What to do in Wisconsin?

In My Humble Opinion
1

My wife and I are kicking around ideas for a summer vacation. We live in the suburban Detroit area. Last summer we took the kids to the Upper Peninsula (Pictured Rocks, Grand Island areas). This summer my wife wants to go to Michigan’s Adventure, an amusement park on the west side of Michigan near Muskegon, and since we’ve also explored Michigan’s west coast pretty thoroughly in the past, she suggested from there we take the Ludington to Manitowoc ferry and see what there is to see in Wisconsin.

Rough ideas so far: after we get off the ferry, check out the Green Bay & Lake Winnebago areas since we’re right there. Since Wisconsin is the land of cheese, visit a cheese shop, buy some aged artisanal cheddar or something (my 12 year old son likes cheese so much he’s actually asked to go to Wisconsin on a cheese pilgrimage). Drive up north and visit the Apostle Islands, maybe Madeline Island.

Things we’re interested in: natural beauty wilderness areas, local history, museums, cool man-made stuff (got to at least stop by Lambeau Field to see the home of our esteemed rivals). I will have fishing gear for whenever the opportunity arises. The kids like beaches and swimming.

Haven’t decided how much we’re going to rough it yet- tent camping, rustic cabins, hotels, or a combination thereof?

I looking forward to hearing your personal experiences of fun stuff to do and see in the great state of Wisconsin. Thanks in advance!

2

I love Wisconsin, it’s one of my favorite touring states! Awesome things to do:

Wisconsin Dells - Tommy Bartlett variety show
Baraboo - Circus World Museum
Hayward or Woodruff - Scheer’s Lumberjack show (they have two locations)
Appleton - The History Museum at the Castle, for its great Houdini exhibit. Depending on the ages of the kids you have with you, you might also want to check out the Children’s Museum in Appleton, it’s quite a good one.

Enjoy!

P.S. Steer clear of a town called Ripon, it’s an expensive speed trap.

3

If you’re going to be in Green Bay country, go about an hour northeast and check out Door County.

In a nutshell, Door co. is five or six mini-cities that are all down one road right on the coast to a great lake. There are sections of beaches where you can get in the water, you can rent boats in order to go out into the lake and fish (or just drive up the coast), and it’s cherry capitol USA so there is cherry everything there.

Great golf and water and fishing for you and the kids. Great shopping in all of the cities for the Mrs., great food for all (Go to Al Johnsons. Wonderful Swedish food and they have goats on the roof of their restaurant). They also have a winery and distillery that you and the Mrs. can tour with samples!

My parents have a condo there so if you need more specifics let me know!

4

The Freshwater Fishing Hall Of Fame in Hayward is well worth a stop for anyone who likes roadside attractions.

5

Sheboygan is the freshwater surfing capital of the world, and as long as you’re there you can golf on some world class golf courses like Blackwolf Run and Whistling Straits, as you dine on Sheboygan bratwurst and go fishing for salmon and lake trout.

The Kohler Arts Center (in Sheboygan) is interesting, and the Kohler Design Center (in nearby Kohler) is really trippy.

Cheese factories in Sheboygan county include Gibbsville (my fave) and Beechwood (really nice artisanal cheeses). Both are small factories in very, very tiny hamlets and out of the way, but damn that’s fine, fine cheese!

6

It sounds like you will be on the East side of the state, so I’ll skip all the SW WI scenic drives that we have been taking lately. Those are probably best for the grown ups anyway, since they are based on mustard, beer, and looking at the scenery.

In the GB area, my extended family can’t get enough of Bay Beach. It’s an amusement park/throwback to your childhood, with traditional rides that are actually affordable. The kids just love the roller coaster and other activities, and the adults love that the lines are shorter, their atmosphere is friendlier, and the prices are much more reasonable than Six Flags. They also have a wildlife area if you need some downtime.
http://greenbaywi.gov/baybeach/

Lambeau is a can’t miss. Not only is it a historic stadium, the Packers hall of fame has ton of team history on display.

If you have little ones who love trains, check out the railroad museum in Green Bay, too. http://www.nationalrrmuseum.org/

7

Most of the Wisconsin State Parks are worth visiting - Peninsula in Door County is very nice but hard to get a campsite (and can be crowded). There is a bunch of Nature Conservancy land in DC as well.

High Cliff on the lake Winnebago north shore is nice for a hike (never camped there since I lived nearby) - When I was growing up algae in the lake made swimming suboptimal.

If you like planes the EAA museum is a must.

Brian

8

Madelaine Island is wonderful. We used to stay at a B&B with some friends of ours every year. If you like natural beauty, you can’t go far wrong there.

Regards,
Shodan, ainna?

9

That’s my favorite part of the state. The Driftless Zone (pretty much everything south and west of a line between Madison and Eau Claire) was untouched by the glaciers, and so the capstone was free to weather and erode in its own way, creating a huge array of bluffs and valleys abounding with scenic roads. If you’re willing to roam to that area, the kiddies (and you) might be entertained by House on the Rock. Not terribly far from there you’ll find Cave of the Mounds, worth a tour. Bicycling? Check out the Elroy-Sparta bicycle trail, a 32-mile trail between Elroy and Sparta, laid out on an old railroad track bed. Smooth, relatively hill-free, and zero cars, except for the occasional road crossing. Bring lights for the tunnels; they can be very dark in the middle. Devil’s Lake State Park has a nice bluff-top hike on the west side of the lake; after walking one way you can walk back the way you came, or come back along a trial next to the lakeshore. About 3 miles round trip, with a good bit of uphill trail to get up onto the bluff.

If you’re going as far as the Driftless Zone, then Madison is along the way. Enjoy a walk up/down State Street, maybe tour the capitol building. The Vilas Zoo offers free admission. Grab a beer/soda and take in some live music at The Terrace, a lakeshore beer garden operated by the University of Wisconsin.

Not far from Green Bay you can find Doc’s Classic Car and Cycle Museum. I haven’t been there yet, but it’s on my to-do-list.

For amusing crap all over the state (hell, all over the country), I’m a huge fan of Roadside America. Look it up before you go, and find fun/funny stuff for the whole family to gawk at. Museums, funny statues, folk art, and so on.

The Badger Ferry is a giant antique coal-fired steamship that takes four hours to cross between Ludington and Manitowoc. If it suits your speed/taste/budget/location, then that’s a fine thing. For a modern high-speed alternative, you might consider the Lake Express. This is more expensive, but it takes you from Muskegon to Milwaukee in about two and a half hours.

10

The drive down the Mississippi River south of Minneapolis on Wisconsin 35 is scenic, with some nice little towns. I recall a killer pie shop in Stockholm, WI on that road, and a 5-star restaurant in the town of Pepin.

11

Start your polka lessons now, because 2016 is the next Cheese Days in Monroe!

12

I’m told, though I haven’t seen it, that there’s a WWII submarine docked in Manitowoc that offers tours. I understand they built them there and sent them out to sea via the Mississippi.

There’s the Oshkosh EAA Museum if you’re an aircraft fan. I thonk that’s an hour or so drive from Manitowoc. If you come at the right time you can go to the EAA Airshow, which last I heard is the largest in the world for private aircraft (but there’s tons of military aircraft too).

Coming down more toward Madison? In Spring Green there Taliessen(sp?), Frank Lloyd Wright’s showplace home.

Milwaukee has an outstanding art museum. I’ve worked at the Smithsonian and the National Gallery of Art, so I have some great ones to compare it against.

Maybe you can tell us some more about your interests so we can offer more specific ideas. For instance, there’s a number of breweries and wineries to visit, farms where you can go and pick your own produce (on Saturdays in the summer, the largest farmers market in the US sets up around the state capitol).

13

Don’t forget the Mustard Museum in Middleton!

14

Whoops, forgot about that. Also, Concerts On The Square, in which the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra plays classical music, outdoors on the Capitol square grounds, for free. Bring a blanket and a picnic basket full of wine and cheese if you’re so inclined.

15

In Osseo there’s the Norski Nook, famous world-wide (so they tell me) for their pies. I drove a 250 mile round trip just to try one of their pies, and IMO it was worth it.

16

And in Sheboygan county, there’s also Holland Festival the end of July. Enjoy Klompen dansers in their wooden shoes, eat woorstenbroodjes and oliebolen and have a nice big bowl of snert. Explore predestination the Dutch Calvinist way, and see how it incorporates that most Dutch flower, the TULIP.

:wink:

17

As mentioned upthread, you shouldn’t miss Door County. It will be crowded with summer tourists but it is beautiful. The town of Fish Creek is very dear to my heart since that’s where my husband and I got engaged. It is also the home of the White Gull Inn, which has the best breakfast and coffee cake I’ve ever had in my life, hands down. Their fish boils are quite famous too.

18

Have to mention I worked at the WGI for three summers. (dishwasher for 2, prep cook for the third) My brother was Kitchen Manager before and after, he claims he came up with the Good Morning America best breakfast cherry stuffed French toast (I did work with the chef GMA interviewed)

Brian

19

Wow, a lot of great suggestions so far!

Several mentions of Door County, which I see is the peninsula forming Green Bay. That sounds like a must see. I love peninsulas in general.

Love the museum suggestions. The history museum in Appleton, the railroad museum in Green Bay and the art museum in Milwaukee especially. A couple other places, like the Fishing Hall of Fame and the lumberjack shows, sound good but might be a little too far west to manage.

Qadgop, thanks for the Sheboygan recs. The Kohler Arts and Design centers, bratwurst and fishing all sound great. And as for the Gibbsville and/or Beechwood cheese factories, well, there will be cheese.

Machine Elf, thank you for all your great info. The driftless zone area sounds very intriguing-- I love geological formations and info like that. Might make it worth the trip farther west. And I appreciate the Lake Express tip! Since that takes off from Muskegon, I’m thinking about taking that to WI, doing some sort of a loop and catching the Badger ferry back.

Boyo Jim, you asked to know more about our interests. As mentioned, museums, history, natural stuff. We have 9 and 12 year old boys, so it needs to be stuff they will tolerate. That means grown-up stuff that takes several hours is out, like golf. Good food, with local wines and microbrews? Oh yeah (as long as they have a kids menu). :rolleyes:

I want to get a nice balance between city/museum and natural sights, so what would you guys recommend as the best, most scenic state park in Wisconsin to visit? We’ll probably have time to properly visit only one or two. Very subjective, I know-- I’d have a tough decision recommending the best Michigan state park.

Might have to make this a two-week trip just to get it all in! :slight_smile:

20

To keep the young uns entertained in the car, read 'em “Wisconsin Death Trip.”
Born in grand ol badger state.