Brenda Novak challenged me (okay and everyone in her book group) to become a tourist in our own town as part of her Tourist Season book launch. Not that I need any motivation to go exploring, I was all about this challenge.
So Brenda, this road trip through the Fox Valley and beyond is for you.. with the help of a friend or two. For this adventure, let's assume you are flying into Milwaukee or driving from Chicago. If you are fly directly into ATW, you will miss some wonderful things that Wisconsin is known for -- Cheese and Brats.
Day 1
As you leave Milwaukee, you will want to stop for Frozen Custard at Kopps. In my opinion, Kopps is better than Leon's but not everyone agrees. I feel Kopps is better because you can get burgers the size of your head and the dishes of custard comes with an amazing wafer cookie. They feature vanilla, Swiss chocolate, and 2 flavors of the day every day.
After getting your fill of custard, head north. For a stretch break stop in my hometown of Port Washington where you can do a little shopping downtown and enjoy the harbor. Drive up to Upper Lake Park for a gorgeous view of Lake Michigan. On clear days you can see all the way to Milwaukee. We love to drive up here and take in the views. Growing up we would watch the coal boats dock and unload the coal at the power plant. There are plenty of great lunch spots such as Dockside Deli or the Patio.
Back on the road, head just a little farther north to Fredonia for your first taste of Wisconsin cheese. Known for their fresh daily string cheese, a stop at Cedar Valley Cheese has a become one of our favorite stops when heading back home. Their string cheese is a fat as a quarter and the stringiest string cheese I've ever seen. They also have cheese curds, blocks of cheese, and an ice cream parlor in the back. It is just one of the many places to stock up on fresh Wisconsin cheese.
Continuing north on Hwy 57, which used to be the way from Milwaukee to Green Bay before the interstate, your next stop will be another iconic Wisconsin food. It is time to get your first brat fix in Johnsonville. Here you can buy fresh Johnsonville Sausages and brats along with all other Johnsonville merchandise you ever would like including your very own racing sausages. There are many local meat shops that sell brats such as Miesfield's in Sheboygan and Haens in Kaukauna and I would highly recommend checking any of them out too if time allows.
You can't leave Wisconsin without stopping for fresh cheese curds. Since Lynn Dairy, our favorite spot, is a little far off the beaten path for this road trip, you will need to stop at Henning Cheese in Kiel. They have fresh cheese curds daily along with a small museum. Of course it has a wide variety of cheese to pick up as well. You know they are fresh when they squeak.
Before making it to Appleton for the night, you'll need another stretch break and some exercise after all that cheese. Stop at High Cliff State Park in Sherwood. Wisconsin has many wonderful state parks but this one is almost in my backyard. Being part of the Niagara Escarpment, you find the park overlooks Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin's largest inland lake. It has several overlooks and trails can be as flat or as hilly as you want them to be. I like the Lime Kiln Trail as it is flat, walks along the lake, and you might even see a waterfall. You can also take the trail up cliff to the upper trails from here as well.
After checking into your hotel for the night, it is time to grab some pizza at Cranky Pat's Pizzeria in Neenah. This is our favorite pizza spot but you can't go wrong with any of the pizza places in the area. It is cracker thin thin crust pizza that has been here since the 1950s. Pat's special includes piles of fresh mushrooms that comes out of the oven steaming hot you can see the steam from another table. They do feature live music on some weekends and there is usually an hour wait on Saturday nights for a table. I guarantee you will come out smelly like Cranky's when you are done.
For dessert, if you have room, drive down the street to the Dairy Queen. You may ask of all the places, you can go I'm sending you to a Dairy Queen? That's because they are the only Dairy Queen that sells popcorn and Archie's Popcorn at that. It is buttery deliciousness. Their blizzards are the best that I've had probably because the mix comes from up the street. I've joked there is a pipeline that runs from Galloway Company straight to Dairy Queen.
Take your popcorn (and some extra napkins) and go sit down at Kimberly Point Park overlooking Lake Winnebago. Enjoy your popcorn as you watch the sunset, the boats on the water, and the fisherman. It is a perfect way to close the end of a busy day.
Day 2
Before starting your day exploring the Fox Valley, you'll need some breakfast. We have many coffee shops around but today I would recommend Sweet Lair. It is a game board cafe so while you are enjoying your coffee and baked good, you can play a quick board game to wake up your brain.
You are headed south to Oshkosh for the morning. Your first stop is the Paine Art Center and Gardens. They have wonderful exhibits. Every Christmas they do Nutcracker at the Castle which is just delightful. The gardens outside are gorgeous in summer.
Then head up the street to Oak's Candy where you can grab yourself some old fashion hand dipped chocolates and lightly salted nuts. This is our favorite candy shop for getting candy for holidays. I prefer the dark caramels while the hubby's favorite is the coconut clusters.
After a quick lunch at Caramel Cafe downtown Oshkosh, it is time to head back to Fox Valley and check out some more museums. We have several museums worth checking out that it will be tough to just pick one or two.
- Bergstrom-Mahler Glass Museum in Neenah has one of the largest paperweight collections which is primarily on the second floor. The first floor is dedicated to changing exhibits which are primarily sculptures. It is always fun to see what they have going on. They also do themed quarterly Art of Dark where you can explore the museum after hours, enjoy food and drink, and other entertainment. My favorite is Festivus Celebration.
- Paper Discovery Center in Appleton is where you can learn the history of papermaking in the Fox Valley. We aren't called the Paper Valley for nothing. You can also try your hand at making paper.
- Hearthstone House is the first house powered by hydroelectricity in the US. Water powered turned the lights on in this house back in 1882. It is timeless wonder.
- History Museum at the Castle is Appleton's History Museum. The first floor features various exhibits including sometimes traveling exhibits. The second floor is home to the Harry Houdini exhibits as Harry Houdini called Appleton home. You can see if you can perform many of his tricks and illusions. During the summer months, the History Museum will also do walking tours around Appleton once a month.
- Trout Museum of Art usually has a fun exhibit going on. I like when they have animation such a Dr. Seuss, Bart Simpson, or Roger Rabbit. This is more my style of art.
After Museum hopping, if you are still have time and energy, head back to Neenah to explore their charming downtown.
- You will find Umbrella Alley here along with several fun boutiques and stores to shop in including Lyons Books.
- For a pick me up stop by Bona Fida Juicery and get a peanut butter ball. I heard they are fabulous.
- If the plaza is open, you can grab a cup of coffee, go roller skating, or maybe even play pickle ball. You may even catch a Sunday Morning Concert.
- You will also have to find the musical chimes and try your feet at making music.
In case you need some more exercise you have several options depending on what you feeling up.
- You can pick up the Loop the Lake trail by the musical chimes. This is a 3.5 mile walking trail that connects three different cities and crosses Lake Buttes de Morts. There are plenty of benches to rest on at plus a playground that may or may not have some awesome metal slidesmetal slides to go down. It was roped off in February when I last did the whole loop.
- There is the Helen Kimberly Stuart Trail in Kimberly Point Park which tells the history of the area and is along the shores of Lake Winnebago. You can see the Kimberly Point Lighthouse in case you didn't notice last night.
- For some nature, stop at Heckrodt Wetland Reserve. There are several trails of varying lengths through the wetlands. You never know what you will see. I've seen families of deer, a random snake or two, and even a racoon picking it's head out of a tree. During October they make a spooky trail which is great in the day time and you don't have to worry about tickets.
- For a bit more of a challenging walk, do the Fox Trot Trail in Appleton. It has hills. I hate hills but it is a 2+ mile walk through the Appleton that gives you some history and is quite enjoyable. All you have to do is follow the blue fox prints on the sidewalk.
Before dinner, head into Menasha to sample the third thing Wisconsin is famous for and that is beer. Okay so that's probably Number 1 or Number 2 behind the Packers. Have a beer at
Bare Bones Brewery. It is a great place to relax before dinner. You can also check out Lion's Tail Brewing in Neenah, Fox River Brewing in Appleton, Stone Arch Brewpub, or
Timber Tap Brewery in Kimberly.
For dinner, there is only one choice. You must partake in another Wisconsin classic, the Supper Club. A supper club usually serves steak and fish. There is usually some sort of salad bar and/or relish tray. A Brandy Old Fashion is usually the drink of choice. Some places do not take reservations and you place your order while waiting for a table. I would suggest Red Ox in Appleton with it's huge menu or Black Otter in Hortonville. Both are favorites of ours.
- At Red Ox you can have haddock 14 different ways. If you can't chose, you can select three for a combo meal. The hubby loves they stuffed haddock. I stick with steak.
- At Black Otter, they are famous for their prime rib. The smallest is the queen cut and it's 32 oz. You can try the extreme cut at 160 oz. If you finish it you get a $20 gift certificate, your picture on the wall, and a t-shirt. The hubby has only managed to the finish the queen. He has tried the king cut (72 oz) and he needed a doggie bag.
However, if you are in town on a Friday night, then you must partake in another Wisconsin Tradition. the fish fry. Most area bars and restaurants will have a special Friday Fish Fry Menu. During Lent many area Catholic churches will offer a fish fry as well. Most fish fries are severed with your choice of potato, Cole Slaw, and rye bread.
- For take out we prefer Lake Park Pub down the road. They have been voted the best Fish Fry several years running. The portions are huge and it is always hot.
- We like to go to The Grog after a game on Friday nights with friends for fish. It is good and their steak sandwich is also very good if you're not in the mood for fish.
In case you are still hungry after dinner, there are several options to chose from downtown Appleton. We definitely like our sweets.
- Legendairy Cookies 'N Creamery is a gourmet build your own frozen custard shop. It would be my pick just because there are so many different combinations you can choose.
- Doughlicious is a edible cookie dough shop that also has ice cream. Their cookie dough is very good.
- Crazy Sweet is a candy store that has taffy, chocolate covered gummy bears, and ice cream. Their ice cream is Cedar Crest which is made in Cedarburg, WI.
In the morning before you leave, I would grab your morning coffee at
Copper Rock Coffee. They have a good selection of drinks and breakfast foods. I prefer their Raspberry Vanilla Chai Latte.
Now if you have another day or two to spare, I have several other places worth checking out.
- Twig's Soda in Shawano. It is home to the Sundrop Museum. We love Twigs soda and we drive up here special just to buy it. It's cheaper than buying it in the grocery store and we can see what seasonal flavors there are. I like the Black Cherry, Lime, and Peach Cobbler.
- Hamburger Museum in Seymour. Seymour is the home of the hamburger. They have a small museum dedicated to it plus a Burger Fest every August.
- Take a drive and play what's down this road. You never know what you may find like this old one room school house built in 1887 that is now a museum. Wisconsin country side especially in this area is beautiful with lakes, rivers, and forests. You have rustic roads and county highways with very little traffic.
- Head up to Door County and enjoy a slower pace of life, some shopping, great hiking, beautiful sunsets, and a classic Door County Fish Boil.
Last but not least, no trip to Wisconsin is complete without a trip to Green Bay to see Lambeau Field. You can visit the pro shop, see the giant Lombardi Trophy, and even take a tour. You do the Lambeau Leap into the statue out front. If there is only one place you go to in Wisconsin, it has to be Lambeau Field.
I hope you can spend some time in Wisconsin and visit some of my favorite places. There are many more that I did not get to including wonderful Door County in the last two months due to life getting in the way but wherever you go in Wisconsin you won't be disappointed.
