My family and I really enjoy water parking in the Wisconsin Dells, but we like going to Sheboygan’s Blue Harbor equally as much and for different reasons.

Blue Harbor is only an hour away, which saves gas and time. This, of course, is very appealing. The rooms are also less expensive.

One of our favorite aspects of Blue Harbor is that it has more of a relaxing atmosphere than the Dells, mostly because there are simply fewer people. About a year ago, Blue Harbor remodeled the lobby area and it features a serene cloud mural on the ceiling and most of the lake-facing wall is made of glass. It’s pretty and peaceful.

On the flip side, Blue Harbor does not have the thrilling water rides that are available at most of the Dells’ water parks. We did miss those, but considered it a trade off.

We had been to Blue Harbor during the wintertime and, recently, we made our first summer visit. The ability to access the beach as well as an outdoor pool and the indoor water park provided for a trifecta of H20 splendor. 

Blue Harbor is right on the shore of Lake Michigan and has its own clean, sandy beach area which is right next to the bocce ball courts/outdoor pool which is a short hallway from the indoor water park.

Our kids are at the age now where we let them bounce between the various water opportunities as long as they checked in frequently. They loved this.

Mixing a little nature into the water park experience made a big difference to us. And one that we really appreciated. We extended our nature fun with a quick stop off on our way home at Harrington Beach where we tossed balls with our new softball mitts and drank water from a pump.

Most days aren't like this. I try to be really present during the ones that are. Thanks, destinations north of Milwaukee, for making the memories and helping all of us live more fully in the moment.