So there’s an attraction in the Wisconsin Dells that I’m OBSESSED with, I think it’s brilliant. Wizard Quest is a little like an escape room but it’s described as an interactive fantasy themed scavenger hunt. It’s a completely unique attraction, the first of its kind in the world. Even visiting as adults without kids, we had so much fun and have been back a second time!
What is Wizard Quest?
Teams are given a Kindle tablet to complete the quests. They are in a big squishy cover with a handle. You have to ‘exchange it’ for a high value item, such as a phone, keys or wallet, something that you wouldn’t want to leave without, just so you don’t try and attempt to steal it. The items are stored behind a counter, when you return the Kindle, you get back your belonging!
There are 3 different levels, or quests, that have difficulties of easy, medium or hard. The stories are set within 4 different realms: Water, Earth, Fire or Air. The realms are connected by tube slides, secret tunnels and passageways. Fire has a ‘lava’ ball pit. Earth has a mirror maze. Water has a kelp maze, the whole experience it is very hands on and sensory.
The Dragon Quest
The Dragon Quest is the easiest level and the only one I haven’t tried. It’s aimed more at families with younger children. As adults visiting the Wisconsin Dells we wanted something a little more challenging!
The Apprentice Quest
The Apprentice Quest (medium difficulty) is recommended for first time visitors.You have to solve riddles and clues to become an apprentice to one of either 2 wizards, Delzar or Havoc. You have an hour to complete the challenge.The Kindle will tell you in which zones you have to hunt for the answers and it WILL have you running all over!
When you complete a riddle you’ll be given a choice on things like which quality is more important to you.There’s no right or wrong answer but depending on what you pick, you follow a different path in the story. This ultimately decides on what wizard you’ll become an apprentice for.
We completed it with 5 minutes spare. But we did start to panic and made a couple of guesses when we couldn’t find the answers (it’s hard to know how far through the quest you are)! You’re given 10 lives. If you lose them all then the quest is over, regardless of how much time you have remaining.
If you were to return to Wizard Quest and do this Quest again, choosing different answers will present you with slightly different riddles and questions to solve.
The Freedom Quest
The Freedom Quest is the hardest of the quests. You have 60 minutes to try and free 4 wizards that have been locked in the 4 different realms. It is said that the average visitor on their first attempt only manages to free 2 of the 4 wizards. We must be average because we did indeed save 2 and were VERY close to saving a third.
Unlike the Apprentice Quest where you follow a story, the Freedom Quest allows you to hop backwards and forwards between the different challenges (4 wizards = 4 challenges). So if you get stuck on a riddle or can’t find what you’re looking for, you can switch to one of the other challenges instead.
It did help having done the Apprentice Quest first, as you get a feel for where things are hidden, how to open secret doors etc. These things aren’t really explained in the Freedom Quest.
UV Flashlight
One of the challenges does require a UV flashlight. This can be purchased at the ticket counter. Considering we only had time for almost 3, this could potentially be avoided if you just wanted to focus on the other sections.
Some of the ‘black light’ questions could also be guessed using common sense, which saves time if you couldn’t find all the locations. But you do need ALL the answers to complete the section.
Unless we were being silly, you have to trust creatures in the realms to lead you to the wizards.It seemed to be luck if you picked the right one the first time. Apparently there was a way of finding out if they were trustworthy but we never quite worked it out.
If you picked a wrong one, it’ll have you running all over the place and solving clues that end up getting you nowhere as they ‘tricked’ you. It can end up wasting a lot of valuable time!
Slides!
The tube slide in the castle turret is my favourite. The ones between the Air realm and the other 3 have rubber grips in them which make them tricky to get moving in. (These slides can be avoided as there is a regular staircase between the upper and lower floors).
The secret tunnel in the ‘lava’ ball pit is interesting.I’d recommend trying to scoop as many of the balls as possible into the main area before crawling through. I kinda got wedged and had to pull myself out using just my arms (while trying to hold the Kindle too)!
Visiting Wizard Quest
When we visited over Christmas, there was a side challenge where you had to find the ‘Elf on the Shelf’ hidden in each realm. At the end, each player was then given a free mini bag of Christmas popcorn from Oodlesmack Popcorn (next door to Wizard Quest).If you book online in advance, you’ll receive free butter popcorn!
I’d recommend attempting to visit at a time that may be quieter, such as on a weekday or early on a weekend.It can get a little crowded with people running all over the place. All 3 quests can be played at once and those around you may not necessarily be at the same point in the game!
There’s a coat rack at the entrance, which is worth using as it does get hot inside. Be careful if you keep things in your pockets, especially when going down the slides and crawling through the ball pit. It is kinda dark inside (as you can probably tell from the photos!), I was often having to use the Kindle screen to light up different elements so I could read them.
Larger Location
The staff are amazing, you can tell they love their job. In 2022 they moved to a new location in Downtown Wisconsin Dells which allowed the game space to double in size! It had been at the original location for over 16 years, with the virtual Kindle element being added in 2016. Apparently there’ll be new game elements and whole new labyrinth design which is being completely handmade!
🗺Location: 400 Broadway, WisconsinDells,WI53965
💰Admission:Adults (12yrs+) – $29.99 | Children (3 to 11yrs) – $21.99 | UV flash light – $4.99
For more information and current opening times, visit the Wizard Quest website.
(Not to be confused with MagiQuest, a chain attraction, aimed at younger children, which is at many of the Great Wolf Lodge Resort locations.)
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About the Author – Kylie
My travels have taken me to over 50 countries worldwide (& I lived in USA for 4yrs). I hold a BTEC National Diploma in Travel & Tourism (triple distinction) and have been writing on Between England & Everywhere since 2015.
Expert in: Adventure travel🎢, beach destinations🏖️, and packing light (mid-budget backpacker)🎒
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Last Updated on February 9, 2024
