Youth sports becoming big business in the Dells

Water slides, roller coasters and other entertainment venues still dominate the Wisconsin Dells, but youth sports is a growing niche for the kitschy tourist destination.

Over the last decade, mega-sports facilities like JustAgame Fieldhouse, Poppy Waterman Ice Arena and Woodside Sports Complex have turned the Dells into youth sports central, filling hotel rooms and driving tourism traffic year-round.

“For many parents with school-age children, attending a tournament is their family vacation, so having the largest concentration of waterparks in the world makes the whole experience a winner,” says Rhonda Parchem with the Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau.

– Rebecca Konya