Mount Olympus in Wisconsin Dells: An Honest Review of a Winter Trip

Have you considered Mount Olympus in Wisconsin Dells but are still trying to determine what to think of the reviews? I’ve been there, and I have lots of friends who have been there. My honest review discusses the pros and cons of going to Mount Olympus Water and Theme Park Resort in Wisconsin Dells. If you want other recommendations about the Dells, check out my list of favorites, which includes everything from restaurants to rainy-day activities. Here is my packing list of what to bring on a trip to an indoor waterpark resort with kids.

A Quick Overview

Mount Olympus has the lowest reviews and is also the most affordable of the five main indoor waterpark resorts in Wisconsin Dells.

Pros	Cons
Great Affordable Price	Many rooms are in detached, outdated motels
Awesome Medusa Rotating Slide	Very crowded on the weekends
Kiddie Pirate Ship Water Feature	Lower quality items in the rooms
Great Weekday Deals	Smaller Waterpark
Lower prices that don’t include food so you can explore Wisconsin Dells restaurants instead	The Indoor Amusement Park is basic and focused on young kids
	The hotel rooms can be noisy
	Limited Food options

The Indoor Waterpark at Mount Olympus

The waterpark is in a single building. Some of the other three resorts have multiple buildings with waterparks. The indoor waterpark at Mount Olympus in Wisconsin Dells is the smallest of the five major indoor waterpark resorts in the Dells. It is a fun place to spend a few hours, but probably not a whole weekend or longer. Here is a more in-depth comparison between the indoor waterparks in Wisconsin Dells.

It has a kids’ area with water spouts and a pirate ship with kid-sized slides. My 3 and 5-year-old loved it, but by the time they were 7, they felt too old for it. The other area specific for young kids was the Serpent’s Pool, a shallow pool with splash pad features.

The Medusa’s Slidewheel is advertised as “America’s first rotating slide.” I’ve never been on anything like it, and novelty is always fun on rides! You have to be 42″ to ride. This is a water raft type ride that carries 2-4 people. My kids are fairly adventourus and at 5 & 7 they were scared during the ride. At the bottom they said “that was so fun and I’m not going back on it!” I’ve heard the lines get pretty crazy on the weekends. When we were there Sunday afternoon and Monday, there was no line. There was only a small line when we were there on Christmas break.

There are also two large slides; one requires you to ride in a tube, and the other doesn’t allow tubes. The one without the tube, the Hydra Body Slide, has a height requirement of 55″. The tube slide, Cerberus, has a 48″ requirement for single riders but no minimum for kids to ride with adults. My three-year-old loved this slide! It exits into the lazy river, the River Stys.

In addition, there is a pool with basketball hoops, a warming pool, and an adults-only hot tub. Many young kids were in the hot tub when we were there.

The Lodging at Mount Olympus

One of the biggest complaints with reviews for Mount Olympus is the lodging. The website provides two options for rooms. “0-1 minutes from the park” and “2-5 minutes from the park.” It is hard to know for sure, but you can generally assume that if you pick the 2- 5 minute option, you will not be in the main Hotel Rome attached to the waterpark. The prices are better, but you should assume you must drive to the waterpark.

Another main complaint is the level of cleanliness and how dated the rooms were. In general, this is a more affordable resort than the others in Wisconsin Dells, so I expected that the room amenities, furniture, etc, would be of lower quality, and that is true. I have always found our rooms clean, and I have always stayed in Hotel Rome.

They have rooms with twin bunk bed options, which is always a plus with my kiddos; it adds extra fun!

The Indoor Theme Park

My kids, ages 3 and 5, had fun here. Our review of the indoor theme park at Mount Olympus in Wisconsin Dells is that it is small and resembles a carnival set up in a large warehouse. There were flying planes, bumper cars, and other rides focused on the younger ages. There isn’t a lot of interior decor or extra “fluff” to improve the atmosphere. There is a small arcade in the center, which my kids had no problem spending money at, but it features less variety in games than other arcades we have seen.

In addition to the kids’ rides, they offer “soccer pool,” which looks fun for an older age set. They also have a basic mini golf course and duck bowling.

Extra Features

Watch the “included features” closely when you book. They will often advertise specific free add-ons, but if it is something you are really interested in doing, read the small print. Their deals rotate and change, and sometimes, what is or is not included with any particular reservation isn’t intuitive. We were excited to go tubing at Christmas Mountain, but those tickets weren’t included when I made my reservations. When I did the research for the trip, it was advertised as included, so I made the wrong assumption.

Sometimes, they include “three walk-through attractions,” which I THINK are Top Secret Exposed, Ghost Outpost, and the Lost Temple, though I have never booked a room that includes those, so I’m not 100% sure.

I have not had the pleasure of seeing their Christmas lights, but I hear great things! These are generally included in resort stays in the time leading up to Christmas.

FAQ

I find their FAQ page helpful for niche questions/concerns.

Food Options and Nearby Restaurants

Mount Olympus in Wisconsin Dells has small, fast food-type options in the waterpark that feature the expected pizza, hot dogs, ice cream, etc. There is no continental breakfast or dedicated breakfast restaurants.

There is a coffee shop with small bakery options in the lobby of Hotel Rome at the entrance of the waterpark. I was looking forward to coffee there that morning, but it was closed the day we were there, or perhaps there was a delayed opening? We ran to my favorite coffee shop in the Dells, Bella Goose Coffee. They also have the major coffee chains in the Dells, such as Starbucks, Gloria Jean’s, and Dunkin Donuts.

For restaurant options in Wisconsin Dells check out my list of favorites. It includes the best places for breakfast, for kids, for a quick bite, for a great view, and more.

In Conclusion: Mount Olympus in Wisconsin Dells Review

My family had a great time during the weekday in the winter at Mount Olympus for a reasonable price. We also had a wonderful time stopping by the waterark on a day pass for a few hours. If you are on a tight budget but want to visit the Wisconsin Dells Waterpark, this is a good choice. If you can, try to go on a weekday and try to secure a room in Hotel Rome by booking a room between “0 and 1 minutes” from the park. Consider a different resort if recently renovated rooms and updated amenities are essential to you.

Other Lodging Options

There are four other options for indoor waterparks in Wisconsin Dells. Great Wolf Lodge is great for kids. Wilderness and Khalahari are pricier but have many amenities and cater to various ages. Chula Vista is a good choice if you want a waterpark, but the hotel and its integrated activities aren’t the main focus of your trip.

Finally, consider getting a more standard hotel and day passes for different waterparks. I recently took an overnight trip to the Dells, where we bought the Mount Olympus waterpark day passes on sale for $5 a person. Then we stayed in AmericInn in the Dells and got day passes to Chula Vista for $21 for the whole family. The main downside to getting a day pass for Mount Olympus was that you couldn’t use the resort towels.

Nearby Winter Activities

If you save some money on the resort, you can splurge on other activities. If you have an animal lover in your midst, be sure to check out the Timbavati Winter VIP tour. To enjoy the beautiful winter of Wisconsin out in nature, check out Rocky Arbor State Park or Mirror Lake State Park.

Even if you stay in Mount Olympus, you can still participate in some of the activities in the other resorts. There is Magiquest at Great Wolf, the Take Flight at Wilderness, Tom Foolery at Khalahari, Knuckleheads indoor amusement with trampolines and arcade games, and more. Check out Ripley’s Believe it or Not, WizardQuest, or visit a candy shop.