Mt. Olympus is celebrating its 40th birthday* by offering free admission to the water park for several days in July!  Free admission is available on July 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th 2010.  The free passes are for the water park only, and do not include admission to the Mt. Olympus Theme Park.  Also, you are not allowed to come and go with these passes, once you leave the park, you would need to pay if you wanted to return. 

In order to get the free passes to Mt. Olympus, you need to reserve them on the Mt. Olympus website.  Free admission is only available with an advance reservation, and won’t be available at the gate.

* I am not quite sure how Mt. Olympus came up with the number 40 for their birthday (unless the Greek gods age faster than the rest of us).  The name Mt. Olympus wasn’t used until 2004.  Prior to 2004, the property was owned and operated as separate entities – Big Chief Go Carts and Treasure Island Waterpark Resort.  In 2004, the family that operated Big Chief bought Treasure Island (formally Family Land), and changed the name to Mt. Olympus.

The all-in-one Dells attraction pass that was introduced just 2 years ago is no longer.  The Dells City Pass debuted in 2008 with 9 attractions for $79.  In 2009, the participating attractions increased to 12, and the price went up to $99. 

Although the concept of an all-in-one pass was good, it didn’t catch on with enough visitors to the Dells.  The biggest reason was most likely the price.  $400 for a typical family of four is a lot of money to shell out in a weak economy.  The Dells City Pass most likely didn’t appeal to visitors staying at any of the Dells mega resorts since there are so many activities already included in the room price.  The appeal was also limited for visitors who stay in one of the many Dells motels that include Mt. Olympus passes with their rooms. 

Another problem with the Dells City Pass was the number of attractions that were offered.  Sometimes “Less is More”.  With 12 attractions and only 3 days to use the pass, some people may have thought that they were being stretched too thin, or were paying for admissions that they never were going to use.  Not all of the attractions appealed to all visitors too.  Families with kids might not be interested in golf, comedy club admission, and a haunted house.  Visitors without kids may not have been interested in a train ride or admission to the deer park.

If you’re visiting the Dells in 2010 and wanted to buy the Wisconsin Dells City Pass, there is a good alternative.  The Dells Passport to Savings offers several attractions at a reduced price.  The difference in the Passport to Savings program is that it is ala carte – you only pay for the attractions that you’re going to use.  Participating attractions include the Tommy Bartlett Show, The Tommy Bartlett Exploratory, Upper Dells Boat Tours, Jet Boat Adventure Tours, Original Wisconsin Ducks, Adare Go Carts, Pirate’s Cove Adventure Golf, Wizard Quest, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!, Dells 4D Special FX Theatre, Timber Falls Adventure Park & Knuckleheads, Noah’s Ark, Kalahari Indoor Theme Park & Circus World.  The savings increases with the number of attractions you purchase tickets too.  You can save up to 35% if you buy tickets to 6 attractions.

It would be nice to see the Wisconsin Dells City Pass return in future years.  A program overhaul would be in order.  The pick and choose method of the Passport to Savings program seems to be the way to go.

The tickets to Mt. Olympus are valid from June 1st through June 30th.  When you make a qualifying purchase at Pick ‘n Save or Copps, your receipt will contain a voucher for the free water park passes.  You must bring your receipt showing the purchase and the voucher to get free admission.

Noah’s Ark Water Park in Wisconsin Dells is offering $10 off an All Day Unlimited Use Pass on Sunday, August 9th. The regular price of an All Day Unlimited Use Pass is $35. To receive the special offer, you must print the coupon, which is available on the Noah’s Ark website.

This is an incredible savings over the $40 admission price that is charged at the gate.  The 48-hour sale ends soon though – at 2:20 P.M. on Wednesday, August 5th. 

The discounted passes are good for the 2009 season, which runs through September 7th. Admission to Mt. Olympus includes 4 different parks – Neptune’s Outdoor Water Park, Zeus’ Outdoor Theme Park, Medusa’s Indoor Water Park and the Parthenon Indoor Theme Park. More information including details on all of the Mt. Olympus attractions can be found on the Mt. Olympus website.

Noah’s Ark in Wisconsin Dells is offering free admission to active or reservist military personnel with a military I.D. for a week, starting this weekend.  Family members and retired military personnel receive 1/2 off admission during this promotion.  The special is for the All-Day Unlimited Use Pass (regularly $34.99)  The promotion runs from June 13th – June 20th. 

More information about this special offer can be found on the Noah’s Ark website. 

Related Post: Wisconsin Dells Discounts for Miltary and Fire & Police Personnel.

The H.H. Bennett studio is located at 215 Broadway in downtown Wisconsin Dells. During the summer tourist season, it is open daily from 10:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M.  Admission is $7 for adults, with a $1 discount for students and seniors, and $3.50 for children.  During June, visitors can get in for free. 

More information can be found on the H.H. Bennet Studio website.

More information on State Park Open House day can be found on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website.  The DNR website also includes a nice map of the state showing the locations of all State Parks and Forests.

This weekend is also Free Fishing Weekend.  All the waters of the state are open, including state waters of the Great Lakes and rivers bordering Wisconsin. Residents and non-residents of all ages can fish without a fishing license (or trout or salmon stamps) over these two days. However, all other fishing regulations (length limits, bag limits, etc.) apply.  Check out the DNR website for more information on Free Fishing Weekend.

Participating zoos in the Midwest are:

Wisconsin 

• Henry Vilas Zoo (Madison)
• Milwaukee County Zoo
• NEW Zoo (Green Bay)
• Racine Zoological Gardens

Illinois

• Cosley Zoo (Wheaton)
• Glen Oak Zoo (Peoria)
• Henson Robinson Zoo (Springfield)
• Lincoln Park Zoo (Chicago)
• Miller Park Zoo (Bloomington)
• Niabi Zoological Society (Coal Valley)
• Scovill Zoo (Decatur)

Minnesota

• Como Park Zoo (St. Paul)
• Minnesota Zoological Garden (Apple Valley)

Iowa

• Blank Park Zoo  (Des Moines)

If you are a member of a zoo not listed here, check out the Association of Zoos & Aquariums list of participating zoos.  Also, check out the International Crane Foundation’s website for information on visiting.