5 Reasons to Add Wisconsin to Your Destination Bucket List

Wisconsin might not be at the top of your bucket list, but it should be! We have family there so we visit whenever we can, but I’d go back even if none of them lived there anymore!

I had no idea that the Midwest held so many hidden treasures, but I was in awe after seeing all it has to offer. We saw so many amazing places during our time there. Here is a list of my top 5 destinations in Wisconsin you HAVE to visit!

Eau Claire Dells

Did you know that Wisconsin is full of dells? Do you know what a Dell is? (I didn’t before I went…oops!) Dells are these beautiful valleys usually with a river or lake and they are surrounded by a bunch of trees. The one we visited was in Eau Claire. It was nothing short of breathtaking.

As soon as Tyrell and I got there, we ran straight across the bridge and began to climb all over the rocks and down in the valley. We were like children on Christmas morning!

After we had explored down by the river we walked through the woods with his grandparents. They took us to these stairs in the forest where they hold weddings and other ceremonies. It was beautiful.

There were picnic spots set up all along the path and the hiking was phenomenal. Next time we visit I would love to spend more time there. And if it is warm enough maybe even stay in the camp grounds!

There is also the Wisconsin Dells which are even larger! Although we didn’t get to see them I can only imagine they are amazing after seeing Eau Claire.

Fall Ski Lift

If there is one thing you need to know about Wisconsin its that it is full of trees. Growing up in Idaho I mostly only saw evergreens. When I got to Wisconsin and saw all of the Birches, Elms, Locusts, Oaks, Willows, and  more — I was in awe. Lucky for us we got there at the perfect time to see the leaves change colors right before they fell off the trees.

There is a ski life going up Rib Mountain. For two weekends during the fall they open up the lift for people to ride up and look over the entire city and see all of the colorful leaves on the trees. This was something that I did with just me and Tyrell’s grandma. I was so thrilled to be able to take her on this adventure with me!

Grandma had never even been on a ski lift so she thought it was the coolest thing! As you’re going up you begin to see everything that is on the mountain. Once at the top you can either get off or just ride it back down. Of course I begged her to get off and hike a little bit with me.

We made our way up to the lookout that extends off the mountain. From there you can truly see everything. There was another platform that was a three story wooden structure that was built just for sightseeing. Best. View. Ever!

After making our way to all of the sightseeing points that Grandma could get to, we decided it was time to head back down. The ride down was probably my favorite part because you were going towards the city and could see EVERYTHING! If you ever go to Wisconsin I would absolutely recommend going the end of September / beginning of October just to see the leaves turn.

Walls of Wittenberg

Wittenberg is a very small town in Wisconsin with just over a thousand people living there. The town did something awesome in order to get tourists to stop off the freeway as they passed by. Each major building in the town; police station, school, veterinarian, etc. all have these amazing murals painted on their walls that kind of describes what they building is about!

It is something truly unique to this little town. Whoever thought of this was a genius. It is beautiful. People come from miles around just to see it! You can learn so much about the history of Wisconsin just by learning about each wall. This is something I recommend even if you’re just passing through!

Packer’s Hall of Fame

Okay, now we are getting to the good stuff. I am a huge sports fan. I mostly watch college sports, but I will never pass up the opportunity to visit a pro stadium! This was by far one of the coolest hall of fames I have been to.

We started our visit with an hour long tour before going in to the hall of fame. On the tour we got to see the entire stadium! We stood under the scoreboard, walked through the team tunnel, and stood on the field. We also learned a lot of history about the Green Bay, Packers!

After our tour we went into hall of fame and just walked around. We saw all the trophies, rings, old uniforms, player dedications, and learned everything we could about Curly Lambeau and Vince Lombardi.

I learned so much about the team, stadium, and even the city of Green Bay. I won’t spoil it all for you, but I will say that this tour was well worth it! This is a MUST do if you are in the Green Bay area!

House on the Rock

Hands down my favorite thing that we did while on this trip was visit the House on the Rock. I had no clue a place like this even existed. It is truly a one of a kind attraction. I don’t think that any amount of words or pictures could prepare you for the awesomeness that is found here, but I’m going to try my best to tell you what to expect.

House on the Rock is this huge house that has been built in, around, and under these rocks. Alex Jordan began building this house in 1945 and he eventually sold it to some friends whom have continued to build on to it today. The amazing thing isn’t the house itself, but everything inside of it! I mean the house is amazing too, though!

Jordan was a builder and collector. The house is full of collections of… pretty much everything. Some he gathered from around the world and others he built himself. And when I say everything I mean everything.

There are cars, doll houses, masks, ships in bottles, news paper clippings, guns and swords, musical instruments, and so much more! My favorite thing (and the main attraction) is this carrousel that has hundreds of carrousel animals from all around the world and hundreds of chandeliers hanging from all around.

This is really a unique place, and I would recommend making a trip to Wisconsin just to see this attraction. There is history, fun, and different cultures from around the world all combined into this house that will just blow your mind!

Final Thoughts

Wisconsin isn’t just cheese and beer. It might not be the beaches in Aruba, but it deserves to be added to anyone’s bucket list!

It is a beautiful landscape unlike anything that I have seen anywhere else. There is so much to be seen and even more to do.

And if you want to hear about some of the other things we did just send me an email and I’ll give you more information!  I’d also love to hear from if you’ve been to these places as well or if you know of some other neat adventures to go on the next time we visit Wisconsin!

Always adventure,