We’re jumping straight into the deep end for this one and starting off talking about cheese! Nothing is as infamous about Wisconsin as cheese, so of course everyone needs to get their cheese on when visiting the state.
Wisconsin Cheese
Obviously, there are so many different places to find cheese, but these are some tried and true options. Whether you want a more classic option like cheddar or something bold and different, you’ll want to sample some cheese from these shops.
Fromagination tops the list because of how quaint it sounds with its rustic feel and patio. You’ll find yourself at home here regardless of how you like to eat cheese. Not only can you buy cheese but they also have the most delicious looking menu! You can get sandwiches and salads that honestly look almost too pretty to eat. They have a variety of cheese both local to Wisconsin and from outside the state. You’ve heard of hiking trails, and wine trails…well, Fromagination is part of the Wisconsin Cheese Trail!
About an hour’s drive away from Fromagination is Cedar Grove Cheese, home to award winning cheese like Muenster and Colby (both of which I’m a fan). In addition, they also have rare cheeses that you can only find here. You bet I want to get my hands on some of those. The other cool part of Cedar Grove Cheese? You can tour the facilities for super cheap and get to see the behind-the-scenes of what it means to make cheese!
Of course, there’s no shortage of places to eat cheese in Wisconsin and no shortages of ways to incorporate it into your trip. Mullins is a retail shop where you can pick up a variety of local, delicious cheese, but also things like cheese curds (fried or squeaky), take and bake pizzas made with their in-house made cheese, and even souvenirs! I’m a sucker for a good souvenir and what better way to find some than to visit a local cheese shop.
As if that wasn’t enough, I definitely want to visit Mars Cheese Castle. Yes, a castle. And a cheese castle, nonetheless. This place looks huge and it offers a variety of services. It appears you can get any type of cheese you might have your heart set on. They also have a restaurant, a pub, and a bakery. It has it all – and its a castle! This is like Wisconsin meets cheese meets kitschy roadside attraction and I’m here for it.
Food (and More Cheese)
In Wisconsin, the line between “food” and “cheese” is very blurry. For example, Fromagination? Serves food. MACS mac and cheese shop? Well, cheese is right there in the name. This is not some run of the mill shop that carries cheddar mac and cheese, gouda mac and cheese, and spicy mac and cheese. No – this place takes imagination to the next level. Looking at their menu, I can’t decide which looks better the mac and cheese or their melts. Either way, thank goodness they have multiple locations because I am not going to miss out on MACS!
There are some foods (other than cheese) that I have to try while I’m in Wisconsin. First up, the kringle. It’s the state pastry of Wisconsin and it looks so tasty. The town of Racine, WI is home to Racine Danish Kringles. Aptly named, the kringle is a Danish pastry that has all of the flakiness and fruit or nut filling you could imagine. I’m not much of a pastry gal, but these look amazing.
After some tasty Danish pastries, I’m going to stop and get myself roesti from Glarner Stube. Maybe you’re like me and none of those words means anything to you – that’s okay! Roesti is a type of pan-fried potato pancake brought to you by the Swiss. Glarner Stube just happens to be this adorable little Swiss restaurant that apparently makes some really delicious roesti.
Of all the things, I think the most important to me is the infamous limburger. Yes, the stinky feet cheese. I think its only appropriate to try the smelliest of cheeses in a place famous for their cheeses, so I am dying to try a limburger sandwich. Apart from what is apparently a horrific smell, the cheese is supposed to be on the mild side and mushroom tasting. Count me in!
The Great Outdoors
There are only four National Park areas in Wisconsin. The one the struck me as the most exciting to visit is Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Apostle Islands themselves are made up of over a dozen different islands in Lake Superior that you must use a boat to access. You can do so via kayaking or by boat or ferry. Both the mainland lakeshore and the islands are worthy of exploring. The sea caves are probably the biggest attraction personally, but each island has its own unique set of things to see. Some have places to hike, you can camp on others, and many have their own lighthouses to explore!
Wisconsin has an abundance of things to do in nature, regardless of how few National Park sites it has. So far, its one of the most waterfall-dense states I’ve researched. Most of the time, I have to specifically look for waterfalls to explore, but not here. Wisconsin just offered them right up. Big Manitou Falls and Potato River falls were a couple that stood out to me with their impressive looks. Marinette County offers a waterfalls tour, which is something I’ve never even heard of before, but it sounds spectacular.
The Sparta Trail is a 32.5 mile trail that was formerly a railway. It offers walking and biking and is apparently an extremely popular trail in the US. I’ve never heard of it, but it has three tunnels and has 5 towns along its route. There’s zero chance I’ll hike the entire length of the trail, but I’m going to check out one of those tunnels at the very least.
Of a similar vein, Great River Road is apparently a gorgeous road with lots of beautiful scenery and recreation. It travels along the Mississippi River through 10 states over 3000 miles. Wisconsin is one of those states and it sounds like it will make for a gorgeous and pleasant drive.
Paranormal Attractions
I could write about Wisconsin’s paranormal side just as much as their cheese side, it seems. There’s a laundry list of places that I want to hunt spookies, so check out the list above because we’ll be here forever if I write about each one.
The Museum of Historic Torture Devices is perhaps less ‘haunted’ and more ‘haunting’ but I think it deserves its place among the paranormal attractions. Hopefully more history focused than your local renaissance festival, I’m excited to see what they have on display. Torture devices have a lot of myth, lore, and make-believe surrounding them, so it will be really cool to see how they address those things. The website is really simple and does offer up much more information, but I’m sure it will be fun to tour.
Also located in Wisconsin Dells is the Ghost Boat tours. This takes you on a night time boat ride into Cold Water Canyon, which is supposedly haunted. Given the “haunted house” vibes being sold on travel websites, I’m not quite sure what to expect. I tried finding any reports of a hauntings or paranormal occurrences in Cold Water Canyon and the only thing I could find is information about the ghost boat. Regardless of its authenticity, being in the confines of a canyon at night with only the moon and the stars to light the way can be pretty spooky, especially on the water.
I always enjoy a good cemetery, haunted or otherwise, so I wanted to include Lawrence Cemetery as a spooky place to visit. For most people, cemeteries are quickly branded as haunted, so when I come across haunted cemeteries while researching, I dismiss them very easily. Generally, I don’t find graveyards scary, so if I’m going to be visiting one for the sake of finding ghosts, it needs to be the creme de le creme of haunted cemeteries.
Lawrence Cemetery stood out to me because of the physical and quite odd nature of the claims. Orbs, lights, and fog are among common claims. Being a person with very sound and logical thought, if I was to witness one of these, it would be so much easier to figure the cause. Granted, I’ve never been witness to paranormal activity like this, so that in itself is excited. The other claims? Growling. Pretty nifty if you ask me.
Oddities and Roadside Attractions
There’s a big push to get away from tourist attractions, but I think that roadside attractions are well worth the detours. It gets us out of this mindset that travel should be serious and allows us to let free and have some fun. The midwest is great for these kinds of attractions, Wisconsin included.
First up, I’m going to start with a cryptozoological creature – the Northwoods Hodag. It’s a giant green buddy that has apparently roamed the Wisconsin Northwoods for over a centaury. In Rhinelander, WI the Chamber of Commerce has its very own statue of the Hodag. I doubt I’ll see this friend in person, but I’ll at least check out the statue.
As random as the Hodag seems, Troll Town, USA is even more random. But it looks so fun! Embracing its Norwegian heritage, you can find trolls spread throughout the main streets and the surrounding area. It’s referred to as the “Trollway” and even has a map to help you locate each of them.
Roadside attractions always seem to include very large animals, and in Wisconsin you’ll find Pinkie the elephant, the worlds largest fish, and several others. There’s an enormous loon that talks and a scrap metal sculpture. I hope to be able to see (and get a picture with) as many as I can.
Last, but not least, is the House on the Rock. It is “simply” a house…on a rock! The house also has really cool architecture, including what is dubbed the “Infinity Room” which juts out from the rock its perched on much further than you would expect – and completely unsupported. It also hosts several attractions that look really cool, themselves. Right now, the website lists a carousel, Japanese Gardens, and a Heritage of the Sea exhibit.
There’s so many more things to see in Wisconsin. I know the Midwest may not be for everyone, but as far as Midwestern states go, Wisconsin seems to have more than its fair share of beautiful scenery and fun things to do. What did I miss that you think I should absolutely make a point to visit? Are you daring enough to try limburger? Comment down below!
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