Like all who are young at heart, my kids and I love traveling in Wisconsin.
Not only is it beautiful, but it also tends to produce people who remember how much fun it was to be a kid – Laura Ingalls Wilder and Caddie Woodlawn, whose adventures were recounted in famous children’s books; the Ringling brothers, whose fledgling spectacles in Barbae grew into the world’s biggest circus; and Tommy Bartlett, whose water-ski thrill show helped turn the Wisconsin Dells into Kid Central. Thanks to them, it’s really fun to be a kid in Wisconsin.
When they were younger, my children were thrilled by the Big Top Circus, the water parks in the Dells, the vintage-train rides out of Osceola.
When they grew older, they began to appreciate the theaters and shops of Door County, the counterculture atmosphere of Madison’s State Street, baseball games under the retractable roof of Milwaukee’s Miller Park.
But their favorite spots weren’t always the biggest or best-known attractions. They loved picking blueberries in the bluffs near Laura’s birthplace and playing with puppies on Amish farms in Vernon County.
They loved any beach on Lake Superior or Lake Michigan, especially if it had rocks on which they could climb.
Not all kids like the same things, of course. Still, it’s a good bet that any of them can have a good time in the Badger State. After all, said John Ringling, one thing we never lose is “the universal instinct to be young again.” Below are some of Wisconsin’s greatest destinations, for young and old.
Baraboo
Who doesn’t like a circus? Along the Baraboo River at the Ringlings’ old winter quarters, Circus World Museum includes an authentic Big Top Circus that has all the classics – trapeze artists, clown skits, unicycle acts – and a new Tiger Adventure that shows how an animal behaviorist trains a troupe of tigers. Kids can ride elephants and camels, and twice a day they can star in their own KidsWorld Circus. Be sure to spend the entire day; plan your visit by calling 866-693-1500; www.circusworldmuseum.com.
Door county
This peninsula in Lake Michigan has fine restaurants, shops, B&Bs, music festivals and outdoor theaters, so many people think of it as an adult getaway. But it’s lined by sand beaches on which little kids can spend hours, and older kids will find lots of chances to bicycle, sail, swim and explore – and there’s even a drive-in theater. Call 800-527-3529; doorcounty.com.
Green Bay
Once, many towns had places like Bay Beach Amusement Park; now, Green Bay’s city-
owned park is a rare treasure. It’s peaceful, wholesome and scenic, and rides are a bargain – 50 cents for the Ferris wheel, Scrambler, Tilt-a-Whirl and Yo-Yo and only 25 cents to go down a giant slide. On many Mondays and Wednesdays, there are Teen Nights for high school kids, featuring free rides and a live radio broadcast. It’s on the Lake Michigan shore; get off Interstate 43 at Webster Avenue and head north. Call 920-448-3365; green-bay.org.
Of course, there’s one other little attraction in Green Bay. Little Packers fans can tread the hallowed grounds of Lambeau Field and absorb nuggets of Vince Lombardi’s wisdom – “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing” – at the 25,000-square-foot Packers Hall of Fame.
Call 1-888-442-7225; packer.com; for city information, 1-888-867-3342; packercountry.com.
Hayward
It’s known for big fish, big lakes – and big men swinging axes and chain saws.
Hayward still is a lumber town, and muscle-bound jacks and jills perform six days a week in the summer, entertaining visitors with speed climbing, logrolling, log jousting and ax throwing at the Lumberjack Bowl. On July 29 and 30, see the best of the best compete in the World Championships, where the lithe and speedy Hayward athletes often dominate. Call 715-634-6923; scheerslumberjackshow.com; 800-724-2992; haywardlakes.com.
Madeline Island
There are no go-karts, water parks or fast-food restaurants on the largest of the Apostles, but children will find some of the region’s more charming pleasures – among them, the annual Fourth of July parade, for which visiting children are invited to make papier-mache puppets at a drop-in workshop; and the annual sand-castle competition at Big Bay State Park, Aug. 20 this year, for which children are asked not only to create sand sculpture but to create “stories” about them as well.
Of course, the beaches on Lake Superior are a big draw, and adventurous teens can explore by kayak or bicycle, perhaps dropping by Tom’s Burned Down Cafe, where “Normal is just a setting on a washing machine.” Call 1-888-475-
3386; madelineisland.com.
Madison
For such a college town, this city is remarkably child-friendly, with a children’s museum, a children’s theater and regular free concerts, storytelling and festivals at the Overture Center for the Arts on State Street. Of course, it’s teens who will most appreciate the iconoclastic pleasures of State Street.
And visit Henry Vilas Zoo anytime, where admission still is free.
The city sends out an Official Kid’s Guide to Greater Madison, and kids who sign up the Kid’s Club will receive a quarterly Funletter.
800-373-6376; visitmadison.com.
Milwaukee
This pint-sized big city is a great place to take children, especially in the summer, when festivals are held every weekend and beaches are open along Lake Michigan, some with rocks for climbing.
Downtown, the Milwaukee Public Museum has been a favorite for generations, with dinosaur exhibits, a butterfly wing and a turn-of-the-century downtown with cobbled lanes. A Hilton with an indoor water park is a block away, and red trolley cars take baseball fans to Miller Park, an old-style ballpark with a retractable roof.
And even kids love watching the Milwaukee Art Museum’s giant “wings” fold and unfold.
For the Brewers’ schedule, call 414-902-4000 or 800-933-
7890; milwaukeebrewers.com. For Hilton rates, call 877-543-7785; paradiselanding.com.
For tourism details, 800-554-1448; milwaukee.org.
Osceola
The golden era of passenger trains is alive and well in the riverside town of Osceola, where passenger trains leave on summer weekends for Dresser and Marine on St. Croix in Minnesota, reached by a swing bridge. Run by volunteers from the Minnesota Transportation Museum, the big locomotives give young people a glimpse at a long-gone era; for an extra treat, book tickets on the pizza train, 715-755-3570; mtmuseum.org.
Pepin
In the 1870s, Pa Ingalls left the family home on the bluff above Pepin – twice. Today, people flock to the lovely area. His daughter Laura also loved the woods and her “little gray house made of logs”; it was the location of her first book, “Little House in the Big Woods.” In the village, the Pepin Historical Museum tells what life was like in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s day, and the log cabin where she was born is re-created in the hills 7 miles above town, on County Road CC. In September, the town holds Laura Ingalls Wilder Days, with a parade, puppet theater and Laura Look-Alike contest, 800-442-
3011; pepinwisconsin.com.
Just up Lake Pepin, in the bluffs above Maiden Rock, children can exercise their hunter-
gatherer instincts at Rush River Produce, where blueberry season began last week and continues with crops of currants, gooseberries and raspberries. It’s 3 miles up County Road A, with a spectacular view of the surrounding valleys, and open Thursdays-Sundays, 715-594-
3648; rushriverproduce.com.
Spooner
A little bit of fantasy comes with a ride along the Namekagon River on the Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad out of Spooner, where passengers sometimes are confronted by Wild West bandits or taken to a hobo camp for a lunch of hobo stew.
The Rawhide Renegades board the train during the Spooner Rodeo, July 7-10, but pizza trains run all season, starting Memorial Day weekend, 715-635-3200; spoonertrainride.com. The train’s junction at Trego, on the Namekagon, also is a popular spot for tubing; rent them from Jack’s, 715-635-3300, jackscanoerental.com, or Log Cabin Resort & Campground, 715-635-2959, both of which provide shuttles.
Spring Valley
The formations of Crystal Cave near Spring Valley will kick a child’s imagination into high gear; it was a boy who discovered it and later explored it with his brother, lowered into the shaft by their parents. Tours are given daily during summer, 800-236-2283; cavern.com/crystalcave/. From Spring Valley, head south to Elmwood on Wisconsin 128, then east on Wisconsin 72 to Downsville. From there it’s only 4 miles south along the Red Cedar River to the Caddie Woodlawn Home and Park, setting for the 1935 children’s classic “Caddie Woodlawn.” Caddie is less known than Laura Ingalls Wilder, but her adventures are much more interesting; during her childhood in the 1860s, she often ran off to gather hazelnuts in the woods, dodge rattlesnakes and ford the river on tiptoe, to visit her Santee Dakota friends. The house and park are open daily.
Vernon County
The ridges and valleys of this picturesque county are a paradise for children. The crooked Kickapoo River is a kick to canoe, the Kickapoo Valley Ranch offers guided horseback tours, and the Elroy-Sparta State Trail is just over the border, famous for its three dark and dank tunnels.
Mostly, Vernon County is a place to explore, on the trails of Wildcat Mountain State Park, in a countryside sprinkled with 12 round barns and at Amish farms, where children are fascinated by the electronics-free
lifestyle of Amish children. Many of the families sell pastries, plants, rugs, furniture and other goods and welcome visitors every day except Sunday; Wisconsin 33 between Ontario and Cashton is an especially good place to look.
Many cabins and cottages are for rent in pretty country locations; call 608-625-6222; visitvernoncounty.com.
White Lake area
The northeast corner of Wisconsin is a bubbling froth of rivers, a mecca for whitewater kayakers. Near White Lake, Wolf River Guides offers a two-day Kid’s Kayaking camp for ages 9 and up, 715-882-3002; wolfriverguides.com, and Bear Paw Outdoor Adventure Resort offers the two-day Whitewater 101 for ages 10 and up, 715-882-3502; bearpawoutdoors.com.
Nearby, many outfitters offer kayaking and rafting day trips on the Wolf, Peshtigo and Menominee rivers; they’re listed at 800-432-8747; travelwisconsin.com.
Wisconsin Dells
It’s big, it’s flashy, it’s practically a Midwestern Las Vegas. But fun is guaranteed, as long as you don’t mind spending some money. The bigger resorts now have indoor as well as outdoor water parks, so weather isn’t a factor, and nearly everybody loves the rides; the Dells now are one of the nation’s most popular sites for family reunions. The newest thing this summer is Mount Olympus Water & Theme Park, which incorporates Family Land and the Bay of Dreams indoor water park and has opened a wooden roller coaster called Hades that takes riders underground.
And there’s much more: the Tommy Bartlett Show, with water skiers, jugglers and various daredevils, plus fireworks; rides on the amphibious Wisconsin Ducks; and Dells Boat Tours, which show tourists the sandstone formations along the Wisconsin River, which made the area famous but have been nearly eclipsed by flashier attractions.
Call 800-223-3557; wisdells.com.
