WISCONSIN THINGS TO DO

Although it is most well-known as America’s Dairyland, you can do many other things in Wisconsin. It is America’s 23rd biggest state. Although Wisconsin Dells and cities like Milwaukee or Green Bay are the most obvious places to think about when you think about this state in the Midwest, I will tell you about ten other great things that I enjoyed doing and seeing.

Top Things to Do in Wisconsin

Houdini teaches magic tricks.

Appleton, Wisconsin, is such an inviting city that Harry Houdini adopted the place as his own – even though he was born in Budapest, Hungary. Unsurprisingly, Appleton, Wisconsin, honored Harry Houdini by displaying exhibits about his life and magic tricks.

The History Museum at Castle houses the collection. It is a fascinating, rough-hewn stone building with Norman Revival architecture initially constructed as a Masonic Temple. Appleton’s Houdini Room is interactive. You can create your magic shows. With a bit of magic, I was able to lift a table.

DIY Art at the Fire Art Studio

What happens in a DIY studio? Anyone can make their masterpiece at The Fire Art Studio, Appleton, Wisconsin. Before I chose glass fusion from my list (pottery, mosaics, and many more), I had yet to learn what it was.

Glass fusion was a hands-on experience. The owner, Freddie Haas, was there to help me. Freddie was a fantastic teacher. He taught me everything from how to safely cut glass to tips on how to glue the colored bits together into a pattern and cook my work in the super hot kiln. Then he sent it off to me a week later.

Cherry Pit Spit

This one may sound more like a tongue twister than something you can do while on vacation, but it was great fun! The famous Montmorency tart cherry Orchard Country Winery and Market, Fish Creek, was an excellent introduction to Door County’s summer cherry season.

My Morning in the Orchard was a great example of why agritourism is so popular. My morning in the orchard showed me why agritourism is so popular.

Goats on the Roof

Door County has a vibrant cherry industry and a strong Scandinavian heritage. This heritage is celebrated with food and 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 in Sister Bay for the great traditional food and the chance to see the goats enjoying the sod roof. They’ll tell you that the goats don’t graze on top during the day but spend their nights on the ground and winters elsewhere.

Enjoy a traditional fish boil.

When I visit Wisconsin’s Door County, you may have heard of fish boils. I learned a lot about the traditional Scandinavian dish from a local storyteller, Peter Rowley, a curmudgeon who lived in the area in the mid-1800s.

Peter tells stories and gradually adds ingredients to Rowley Bay Resort’sfirst meal sitting. The resort serves two meals per evening. The cast iron pot of water is heated over an open fire. Onions are the first to be added. Peter adds red potatoes and then chunks of white fish.

The best part of the experience is when the oil from the fish boils is gone. Peter does this by pouring kerosene on the fire, not into the pot, and letting the flames consume it. The excess heat causes all the fish oils to boil over, and Peter does a better job than me on the stovetop.

After the entertainment ends, everyone eats dinner together. Rowleys Bay Resort offers a buffet that includes other dishes. What about the fish? It was delicious!

Hike High Cliff Park, and visit the Historic General Store.

Planning an itinerary requires opportunities to exercise and discover local history. High Cliff State Park has both. It is located on Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin, the largest inland lake. However, it was only sometimes a park. It was once a thriving “company village” built around a limestone quarry, which operated from 1895 through 1956.

Cindy Muller, a park naturalist, was the fascinating aspect of my visit. Her grandparents lived in the town. Her guided tour of the brick-built historic general store was a great experience. I enjoyed hearing about the history and artifacts. It was a scenic hike that gave you a moderate workout. There were many views of the limestone cliffs and lake, Indian mounds, the ruins of an old quarry, and the climb up to the 40-foot observation tower.

Meet a Giant Muskie 4.5 stories high.

Although the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum giant Muskie is not from a dinosaur era, it looks like one. It is made of steel, concrete, and fiberglass. However, many other fish statues are more significant than life on the grounds.

The whole complex was impressive. It’s more than I could have imagined seeing in a fishing museum. It has more than 50,000 artifacts for sport fishing, 300 mounted fish, and over 1000+ boat motors.

Kayak to Horseshoe Island

Peninsula State Park on Lake Michigan gave me the perfect opportunity to pretend I was an explorer. A one-mile paddle to Horseshoe Island and a hike onshore on a rustic path allowed me to pretend I was an explorer. Mirei, a friend, and I took our kayaks to Nicolet Beach Rentals. We then set off across the bay.

I had never done river kayaking before, so the vast expanse of water felt like an ocean to my eyes. But I was ready for the challenge. We both agreed it was an excellent way to spend a Wisconsin afternoon.

Roll Logs Like a Lumberjack

Although lumbering can be hard work, it is a skill that Hayward still has. Fred Scheer’s Lumberjack Show was great entertainment, with its hilarious cast of young loggers and fascinating recreation history.

It is always remarkable to me that a sport emerges from an industry. This is especially true when technology has made it possible to preserve generations of skills. Unsurprisingly, Hayward was also home to the Lumberjack World Championships, given Wisconsin’s long history in lumbering.

Log rolling is something you may have inherited from your family. You can join the weekly open log roll to test your skills. It’s about how big I splash when I fall, not how many turns it will make!

Visit a Beer Factory

Beer rolling is another skill returning to popularity in Wisconsin, just like log rolling. Many microbreweries are popping up across the state, but I loved the Appleton Beer Factory.

The Beer Factory is where you can feel right at the heart of the business. A vast beer train of shiny vats is in the beer hall, which hosts the tasting.

Ben and Mairi Fogle own a 20-barrel system that produces seven standard beers, ranging from oatmeal stout to blonde ale. The black ale, a malt roast to almost charcoal, was terrific. I also enjoyed a crock pot of Reuben chowder.