Ripley's Believe It or Not — Attraction in Wisconsin Dells

Summary: Interesting exhibits, but poor maintenance led to a very disappointing experience. Recommend avoiding this "experience" until they finish building the new one, whenever that will be.

There's some cool stuff here for sure, and Parents with kids would probably find this to be a good option for a family activity, but before deciding between this and other options, know that the management clearly doesn't care about the quality of the product they are selling (the exhibits).

Maintenance issues are all over the place! there are a good number of exhibits that you couldn't even see because the lights were burned out and management/the staff haven't even bothered to do basic maintenance such as replacing the bulbs.

The best example of maintenance issues is the major interactive exhibit at the end of the tour. This large room has a number of side rooms each with their own exhibits including secret exhibits and features, which probably was really cool at one point years ago, but due to poor maintenance is, at best, disappointing, and at worst, dangerous.

One of the side rooms had a secret exhibit that didn't even work, another had one where the hidden compartment was revealed, but the light was burned out so good luck seeing it. Another had a secret compartment you could climb into and rotate into another room... cool right? Well unfortunately it easily gets stuck mid-rotation and you had to force the apparatus to turn, which requires a certain amount of strength. Any kids getting stuck here could panic and have the potential to hurt themselves.

Finally in the big room, there is the interactive centerpiece that is clearly supposed to do something, but is so incredibly broken you wouldn't know it. There are two red buttons in the center on a large pedestal. One of the buttons makes the ceiling go up and down and it sounds TERRIBLE, and clearly hasn't been maintained in years. The other button? Who knows, it's broken! Pressure sensitive steps - The steps up to the pedestal move down slightly when you step on them and judging by the sensors on them, they are supposed to do something, but you're never going to figure out what because, guess what, they are broken too! Light sensors - Walking up to the pedestal you can see on a couple of the columns that there are spots for light sensors and walking in front of them should break the beam of light and trigger something but... again, you'll never know because it's broken.

Looking at responses from the business on other comments, it's seems clear that they have stopped caring about this location because they will have a new location soon. What a...

Disappointing Remodel: Ripley's Believe It or Not Falls Short of Expectations

Every time I visit Wisconsin Dells, I make it a point to visit Ripley's Believe It or Not. However, this time around, I brought my gf and our experience was far from what I had come to expect. The recent remodel of the attraction turned it into something reminiscent of the "$5" experiences scattered around the Dells, and it seriously cheapened the overall experience.

To start, the remodel seemed to be more geared towards catering to younger audiences, but it ended up sacrificing the unique charm that once made Ripley's a standout attraction. We were encouraged to take part in a popcorn challenge, which involved navigating hard-to-reach places to find unique animals. The slide they introduced was dangerously steep, and some areas felt like they were just inviting potential lawsuits. The whole setup left us feeling out of place and uncomfortable, wondering why they traded their distinctive allure for something that felt more generic.

Moreover, we were taken aback by the kid-friendly aspects of the attraction. It's great that they want to be family-friendly, but incorporating tunnels and displaying body parts seemed rather out of place. It didn't create an atmosphere suitable for all age groups and made us question the appropriateness of certain exhibits.

When we finally completed the popcorn challenge and expected a sense of accomplishment, we were met with laughter and bafflement from the staff. This embarrassing response made us wonder why we bothered participating in the first place. The popcorn might have been good, but the overall experience left us feeling disappointed and let down. (We were looked at as too old to have participated.)

What I miss the most was the old Ripley's, especially the Egypt room filled with intriguing secrets. It had an air of magic and wonder that the current setup SORELY lacks. The recent changes seemed to have stripped away the very essence of what made Ripley's so special in the first place.

In conclusion, I cannot recommend Ripley's Believe It or Not in its current state. The recent remodel has diluted the experience to a point where it barely resembles what you'd expect from the brand. Until they go back to their roots and recapture the uniqueness and charm they once had, I suggest holding off on visiting and perhaps they will take part in "Today Only: $5" strategy if they want to attract more visitors. It's unfortunate to see an attraction I once loved lose so much of it's magic and identity. I will not be returning...

No longer a “museum of oddities” that is accessible to many adults or people with disabilities.

My husband and I visited Ripley’s Believe It Or Not in the Wisconsin Dells 10 years ago and thoroughly enjoyed our visit. This year, we decided to finally visit Wizard Quest, saw that Ripley’s had moved, and decided to visit again as the tickets were cheaper if you bought them together.

We truly enjoyed Wizard Quest. There was some squeezing or crawling into places, but having 1 agile member of the group was sufficient, or you could ask a nearby child to help you out. This was expected and there were warnings. (This will be relevant I promise).

Ripley’s moved into the old Wizard Quest building. There is no indication that the coolest displays at Ripley’s are now hidden behind puzzles, or require crawling and squeezing. Without being able to do this, the average adult visitor will see very little that is worth the price of admission. Also, the signs describing the pieces adults are able to see were difficult for me to read, and I have never had an issue reading signs before.

We were very disappointed in our latest experience. We happened to bump into someone who seemed like a manager on our way out. He tried to be helpful and told us where the coolest displays are. However, his response to “how is the average adult expected to see the cool displays” was “send a child in to take pictures”. I did not pay adult admission (even if discounted) which is higher than children’s admission to have to crawl on the floor to see displays.

I appreciate that they are trying to do something different, but they need to warn and advertise that crawling and squeezing into corners is required. (For reference- I weigh 140 pounds at 5’6”. I was barely able to squeeze into most of these areas.)

We left and both said we felt we had been lied to and taken advantage of. We were very disappointed that for the price of admission, we didn’t manage to see some of the coolest exhibits we remember from last time.

It also felt like they haven’t finished moving. There was a fraction of the displays as the previous location. While this does mean it feels less claustrophobic and more like a regular museum, it also added to our feeling of...