New attractions add even more luster to Wisconsin Dells

"What's new?" most definitely is not a rhetorical question around Wisconsin Dells. The popular family getaway destination is a past master at reinventing itself. And this year is no different.

Although the Midwest is still bundled deep into winter, spring break is only a few weeks away. The Dells is ready, with water parks that are bigger and better, extreme thrill rides that are edgier, and roller coasters and high-performance go-karts that ramp up the thrills. Meanwhile, its golf courses have become more challenging, its eateries more diverse.

By current count, the Dells offers 21 water parks, with 18 of those indoors. "The Waterpark Capital of the World" now is the resort town's registered trademark.

While Memorial Day marks the traditional opening of the warm-weather season, many Dells attractions remain open year-round. Others open earlier, mindful of the huge potential market for spring break getaways.

"Spring break has become a travel season unto itself in the Dells," notes Romy Snyder, executive director of the Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau. "Families see an indoor water park getaway as a great -- and economical -- alternative to getting on a plane and heading south or taking a cruise."

Snyder pinpoints spring breaks for schools in Wisconsin and surrounding states to begin the third weekend in March and extend through the first week in April.

A popular Dells staple, the Rick Wilcox Magic Theater, has new, baffling tricks up its sleeve. Master illusionist Wilcox re-creates Houdini's famous jail escape and he and his wife/assistant, Suzan, perform a double levitation. Wilcox also has perfected the act of making a $400,000 Lamborghini appear out of thin air.

Spring break visitors can preview a new attraction at the Tommy Bartlett Exploratory, which for a decade has been home of the original Russian Space Station MIR core module. Joining it is a full-size replica of a Mercury space capsule, representing the United States' first manned spaceship of nearly 50 years ago, memorialized in the movie "The Right Stuff." Open year-round, this attraction offers more than 150 hands-on science-based activities that blend virtual reality and produce challenging brainteasers.

While indoor water parks give the Dells a yearlong lease on summer, some of its other attractions have a "scare quotient" that helps Halloween hang around (so to speak). The Haunted Mansion has added a Vortex Tunnel, appropriately dark and dreary, that steers visitors through 10 different dungeons.

Wizard Quest, a life-size labyrinth that serves as the set for a wizard scavenger hunt, debuts a new game starting Memorial Day weekend. It incorporates live actors, props reminiscent of "Lord of the Rings" and "Harry Potter" and computer elements.

While continuing to provide family vacations to fit a wide range of budgets, Wisconsin Dells also manages to tempt couples with romantic venues. These include elegant restaurants such as Field's at the Wilderness, with excellent steaks and chops and a Frank Lloyd Wright-influenced interior featuring waterfalls, stained-glass skylights and stone-hearth fireplaces.

Pampering awaits, too. The acclaimed Sundara Inn and Spa, tucked into the wooded shores along a tranquil stretch of the Wisconsin River, offers 26 luxury suites and a wide menu of treatments that include massage, wraps, polishes and herbal mists, as well as private yoga sessions and balanced spa cuisine.

Scheduled to officially open in spring, the new Wild Rock Golf Club at Wilderness Resort already has received rave reviews from golf writers. This 18-hole course, designed by the prominent golf course architect team of Hurdzan/Fry, is built around and through a former quarry and is marked by long, narrow greens and extreme challenges in elevation.

Look for changes, too, at Trapper's Turn Golf Club. In readying for the 2008 season, it has completely renovated its clubhouse (that now offers views of Mystic Lake).

Spring break also can mean a shopping break. Head for the Tanger Outlet Center, where new stores include a Coach factory outlet and a Build-A-Bear Workshop to keep the little ones smiling, too. More than 60 storefronts, built with the locally popular North Woods "rustic lodge" look, showcase some of America's best-known brand names.

Just outside of town is the renowned International Crane Foundation, a prairie sanctuary and the only place in the world to see all 15 species of cranes. Mid-June marks the opening of its new African crane art exhibit.

Foodies who enjoy the handsome Cheese Factory Restaurant, which once was a cheese factory, will find a new menu with an expanded selection of vegan dishes. Well-made omelets and Mexican dishes, such as blue cheese quesadilla, still tease the palate while a riotous perennial garden pleases the eye.

A newcomer downtown is du jour Express, strictly a lunchtime eatery, featuring homemade specialty soups served with a chunk of freshly baked bread and panini Italian-style sandwiches made to order. Visit the Country Bumpkin farmers market for farm-fresh vegetables, fruits, berries and herbs. In spring, a new greenhouse will sparkle with flower baskets and potted plants.

Anyone interested in journeying to Oz will need to wait until Memorial Day weekend and the debut of the Vortex Extreme Waterslide at Chula Vista Resort. It is a single-person enclosed flume ride meant to simulate the feeling of riding inside a tornado.

If you go

Information: Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau, (800) 223-3557, www.wisdells.com; Wisconsin Department of Tourism, (800) 432-8747, www.travelwisconsin.com.

Mileage: Wisconsin Dells is 188 miles northwest of Chicago.

Mike Michaelson is a travelwriter based in Chicago andthe author of the guidebook"Chicago's Best-Kept Secrets."