Wisconsin

Thanks, Lizzie, for this interesting guest post about Wisconsin.

Wisconsin is a beautiful state with lots to see and do. I LOVE Wisconsin--well not in January!

If you'd like to visit our state here are some places we love and perhaps you will too.

Wisconsin boasts many famous people in history--

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Harry Houdini

Golda Meier

Georgia O'Keefe

Frank Lloyd Wright

Liberace

General Douglas MacArthur

If you'd like to visit places related to some of these famous people start here:

Appleton~ The History Museum at the Castle~Houdini exhibit (and more)

Pepin~Location of the Ingalls family during Little House in the Big Woods~

Spring Green~Talesin-A Frank Lloyd Wright home

Milwaukee~Georgia O'Keefe art at Milwaukee Art Museum

Do you like camping?

We visited this state park last year and fell in love with it. State park camping is very affordable. This park has shower and bathroom facilities. You can hike, enjoy quiet, and visit the beach at Lake Michigan. Harrington Beach State Park.

We've also camped at Jellystone in Caledonia and liked it as well--totally different than camping at the state park though.

Wisconsin boasts many state parks and places to camp. We've just only visited these two.

Things you should eat while in Wisconsin~

Bratwurst sausages~you may find them at a casual restaurant or at the grocery store -- grill your own.

Cheese curds~cheese curds are fresh cheese before it's pushed into molds and aged. You can find them at lots of places--most grocery stores, gas stations, and tourist attractions will have cheese curds somewhere! You can eat them fresh (they squeak when you bite them--REALLY!) or deep fried from a restaurant. Either way they are yummy. (click the link to see a short video where you can see what they look like and what people think of them.)

Cream Puffs at the State Fair~in Milwaukee in August.



Kringle--MMMMM..see how this bakery describes this Danish treat.

Some neat restaurants you may want to visit.

The Safe House in Milwaukee. It's a spy themed restaurant. Lee took me there ages ago when we were first married. When you walk in you don't see the entrance. You have to tap around and figure out how to get in. Of course you're on a monitor and the people already inside the restaurant are watching you and laughing at you as you try to find the secret door. They serve all kinds of different hamburgers (there is a bar inside though...)

Mader's German Restaurant in Milwaukee. My friend and I ate here when we went to a Women's conference. Yummy!

Ella's Deli in Madison--a fun place. We tried deep fried pickles for the first time at Ella's. Our verdict? They're not as bad as they sound.

Ardy & Ed's Drive In in Oshkosh--car hops on roller skates bring you icy cold homemade rootbeer!!

Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant in Sister Bay (Door County) Lee and I went there on our anniversary get away last summer. Yes, they really do have goats on the grass roof.



Wisconsin features many interesting city names. We used to howl at my Grandma because she lived in the Southwest where cities have Indian names with Spanish influence. Here they are Indian names with a French influence.

Here's a really funny video from the Super Bowl a couple years ago~Texans trying to pronounce Wisconsin city names.

Some of our favorite places to visit in Wisconsin~

Bay Beach~This amusement park in Green Bay is located on the bay of Green Bay--leading to Lake Michigan. The tickets cost .25! Most rides are 1 or 2 tickets--the most expensive ticket is the old fashioned wooden roller coaster and that is $1.00. Even the concessions are cheap. We can spend the day at Bay Beach doing all we want to do and spend very little money. You can even pack a picnic lunch and eat at their picnic tables! If you don't want to do that they have a little cafe.



Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame & Lambeau Field--We happen to love our Green Bay Packers around here. But even if you don't love our boys (GASP!), there's a lot of history here and fun for the whole family. A visit to Lambeau or the Packers Hall of Fame is a fun time for the whole family.

Heritage Hill~in Green Bay is a living history museum.



Door County~Here is how I described Door County in our anniversary post--

It’s the part of Wisconsin that sticks out into Lake Michigan and it’s lovely! It has little towns and tons of shops and lots of water. One neat thing about the entire area is that there are no chain stores or restaurants–just small locally owned businesses.



Door County is a wonderful couples get away, but there's also plenty of family friendly places there too. It's a charming part of our state! You can see lots of water, light houses, interesting shops & restaurants, festivals, & outdoor activities galore.



Wisconsin Dells~We've taken a couple long weekend trips to Wisconsin Dells. I have to warn you that it is VERY "touristy" and many of the attractions really aren't worth paying for. However, the Dells offer beautiful scenery and tons of water parks. If you want to go, keep an eye open for coupon books to help save a little money.

(scenery in the Dells on our "Ducks" tour)

Madison State Capitol~ If you're in the Madison area, you can find tons of things to do but a stop at the capitol for a free tour is a must. Our capitol is a beautiful building and you can wander around at your leisure or take the guided tour.

EAA~Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh hosts one of the world's largest air shows. If you're in Wisconsin in July, you may want to check it out. If you're here at another time, the museum is great and a has a fun kid friendly area too. If you or your children love planes, this is the place to stop.

Old World Wisconsin~in Spring Green is another huge living history museum. Plan to be here ALL day--there's a lot to see.

Birthplace of The Republican Party~in Ripon. Did you know that the Republican party started in Wisconsin? We finally visited this site last year. You can tour it quickly but make sure to ask the docent questions--they are full of great information.

I could share many more places to visit, but I don't want your eyes to glaze over! If you are planning a trip and want to see other "places to go" check out things to do in Wisconsin.

Lizzie Norris lives and blogs in Wisconsin~visit her at her blog A Dusty Frame.