don't we make some more money?
Speaker 2:That's probably what we were thinking, so there's probably a little bit of truth to what you said, Craig. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:And it became a place and we'll talk about all the things that are there boat tours, it's the water park capital of the world and just lots of quirky like quirky roadside attraction types of places. And now you know why I love it so much, because it's just one giant roadside attraction.
Speaker 2:So it's a lot of fun and that the fact that the roadside attractions of the style really attracts you in general. But also, I feel, Josh, you've got a lot of nostalgia there, personal childhood nostalgia too, so that's another reason why you're attracted to it.
Speaker 1:Exactly. I still dream about it, craig. It's in my psyche, wow.
Speaker 2:Other people have. You know, other types of dreams, but no, josh dreams about Wisconsin Dells and sliding down a waterfall or whatever. They are too Exactly, mate. You've listed here the top 10, in your opinion, the top 10 reasons to visit. Should we go from number one to 10, shall we?
Speaker 1:Number one is probably the number one greatest thing of Wisconsin, d Dallas, and I remember it so much as a child. Now there are several water parks there, but there is the granddaddy of them all and it is considered America's largest water park and it's called Noah's Ark Water Park, with over 50, craig, 50 water slides, two giant wave pools have you ever been into a wave pool, craig? Yeah, we've got wave pools in Australia.
Speaker 2:Okay, good cool.
Speaker 1:So you know exactly. I know exactly what a wave pool is and just when I say water slides, it's not like your typical water slides. They have, like the I don't know, the most amazing innovation, the latest technology, always in water slides.
Speaker 2:Oh, I was going to say yeah, so.
Speaker 1:I'll give you some examples. There is a water slide called Black Anaconda. Okay, and it's a water slide because it's great, it's a roller coaster water slide. Not only does it go down, but it goes up.
Speaker 2:It was one of the first ones, I believe, that did that and you're in a tube.
Speaker 1:You're tubing, yeah it's more like a little raft.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a whole raft.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you go down, but the amazing thing about it is that you go up too, so it's a roller coaster water slide, which is amazing. There's another one this one's fairly new called Scorpion's Tail.
Speaker 2:Have ever been seen the, the videos of people in like the standing up in like a coffin yes, yeah, yes.
Speaker 1:And then the floor just drops yeah, yes, yes. So this is like that. But it not only drops, but then it loops around. So it drops and it just doesn't go, you know, straight down, but it loops around so you're going. If you watch the pov of this, you're going, so so fast.
Speaker 2:And I suppose if you're a bigger guy like me, you go even faster Maybe.
Speaker 1:Unless it's In the beginning, in the beginning Because the aerodynamics probably don't. In the beginning, exactly, I like it, I like it. There's another one called Time Warp, which is like a raft ride that's completely dark and then you get into like a little. Have you ever seen the water slides where you end up in like a toilet bowl?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, you spin around and because you're in the Northern Hemisphere, you go clockwise. Yeah, right, right, right, right right.
Speaker 1:Well, this is like a toilet bowl slide, but the toilet bowl part of it is covered and inside of it is a dinosaur.
Speaker 2:oh, that's cool yeah, so it's like oh you're going around whatever time, yeah.
Speaker 1:And then there's another one called chameleon, which is like basically a water slide. That's a rave, there's music playing, there's like lights going on and stuff like that oh, yeah, yeah, um, and let's just say this black anaconda goes 30 miles per hour. You're thinking, that's not fast, but we're going in a water slide.
Speaker 2:Exactly, and you're literally that close. That close Because I mean if you do 30 miles an hour, if you're in a car, if you're low down to the ground, the lower you're down you feel faster than what you do higher up. If you're doing 30 miles an hour in a bus, for instance, it doesn't feel that fast at all, feel like you're flying. I know, you know you really do.
Speaker 1:And Craig, you know I just want to take you to the Dells because when I took you, when we went and did the go-karts in Alabama, you were just giggling like a little schoolgirl.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think you would just love it, schoolboy, you would love it, I would.
Speaker 2:Do you like water parks? I do, I do. I used to have a water park close to where I grew up as well. It started off only with one or two different water slides and then it just grew and grew and grew from there. So, yeah, and it went into the summer as well where sorry, the wintertime where we actually had grass skiing as well down these, like around the sides of the water slides. So they actually opened up a big park area where you grass you heard of grass skiing what's that?
Speaker 2:grass skiing is basically like like when you got rollerblades on your feet. Except the rollerblades they have, instead of having the four wheels, they have tracks like a, like a tank. Oh so you have like these two big tracks on your feet like tank and you literally just you know you ski down a grassy field. Oh, that sounds fun, like you're down a grassy hill. Yeah, lots of fun, lots of fun. That's fun. That's really cool. But anyway, I'm digressing.
Speaker 1:Mate, do you have any, especially an outdoor water park?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Bring those water shoes. Bring the water shoes, yeah. Because, you're walking barefoot and it's hot concrete and just bring the water shoes, Wear your sunblock and have a great time, yeah.
Speaker 2:And especially for kids. If you're taking kids there as well, make sure they have their water shoes on too, because we all know kids literally just run on the concrete too, so actually having those shoes as a protection there would really help too. So you make sure the kids are covered as well at the same time. And definitely sunblock, definitely sunblock, no matter where you are in the world. So very cool, all right.
Speaker 1:We're going to move on to number two what do you?
Speaker 1:have for number two. Well, I'm going to say two and three are a little bit connected because they are similar experiences in different ways. Right? Number two is the wisconsin dells boat tour. So I told you, okay, there's just these beautiful rock formations and rock sculptures. The best way to view them is through through on the water, like yeah, because it's just like on both sides of the river, both sides of Lake Delton, you get to see how the glaciers created these sandstone sculptures and sculptures, formations, and all of them have names. It's so funny because people use their imagination. It's so funny because people use their imagination. I remember there's one that looks like a grand piano that has fallen over, and there's one of a Native American head.
Speaker 1:So the people's imaginations they've named these things, and when you ride them, you're looking at them, you're like, oh my gosh, yeah, that does actually look like a piano. And so, yeah, if you want to see the beauty of the Dells, you need to do it on the water, and not only so.
Speaker 1:They have boat tours that are like typical cruise ship, not cruise ship, like mini cruise ships right, yeah, yeah, but you can also get like the speed boats, so you can do like really fast ones, stuff like that get like the speed boats, so you can do like really fast ones like that, but the one way that and we've talked about this craig and we've talked about it on uh roadside attraction march madness, we did and I'm bringing it up again second time.
Speaker 2:Second, another episode for this one, I don't know.
Speaker 1:Let's see and that is the original wisconsin ducks, and so we've talked about it before. Basically, the Ducks are a World War II era amphibious vehicle. It goes on water and it drives, and so the cool thing is that you get the best of both worlds. You get to experience it as a boat, like the boat tours, but also they come right out of the water and they become trucks vehicles and they have these duck trails and you can literally then you driving on land between these rock formations.
Speaker 1:So if you're like, hey, I want to see the beauty of the dells on the water, my recommendation is do the wisconsin ducks, because you get the best of both worlds. You get the land, you get the best of both worlds. You get to see the land and you also get to see on the water, but I love it. There's college kids that drive these things.
Speaker 2:It's so funny.
Speaker 1:I know where this is going now, oh my gosh, it's so funny because you think the tours are about an hour long right. And you think it's over and then all of a sudden they pull. You're trapped on the duck and they pull you over. And then they start handing out postcards and they're like check out these wonderful postcards of all the things you saw and then they're like if you would like to buy them, just hold them in your hand, keep them so everybody's like holding postcards and then they say ah, I do this to to pay for my college or whatever.
Speaker 1:Then you feel bad and then you give them not only a tip, but you buy these postcards from the college kid, so get ready, get ready for them to try to get a little extra money, but it's the Dells. The ducks are so worth it, so it's a good time. Have you ever been on any of these ducks, like these amphibious vehicles, where?
Speaker 2:they go on water. Yeah, so you've got them in australia as well. So, yeah, yeah, been on, been on those in australia too, and also new zealand. I did a, I did a tour like that in new zealand through the rapids, through new zealand beautiful place.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's cool, beautiful, stunning place and so the dells is a perfect place for these ducks because it gets again. They've created trails for the ducks and they're between these rock formations and stuff like that. So that is actually two and three, and if you're like I want to see the thing that the famous photographer HH Bennett, the one that made the Dells famous. I want to see what drew people here originally. That was it Take a duck tour or a boat tour.
Speaker 2:That's cool, that's cool. Drew people here. Originally, that was it. Take a duck tour, a boat tour, that's cool, that's cool, uh. One question I have in regards to that, though, too, because I remember when you brought this all while courtney I think courtney might have brought it up uh, in march, madness, um, and that is uh, because we've a good friend, rob vardeman, who was on the show last week as the last episode as well. Um, his son trey, he, uh, he does the the disney tour on the boat, what's that called?
Speaker 1:The Jungle Cruise.
Speaker 2:The Jungle Cruise. Now, I think Courtney and yourself, josh, last in March Madness said something about the narration that they give. So these college kids they give like a really funny, very joke narration of the place as well. So you're forever laughing and you're forever amused and stuff too. So is that still the same thing?
Speaker 1:Yes totally Puns jokes, you know groans. And there's actually like a thrill part of it too. I didn't say this for the ducks, because you're up on top of a hill and then they go like really fast into the water, so there's like this big splashdown moment.
Speaker 2:So there's actually a thrill part.
Speaker 1:Yeah the. Ducks If you go to the Dells. If there's one thing, one thing you can't skip, it's the Ducks. I would say that should actually be number one. If I was to say, hey, I got an hour to kill in Wisconsin Dells, what do I do?
Speaker 2:Do the ducks Do the ducks. Yeah, because you think about the water park. That's an all-day thing, or even multiple days. You know what I mean. And that as well, I feel is best done as a family, for instance, whereas the ducks you can do solo, yeah, you can happily do the ducks solo. Oh, family, for instance, whereas the ducks you can do solo, yeah, you know, you can happily do the duck solo, you know. So where is it a water park for me? Solo, maybe not.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, though you know look like a creepy old man. Well, the cool thing about about the dells, though, is you can make it what you want, because you can get like you can get a drink and just sit in a tube and just cruise on the lazy river all day.
Speaker 2:That's true, that's true. But know, as long as you don't have your camera in your hand, it should be all right, yeah my parents.
Speaker 1:That's what they did. They just let us go free, roam free while they just had beers and hang out on the lazy river.
Speaker 2:Seriously, that's why they liked it so much, I think Because it amused you and your brother as well. So you were out of their hair and they could just enjoy their day as much as you enjoyed yours. So that's fair enough, all right, mate. Moving on to number four, what have you got for number?
Speaker 1:four, I've never done this before, but this kept coming up again and again. It's the Rick Wilcox Magic Theater. So imagine, just like a really high production magic show. But think, like David Copperfield, you know who David Copperfield is right. Yeah, david Copperfield, but copperfield is right. Yeah, david copperfield, but the david copperfield of the midwest, which probably means also you know groaning jokes and like stuff like that. But I guess it's just a very popular, very popular magic, uh showcase show. Um, so do you like, do you love a good magic show?
Speaker 2:craig, I do, I do, although in most it's hard for me to enjoy a good magic show, because I'm one of those types, josh, that I need to know. I need to know how it was done. So if I watch a magic show, for instance, and I see something and I'm amused by it, I'm like wow, wow, wow. I miss the next few minutes of the magic show because I'm already thinking about how that one was done previous. So I'm one of those types, you know, believe it or not? So, yeah, yeah, I need to know.
Speaker 1:I need to know how it's done. I do you know, like I met david copperfield in the 80s oh, you did, of course you did. I met him and it was of any celebrity encounter I've ever had. It was the worst celebrity encounter I've ever had.
Speaker 2:I was a child. Why did it just disappear? Did it just disappear on?
Speaker 1:you? Yeah, it just disappeared. Yep, yeah, what a disappointment.
Speaker 1:Now you see me now you die yeah exactly no, it was in my town of La Crosse, wisconsin. He was there in the 80s and I watched his show his show is fine and then there was an autograph session. So then you could buy, buy a photo for him to autograph. And I remember standing in line and literally he had four handlers on one side and then four handlers on the other side and he was sitting on top of like a throne, like elevated, and you handed the handler the picture, the picture handled to the next handler. The next time got up to them top, he scribbled you couldn't even recognize his name and then he handed the picture down down for the four handlers on the other side, and then you got your picture you didn't even get to.
Speaker 1:You had had zero. It was the worst celebrity Zero interaction. And as I'm in line watching it happen he goes. What town am I in anyway? Whoa.
Speaker 2:What a gosh. What a jerk, see, see. And yeah, it goes to prove that those memories last a lifetime, for kids as well.
Speaker 1:Oh, totally. You know, if you're a celebrity, come on, use that power in good ways people.
Speaker 2:Exactly, exactly, anyway. So many celebrities.
Speaker 1:Listen to this podcast.
Speaker 2:Yeah right, I know so many. Anyway, Anyway, Josh. So that's number four, the magic theater itself. We're going on to number five now, oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:Craig, okay, so this isn't technically in Wisconsin Dells, but it's 30 minutes south, so it's very close to Wisconsin Dells and that's Devil's Lake State Park. Okay.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:Again, this is a state park, that is just. It's a big. Obviously the big devil's lake is there, but there are trails that lead up to amazing rock formations. There is one called balancing rock and it's this giant boulder that is actually just like it. You're like, how is it standing there? Because the base of it is really narrow and it's just like. If you want cool photos, it amazing. Then there's another rock formation called the Devil's Doorway and it looks like a rock formation that is like a portal to another world.
Speaker 1:It's really, really cool. If anybody Googles the Devil's Doorway at the state park, you will see. I actually made a TikTok about it. It actually took off quite well and it talks about how to see it. You go to the park and this is a very busy park so show up early. But yeah, you hike up this really cool trail and then on the top there's all these amazing rock formations, and for geocachers they are of course they're earth caches, they're really good earth caches.
Speaker 1:So this is an example where a lot of people don't like earth caches. This is an example where, like, oh, this earth cache took me to a really cool thing.
Speaker 2:Cool place.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I suppose there's earth caches in those carved out stone formations as well, in the Dells too. There'll be earth caches all along there as well, I suppose.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so, again, again, if you want to get out of the touristy part of it, 30 miles south it is the devil's lake state park. Um, it is just absolutely beautiful and there's all a lot of things. It's a state park, so there's a lot of other things to do, but the number one you gotta hike up the the path to see those rock formations.
Speaker 2:It's really cool, yeah yeah, and all I can think about, when I hear people talk about those sort of rock formations as well, is in utah, with the the archers national park as well, um, which is super, super busy, but it is absolutely gorgeous, stunning, um, and that's all I can sort of visualize. When you talk about this sort of natural rock archways and the doorways to hell, what the devil's doorway pathway to hell, constant Pathway to hell.
Speaker 2:If you don't, if you don't walk up, if you don't walk up and snap your photo with it, then you are going to hell. But anyway, no, I'm joking, that's really cool. So, yeah, Anything else you need to talk about in regards to that? One Go there, see those rock formations, do some hiking.
Speaker 1:This is a place. When I was a child, my parents never took me.
Speaker 2:They never took me to this place because they're like hiking. No, we want to sit by the lazy river and drink tequila. We want to drink tequila and smoke by the lazy river.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they didn't smoke, but yeah they did drink, oh, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, speaking of which as well? I just need to ask you because, as I said before, yeah, yeah, speaking of which as well? I just need to ask you because, as I said before, I'm thinking about Utah, I'm thinking about the arches, and there's different rock formations there too. In Utah, there's like a balancing rocks as well. The rocks balance on top of each other. Is there something there as well in regards to this.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's like that, but the Dells is probably a much smaller version of that.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay, still, it's, still balancing rocks. Yeah, it's a?
Speaker 1:yeah again, google it, look at youtube. You'll see these. You'll see these rocks and yeah, it's great. And when you're, you hike up there to these rock formations and then it's a, you're hiking up a cliff and it's just an amazing, beautiful view of the lake. You'll you'll see, it's just like gorgeous if I, if I think of it, I will put the tiktok video. I'll attach it to the show notes so people can see.
Speaker 2:Yep, yep, absolutely, absolutely Most of these. Anyway, josh, I'll try and link to the show notes on some of these too. We've got links for either way in the show notes. Okay, josh, number six mate. What do we got for number six?
Speaker 1:Okay, here's another way to view some of the nature in a really unique way. Now, I've never done this, but I've seen photos of it, and that is the lost canyon tour. So you know I remember I was talking about the ducks driving through these, like these little pathways. Well, you can actually do that in some of these areas, that is, uh, in a horse drawn carriage and there's like 100 foot there you'll see it.
Speaker 1:There's these narrow passageways that only like this these horse carriages can go through and um, you look up and you're between a hundred feet walls on both sides is just is really cool. It's just really a neat way to experience some of that stuff, and it's the wisconsin dells, especially in town and at the water parks. It's a loud, it's a loud place, I mean it's. It's again, it's a whole town, that's amusement park and so, um, it's perfect for, like to you know, quiet things down a little bit it's like a peaceful.
Speaker 1:It's more peaceful than the ducks, more peaceful than any boat tour, but this is kind of a different way to experience some of the the beautiful sights of wisconsin hills that sounds really cool.
Speaker 2:Um, and all I can think about, too, and that is some people don't don't like the horse-drawn carriages, josh, because they they're pro horse. You know that sort of thing too. I will say, though, that I'm gonna put myself out again 90 to 95, 99 of those people who own these horses treat the horses better than they treat their own kids. These horses make them money, so why wouldn't you treat them well too? There are a few bad apples, don't get me wrong. There are a few in the world. I'm talking worldwide. There are a few bad apples in regards to it, but you can kind of tell, josh, which ones are good and which ones aren't. So if you're drawn to this sort of style, then, yeah, the horse-drawn carriage is the way to go.
Speaker 1:Lost canyon tour speaking of animals, we're going to go to number seven, and this is the wisconsin deer park. So imagine, imagine a 40 acre piece of land that is just a giant petting zoo with a hundred deer. Wow, a hundred deer that are tame Like. Think about, think about being your own Snow White, these things love people, probably because you just get, you get a little, you can buy a little food cup and you just walk around. Oh yeah, and these deer, these deer, just follow you around like you're like you're Snow White in a Disney movie.
Speaker 2:If you love animals if you love.
Speaker 1:I mean and again to your point, I mean you're like, oh, they're in captivity or whatever. Well, I think they have. This is probably all they know and they have a good life.
Speaker 2:It's not like they're in a cage, they have a good life In comparison to other deer out there. And this is my thoughts when I saw this as well. And that is obviously we're in America, americans there's some states more than others that actually do. There's a lot of hunting involved and deer hunting is huge in America. I mean, you go to Bass Pro and stuff too. They have fake deer that you can practice on or you can draw deer to. There's deer whistles and deer antlers to click together all this sort of stuff.
Speaker 2:So if you're a deer hunter, don't go to this park, because you're going to be walking around and you'll get the shakes, josh, you'll get the shakes. You'll be going where's my gun? Where's my gun? They probably don't sound like that, but you know what I mean. That's right. That's right, that's right. So they'd be. Uh, so if you're an avid hunter of these deer and mind you in saying that, if you're an avid, like a good hunter as well, you do have appreciation for these animals, um, and so you know, yes, go there, have a look, see them in their natural habitat and go from there too, and yeah, this is these deer are protected.
Speaker 1:They're not getting shot no, no and they is perfect for kids, like kids just just have a peaceful little deer, walk up to you and eat from your hand. Come on now. That's just great.
Speaker 2:Memories are made of that, memories are made of that. Or address number eight, oh my gosh, greg.
Speaker 1:I've been to this place twice.
Speaker 2:What is?
Speaker 1:this. This place is the weirdest.
Speaker 2:This is maybe the weirdest thing in Wisconsin Dallas and I'm so glad I put it on the list.
Speaker 1:This is the most touristy trap thing of them all For $5,. You can go into, get this, the Upside Down White House.
Speaker 2:So is it just a black house? It's not black.
Speaker 1:No, it's literally the White House, but when you look at it it looks like a giant picked up the White House and dropped it and turned it over and made it an upside down. It looks like Literally an upside down White.
Speaker 2:House. Yeah, it looks like, how big is it.
Speaker 1:It's as big as the White. It's huge, it's pretty big. It's like as big as the White House. I mean, look at YouTube videos or pictures. It is actually. It's huge, so you can go in it. Then you can go in it. And what do you think would be in the upside-down White House? What do you think?
Speaker 2:would be. Well, it's obviously the president, like the office and all that sort of stuff.
Speaker 1:No, you would think. You would think like it would just be upside-down White.
Speaker 2:House, yeah, like the West Wing, and all that stuff too, and all the, you know, all the, all the, what do you call it? Uh, the desk systems there. You know they've got desks, they've got security, they've got no, nothing, nothing presidential, no, there's at the end sort of.
Speaker 1:But basically it's like it's like a haunted house, it's like a weird haunted house, that's not even scary.
Speaker 2:How do you have a haunted house? That's not scary. I mean, even when we went weird, even went to the uranus museum, that was weird, but it kind of was freaky as well at the same time. So this is not even like that.
Speaker 1:No, so it's this whole thing, the whole premise of it. There's like a story behind it. The story behind it is kind of like, and as you look at it you're like intrigued, like why is there an upside down white behind it is kind of like, and as you look at it you're like intrigued, like why is there an upside-down White House? How did it be? So? There's a story and the whole. As you walk through it you're trying to kind of realize why there's an upside-down White House.
Speaker 1:And so you walk through these halls and there's kind of a few like really lame jump scares and there's like stuff. But then you realize all of a sudden you're walking through and there's like aliens. There's like aliens and there's like classified files and stuff and basically the story. It's so weird. Basically the story is aliens picked up the White House from Washington DC and dropped it upside down in the Wisconsin Dells. So it's basically like inside of it it's just like a bunch of alien stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's really weird. So it's gone to Roswell, basically it's really weird, speaking of which we should do a show on Roswell. We have, we have remember, oh, we have, when the Albuquerque show remember it was Albuquerque, I think Roswell specific, I think Roswell specific, but anyway he reaches it, yeah. So yeah, I like it, I don't mind it, but yeah, very touristy, it's weird $5.
Speaker 1:And it's worth the $5 just to laugh and see how dumb it is.
Speaker 2:Yes, well, it's the same as when you and I went to the Uranus Museum as well. Like it was a laugh, like it was you. You know that was five dollars, I think it was each, and it was just hilarious. Like it was, there was two is a two-bodied chicken.
Speaker 1:Like it's ridiculous yeah, it's that kind of it's that kind of ridiculous.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but five bucks, come on, it was. It's that's right number.
Speaker 1:Nine may, second last one we've got in our okay so if you're like I'm gonna be there, I need to do one water park like I want. I'm a water park Like I want, I'm a water park person, and I only have time for one. I only have time for one day of water parks. You're going to Noah's Ark If you have another day for an outdoor water park and it's actually this is indoor and outdoor.
Speaker 1:You go across it's literally across the street Craig to the Mount Olympus Water Park and Theme Park, and it's half water park, half theme park. There's go-karts, there's roller coasters, so all for one price. You get not only a water park but you get also roller coasters and stuff like that. They have a wave pool called Poseidon's um revenge, and you know how, like wave pools. I'm sorry I didn't say I said water park. No, it's a wave pool called poseidon's revenge, and you know how there's like. I don't know if you've experienced like there's wave pools are like waves, waves yeah, yeah this one every seven minutes is is a gigantic 20-foot wave, and then everybody waits.
Speaker 2:Oh, so it's one wave every seven minutes.
Speaker 1:But it's gigantic.
Speaker 2:Gigantic and it literally takes you out. It takes everybody out.
Speaker 1:The reason it's every seven minutes is because people have to recover because they just got annihilated by a giant wave.
Speaker 2:They get pounded by one giant wave like a tsunami, exactly. It's one tsunami wave every seven minutes and they need to swim back out to the spot they were. That takes seven minutes to get back out to where they were before they can get hit again. So, wow, wow, I'm going to give you advice, though.
Speaker 1:Here's some lodging advice. So Mount Olympus whoever owns Mount Olympus owns most of the Wisconsin Dells. They've taken over a lot of the hotels and now they're like these. Old hotels are now attached to Mount Olympus. Do not repeat, do not stay at a Mount Olympus hotel or lodging. I've heard story after story of bed bugs, unclean rooms. It's just not good.
Speaker 2:Now the water park is fine. The water park is great, yeah, yeah, but don't stay, just stay somewhere.
Speaker 1:Go camping or stay at a nicer place, and they kind of try to get you because they'll have you do the lodging right. They'll lure you into the lodging and then the water park's free.
Speaker 2:well, oh, so they say, stay with us and you can join. Exactly, getting for free, exactly.
Speaker 1:So it's not. It's not good.
Speaker 2:I've heard those on a budget, those on people on a budget, would, uh, would jump at that, yeah, but then they would regret it If you read the reviews people.
Speaker 1:It's not good, but it's because they've taken over so many of these older hotels all around and you know, it's just hard to. I'm sure it's hard to manage all that, but the water park is cool.
Speaker 2:It's not the best one.
Speaker 1:I think it's the second best one as far as the outdoor ones, because there are some. We're not going to talk about any other water parks, but there's amazing indoor ones called Great Wolf Lodge. There's the Kalahari. There's other indoor ones that are amazing too.
Speaker 2:Other indoor ones, only smaller ones, yeah, but these are outdoor ones for the summer, but anyway yeah. That's fine, there you go, and we're going to round it out with number 10.
Speaker 1:We got to round it out with a little food. Don't you think? Minnesota boy, minnesota boy, minnesota boy would love this place, because it is.
Speaker 2:Paul.
Speaker 1:Bunyan's Cook.
Speaker 2:Shanty oh, that's why he'd love it.
Speaker 1:Not because of the food, because it's Paul Bunyan themed.
Speaker 2:It's Paul Bunyan themed and that's what he is.
Speaker 1:He's all about that, so this is like a typical, like almost. Imagine you're out in the woods and all day you've been chopping down trees. You're a lumberjack and now you're hungry, so you walk into. Paul Munyon's cook shanty and it's like it's just red flannel everywhere and it's like family style.
Speaker 1:You sit on the big table and it's just, they bring out all the comfort foods you want and all the things, and it's just like a family style meal inside foods you want and all the things, and it's just like a family-style meal inside of a big wood cabin and obviously right outside there there's lumberjack shows and stuff like that. But if you're like I'm hungry because I believe it's one of those like all you can eat, right, and they just keep bringing you the food. And it's um all again, all family style um it is.
Speaker 1:It's not cheap. It's not cheap. So come hungry um, it might be your only meal of the day. I believe they do both. I think they do both. Breakfast is a great breakfast place breakfast and they also do like a lunch and dinner situation. But but lumberjack breakfast served on tin plates too. Tin plates, families now.
Speaker 2:Oh, like tin plates, like you do when you're camping, and stuff too, those sort of tin plates. Yes, oh, that's fair enough. Yes, that's fair enough.
Speaker 1:And here's the tip Do not miss the hot cinnamon sugar donuts as soon as you sit down. You know like a Texas Roadhouse where they have the biscuits with the honey butter yeah, whatever, yeah, when you sit down, you get they have a hot cinnamon sugar donuts as soon as you sit down oh wow, isn't that just delightful and that's very american, let's be honest as well.
Speaker 2:The hot cinnamon sugar donuts that's very, very american. So very cool, very cool, mate. I've seen here as well in the show notes. You've got a challenge out there for the listeners.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, a challenge.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a challenge, a listener challenge you've put there in the show notes A listener challenge. And while it looks at it it says have you ever fed a deer, ridden a duck boat or stayed in a hotel with a slide into the lobby pool? What the Joshua? Look at that that's really cool. But no, tell us your favorite Dells type of memory. Yeah, I'm curious.
Speaker 1:We want you know let's have this be a back and forth. Let us know if you've ever been to the Dells and what is your favorite part, Because I just oh my gosh, I just scratched the surface. There's so much more.
Speaker 1:There's even I mean the whole downtown is an experience. Downtown there's a Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum. Downtown there's a Haunted Mansion. Downtown there's zip lines, there's arcades, there's fudge, there's taffy shops. Here's a tip, big tip Go downtown, Eat a burger at Monk's. Monk's is a bar. It's one of those places where they cook, similar to Matt's Bar Craig. Yeah, yeah, where they cook the burgers right behind the bar, monk's Bar.
Speaker 1:There's just a lot to do. So have you ever been to Noah's Ark? Or, I'm sorry, have you ever been to Wisconsin Dells? We want to know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we want to know. Or if you have never even been in America itself, have you been to anything similar to Wisconsin Dells? So have you ridden a duck boat or an amphibious vehicle, for instance, as well? Have you fed a wild animal? That's not really wild, but really cool, yeah. So messages on on Instagram or any other social media and let us know from there. Yeah, that sounds cool.
Speaker 1:You can reach out to us on Facebook, instagram X YouTube you know Instagram X YouTube, all the places or at treasuresinthetownpodcasts at gmailcom, as well, exactly, exactly.
Speaker 2:But otherwise, josh, if they want to become patrons as well, let's be honest, because patrons reach out to us, probably a lot on Patreon.
Speaker 1:Those are the people. They get priority.
Speaker 2:They get priority, they're front of the line.
Speaker 1:We talk about them, we talk about their emails, just like we did last week we had an email from a new patron. Exactly the way this show is funded, the way this show keeps going, is through our Patreon and we really appreciate your support. You support us by on Waterpark Capital of the World, not sponsored, but come on, fling us some cash.
Speaker 2:Send us a ticket to the magic show or something. It's just not David Copperfield.
Speaker 1:No, not David, David Wilcox. So if you want to join us, just go to patreoncom. Backslash treasures of our town and that is where you can support us.
Speaker 2:That's really cool Because, Josh, I think of our patrons as well. I think of them getting the, you know, in theme parks where you can get that front of the line ticket. You know what I?
Speaker 1:mean when?
Speaker 2:you pay that little bit extra. That's a fast pass to this podcast. Exactly, patrons are our fast pass to the podcast Love. That, exactly. That's really cool.
Speaker 1:But otherwise, josh, how can actually people contact us or find us, like I said, facebook, instagram, x and YouTube? And our email address, I'll say it again treasuresofheartownpodcastgmailcom.
Speaker 2:So that's it for our show today. Please subscribe, rate and review on your favorite podcasting app and, as always, Josh.
Speaker 1:May your travels lead you to the most unexpected and amazing wet wet gems like the Wisconsin Dolls.
Speaker 2:See you next time everybody, bye, bye.
