It may be best known as “America’s Dairyland,” but I’ve discovered lots of additional things to do in Wisconsin, America‘s 23rd largest state! While areas like Wisconsin Dells, and cities like Milwaukee and Green Bay, may be the places that come to mind when you think of this midwestern state, I’m going to tell you about 10 more great things I’ve enjoyed seeing and doing.
Top 10 Things To Do in Wisconsin
1. Learn Magic Tricks from Houdini
Appleton, Wisconsin, is such a welcoming city that Harry Houdini adopted it as his own–even though he was really born in Budapest, Hungary. So, it’s no surprise that the city returned the favor by honoring Houdini with exhibits covering his life and magic tricks.
The collection is housed in the History Museum at the Castle, a fascinating rough-hewn stone building of Norman Revival architecture originally built as a Masonic temple. The best thing about the Appleton’s Houdini room is that it’s interactive, so you can give your own magic shows. Me, I levitated a table (with a little help from magic).
2. DIY Art at the Fire Art Studio
What happens at a DIY studio? Well, anybody can walk in off the street during business hours and create their own masterpiece–with a little help, at The Fire Art Studio in Appleton, Wisconsin. I knew absolutely nothing about glass fusing before selecting it from my list of options (pottery, mosaics, and more options are available).
The glass fusing was a hands-on experience with owner, Freddie Haas, there to guide me. From showing me how to safely use the tools to cut the glass, to tips on gluing the colored bits into a pattern, to “cooking” my work in the super-hot kiln and mailing it to me a week later, Freddie was an awesome teacher.
- Note: The Fire Art Studio is Closed Mondays and is open until 8 every other night but Sunday
3. Cherry Pit Spit
Okay, so this one sounds more like a tongue twister than something you can do on vacation, but it was a lot of fun! Picking the famous Montmorency tart cherries at Orchard Country Winery and Market in Fish Creek was a great introduction to all that Door County has to offer during its summer cherry season.
Equipped with a pail and enthusiasm, my morning in the orchard showed me why agritourism is gaining so much popularity. Then, of course, there was the market visit with all the tastings from salsa to freshly baked cherry pie to the Lautenbach family’s Cherry Blossom wine.And if you’re wondering, nope, I didn’t win the cherry pit spit!
4. Watch Goats on the Roof
Along with a thriving cherry industry, Door County has a strong Scandinavian heritage that’s celebrated with everything from food to summer events, like the Scandinavian Festival weekend on Washington Island or the Fyr Bal Festival in Ephraim.
Visitors flock to Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant and Butik in Sister Bay for its great traditional food–and the opportunity to see their goats grazing on the sod roof of the restaurant. As they’re quick to tell you, the goats just graze up top during the day, but spend their nights on the ground, and their winters elsewhere too.
5. Dine at a Traditional Fish Boil
I don’t know about you, but I’d never heard of a fish boil until I visited Wisconsin’s Door County. There, I learned a lot about this traditional Scandinavian meal–along with the history of Sturgeon Bay–from a local storyteller masquerading as Peter Rowley, a curmudgeon who’d lived in the area in the mid-1800s.
As Peter spins his tales, he gradually adds the ingredients for Rowley Bay Resort’s first dinner sitting (the resort does two per evening). Onions are first into the large cast iron pot of water simmering over the open fire. Peter tosses in red potatoes next, and finally, chunks of white fish.
The real excitement, though, comes when the oils from the boiling fish are burned off. Peter does this by pouring kerosene over the fire–not into the pot–and letting flames engulf it! Within minutes, all the fish oils floating on top of the pot boil over from the excess heat, doing a much better job than I ever have on my kitchen stove!
Then, when the entertainment is done, guests all eat dinner. In addition to the fish boil, Rowleys Bay Resort provides a buffet with additional items on the menu. And the fish? Well, it was surprisingly tasty!
6. Hike High Cliff Park and Visit the Historic General Store
When I plan an itinerary, it has to have opportunities for exercise and discovering local history–High Cliff State Park has both. The park is situated on Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin’s largest inland lake. It wasn’t, however, always a park, but was once a small thriving “company town” built around a limestone quarry that operated from 1895 to 1956.
For me, the fascinating part of my visit was talking to Cindy Muller, the park naturalist whose grandparents had lived in town. I thoroughly enjoyed her guided tour of the historic general store brick building, hearing stories about the original fixtures and artifacts. The hike was scenic and a moderate workout, with lots of views of the limestone cliffs and the lake, the Indian mounds, ruins of the old quarry, and a climb to the top of the 40-foot observation tower.
7. Meet a Giant Muskie 4.5 Stories High
The giant muskie at the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum isn’t from a dinosaur era, but it sure looks like it could be. Made of fiberglass, concrete and steel, it’s a giant that dominates the park–although there are plenty of other larger-than-life fish statues to see on the grounds too.
I found the whole complex impressive, much more than I’d ever anticipated seeing at a fishing museum. In fact, it has over 50,000 sportfishing artifacts, 300 mounted fish, and 1000+ boat motors.
8. Kayak to Horseshoe Island
Peninsula State Park, on Lake Michigan, provided me with the perfect opportunity to pretend I was an explorer with a one-mile paddle out to Horseshoe Island and a one-mile hike along a rustic path onshore. A friend, Mirei, and I picked up our kayaks at Nicolet Beach Rentals, then set out across the bay.
I’d mostly done river kayaking before, so the wide–and deep–expanse of water seemed like an ocean to me, but I was up to the challenge. We both agreed it was a perfect way to spend a Wisconsin afternoon.
9. Roll Logs Like a Lumberjack
Lumbering is hard work–but it’s also a traditional skill that’s alive and well in Hayward. I found Fred Scheer’s Lumberjack Show not only great entertainment with its humorous cast of young lumberjacks, but also a fascinating recreation of history.
It’s always amazing to me when a sport grows out of an industry, especially one that has changed dramatically with technology, creating a way to keep generations of skills still relevant. With Wisconsin’s long history of lumbering, it’s no wonder that Hayward also became home to the Lumberjack World Championships.
If you have log rolling somewhere back in your own family’s genetics, you can always join one of the weekly open log rolls to try your skills. For me, it’s all about the size of the splash I make when I fall, not how many turns the log will make!
10. Visit a Beer Factory
Like log rolling, beer making is another traditional skill that’s making its way back into popularity in Wisconsin. There are numerous microbreweries popping up all over the state, but my favorite was the Appleton Beer Factory.
Visiting the Beer Factory puts you right in the middle of the business, since the huge “beer train” of shiny vats is in the beer hall where the tasting also happens.
The owners, Ben and Mairi Fogle, run a 20 barrel system with seven staple beers ranging from blonde ale to oatmeal stout. I found the black ale, a malt roasted to near charcoal, had an amazing taste with a surprisingly smooth flavor.Besides sampling the beer there, you can also have a meal, and what goes better with beer than pickled eggs with Tabasco (I enjoyed a crock of Reuben chowder too)!
Spend time in Milwaukee
Located on the convergence of three rivers (Milwaukee, Menomonee, Kinnickinnic) and Lake Michigan, Milwaukee is one of the coolest towns to visit in the Midwest. You should spend at least three days exploring Milwaukee. From tracing the steps of Lavern and Shirley to Fonzie and Happy Days, to visiting Breweries, walking the waterfront and checking out the food and art scene, Milwaukee will surprise you. Read: 23 Cool and Unique Things to do in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Harley Davidson
Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Harley Davidson has been around for more than a century and is on every motorcycle lover’s list of dream machines. This museum traces the history of Harley Davidson from its humble beginnings of William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson working on their bikes in a machine shop to becoming one of the most sought-after motorcycles on the planet.
Attend Summerfest
Summerfest is a summer music festival that takes place on 11 stages, over 11 days in Milwaukee. It has been running for the past 53 years and it is the world’s largest music festival. Running since 1968 it has attracted big-name acts like The Foo Fighters, Katy Perry, and Kanye West. Read all about it: Summerfest Milwaukee – The World’s Largest Music Festival
Bayfield Wisconsin
Today we leave Michigan and enter Wisconsin. We awoke early and had a very long drive so we didn’t make a lot of stops other than some scenic lookouts. Wisconsin is gorgeous, so be sure to take your time driving this route to Bayfield. And then give yourself two nights in Bayfield. Bayfield is a picturesque town on the water that one can spend a day or two relaxing in.
Maggies Restaurant Bayfield
We loved our dinner at the funky and retro Maggie’s Restaurant and a stroll through downtown is a must. There was a band playing in the gazebo on the waterfront when we arrived and the bar and restaurant overlooking the harbor was buzzing with people.
Where to Stay in Bayfield
The Bayfield Inn – It offered excellent and friendly accommodation that caters to motorcyclists. We had our own covered parking spot! The staff was courteous and helpful and the rooms were great with superb wifi, and a sensational view of the harbor. This was one of the more urban centres and you can tell that it has catered to motorists, road trippers and tourists for decades.
Apostle Islands
You are nearly halfway through your trip and this is an excellent day to stay put and take part in adventures. The top draw in this area is the Apostle Islands. Take a kayaking trip to the Apostle Islands to explore the sea caves of Lake Superior. The Sea Caves are gorgeous formations that are not to be missed.
There are sailing trips and scuba diving offered as well. But be prepared, Lake Superior is cold, and you will need to dive in a 7mm wetsuit or drysuit. If you want to stay on land, there’s golfing, hiking, shopping and dining.
So as you can see there are a lot of things to do in Wisconsin. It’s filled with cultural experiences, history, adventure and beauty. Wisconsin is certainly worth putting on your next set of travel plans. road trip anyone?
About Linda Aksomitis:
This post was originally written by Linda Aksomitis of Guide2Travel or visit her personal website at Aksomitis.com. It has been updated by The Planet D to make more relevant and up-to-date content.
Find Linda on Twitter at @aksomitis or join her Writing and Publishing on the Web Facebook Community Page at Aksomitis.Classes
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Thanks for such a helpful guide, Apostle Islands wasn’t somewhere I had heard about before, but the scuba-diving sounds very interesting in such cold water!
Just wanted to give my two cents but the Minocqua WI area has so many fun things to do, a person could stay an entire week and still not explore everything. We’ve got a petting zoo, go carts, class-A Musky fishing lakes like Squaw Lake, zip-lining, boating, swimming, kayaking, you name it, we’ve got it! If you need a place to stay, our Birch Trail Resort has great cabins at great rates. Thanks for letting me share!
Astounding! I have not seen that Shark like animal. Is that a Shark? In fact that is better place which I like to visit once.
Great read, thanks for sharing! I happened to be living in Chicago last summer, and drove through Wisconsin on my way up to Minnesota a few times. I always wanted to stop and explore, but never had the right schedule. I would love to make it out there again from LA and take a look around that beautiful landscape!
/ Austin
It was the first time I had ever been there and it was phenomenal! Thanks for the recommendations.
I wanna try the picking of Cherries and Kayaking to Horseshoe Island is the second option I’ll be doing. Wisconsin will be my next vacation target next month.
Thanks for the recommendations. Of course, I wanna try the picking of Cherries. It will be sure a fun and it will be my first time to do it. And after that, Kayaking to Horseshoe Island is the second option I’ll be doing. Wisconsin will be my next vacation target next month.
I think I will do the number 8 when I get there in Wisconsin. Thanks for the tips and awesome itinerary to stroll around the place.
I loved Door County too! I stayed in Sister Bay, which was also beautiful.
I have a huge crush on Wisconsin – as a Chicago native, I actually asked my friends to throw my bachelorette party there! My family and I hit Road America in Elkhart Lake every year for drag races, concerts and brats!
I was just on vacation in Door County last month. It was the first time I had ever been there and it was phenomenal! Stayed in a little community called Idlewild but I think I traveled every road on the little peninsula.