a wisconsin road trip: of apostle islands & cheeseheads

We explored Wisconsin as part of our Great Lakes Road Trip in May-June of 2021. Our explorations included Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Wisconsin is all about scenic Rt. 13, the charming town of Bayfield, the murals of Ashland, lakes, freshwater fishing, boating, sandstone formations, maritime history, dairy cows, cheese & cheese curds, beer, bratwurst and fish boils. It is about walks along the Mississippi and the Milwaukee Rivers and Lake Superior. It is about the University of Wisconsin in Madison, locks and dams, charming villages, grottoes and smoked fish.

We cruised through Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on a cold and blustery day, searched for waterfalls at Copper Falls State Park, climbed inside of a giant sturgeon at the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, stopped for a beer flight at Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. in Chippewa Falls, and paid our respects to veterans at the High Ground on Memorial Day, topped off by an old-fashioned Chinese meal at Shaw Lee in Wisconsin Rapids. We strolled through Witches Gulch and watched a dog jump over an abyss at Stand Rock in Wisconsin Dells. We climbed the steep boulder-strewn trail at Devil’s Lake State Park to the Devil’s Doorway. We enjoyed a Bodega Bowl in the shadow of the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, and wandered around the stunning University of Wisconsin campus. We meandered down State Street and enjoyed dumplings at Chen’s Noodles & Dumplings. We munched on cheese curds and beer at Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee. We wandered through the “Streets of Old Milwaukee” and the European Village and learned about Nelson Mandela at the Milwaukee Public Museum. We glimpsed all-things-beer including Miller Brewing and the Pabst Mansion, then met “the Fonz” on the Riverwalk. We explored the Public Market and the Historic Third Ward. We learned about maritime history in Sturgeon Bay and walked along limestone bedrock fronting Lake Michigan at Cave Point County Park. We witnessed a conflagration and ate whitefish at a fish boil at Pelletier’s in Fish Creek. We soaked up a stunning sunset at Sunset Beach at Fish Creek. And finally, we donned cheeseheads and did the “Lambeau Leap” at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.

Our top ten experiences in Wisconsin were:
10) Green Bay – Lambeau Field
9) Dickeyville Grotto
8) Hayward Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum
7) Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. in Chippewa Falls
6) Wisconsin Dells
5) Devil’s Lake State Park: The Balanced Rock Trail
4) Milwaukee : Milwaukee Public Museum, Riverwalk, the Historic Third Ward & the Milwaukee Public Market
3) Madison: University of Wisconsin, State Street, & the Wisconsin State Capitol
2) Apostle Island National Lakeshore: Apostle Islands Cruises (The Grand Tour)
1) Door County: Maritime Museum in Sturgeon Bay, Fish Creek & Pelletier’s Nightly Fish Boil, & Cave Point County Park

Thanks for watching!