Three brothers who grew up in Wisconsin Dells set out to build something the self-proclaimed Water Park Capital of the World had never seen: a water park with no chlorine at all. Rich, David, and Adam Makowski built Land of Natura on 80 acres of forest, relying on rock beds and wetland filters to keep the water clean instead of chemicals.
The brothers say their inspiration came from the landscape they were raised around. Rich Makowski said the concept stems from the natural beauty, rock formations, rivers, and lakes of Wisconsin Dells, according to TMJ4 News. Adam Makowski said the brothers looked at how nature already cleans water and decided to build their park around that same process rather than add another conventional water park to the region.
At Land of Natura, water is pumped through about three feet of rock and over waterfalls, part of a filtration approach that includes wetland filters designed to keep the water clear without synthetic chemicals, per the station's report. The park's larger biological filtration system was engineered by technical consultant Reflections Water Gardens, which designed gravel and biological filter beds capable of handling a load of more than 1,500 daily swimmers across a 5-acre, 20-foot-deep basin, according to POND Trade Magazine. The project earned a Silver Award from Landscape Illinois for its large-scale biological water design.
A Beach, a Lookout, and 10 Miles of Trails
Beyond the water itself, Land of Natura features a beach spanning 2,000 feet, walking trails, and a lookout with views of the Lower Wisconsin Dells River, the same TMJ4 report notes. Those property features, along with the beach and lookout, are included in all-day admission to the park.
The 150-acre adventure park also includes North America's longest suspended treetop walkway, stretching 1,100 feet and hanging 10 to 25 feet above the ground, along with more than 10 miles of forested hiking and biking trails, according to Travel Wisconsin, which featured the tree walk on the cover of its 2026 guide. The park's centerpiece, a 4-acre man-made basin called Lake Wisconsin Dells, holds a floating inflatable obstacle course from Wibit with more than 200 interconnected play structures, including slides, trampolines, and climbing walls, per General Engineering Company, the local firm that helped excavate the lake basin. Dirt and rock removed during that excavation were repurposed on site to build Mt. Natura, a man-made mountain over 60 feet tall that launches four 60-foot inflatable waterslides, eliminating the need to haul excavated material off the property.
A Family Legacy Rooted in the Dells
The Makowski family's ties to Wisconsin Dells hospitality run deep. Rich, David, and Adam draw on more than 50 years in the local hospitality business, dating back to when their parents emigrated from Poland in 1970, according to Curb Currents. They named the park Land of Natura because “natura” is the Polish word for nature, and the family operates three other resort properties in the Dells under the Natura Destinations banner.
Land of Natura opened to the public in June 2023 after Phase I construction on the 150-acre property, centered on excavating the lake and shaping an initial 40-acre development zone, per General Engineering Company. In May, the park was named the number-one Best Outdoor Water Park in the United States in the Newsweek Readers' Choice Awards, according to Newsweek, whose expert panelists nominated the park before readers voted it ahead of major national destinations including Discovery Cove and Noah's Ark.
Conservation Commitments Along the Wisconsin River
Part of the property carries formal environmental protections. A portion of Land of Natura's 150 acres is legally protected under a State Nature Conservancy Easement covering 2,000 feet of Wisconsin River shoreline, restricting development to preserve native bluffs, wetlands, and wildlife habitat, according to Madison Mom.
The park's low-chemical approach stands apart from the mega-resort model that built the Dells' reputation as the Water Park Capital of the World. Kalahari Resorts, also in Wisconsin Dells, is pursuing an $85 million, 75,000-square-foot indoor water park expansion slated for completion this year, a project previously covered by Hoodline as part of the resort's effort to remain the largest indoor water park in the country.
Wisconsin Dells has a year-round population of roughly 3,000 residents but draws an estimated 4 million visitors annually, making it one of the most tourism-dependent municipalities in the Midwest, according to an analysis of Dells tourism. Against that backdrop, the Makowski brothers built a park meant to stand apart from that tradition rather than add to it — one where the water gets clean not through chemistry, but through rock, wetlands, and waterfalls.
