Oh the Places I Went in Summer 2025

Brenda Novak challenged us to another photo contest. Originally I planned on brining my copy of The Summer That Changed Everything with me to Two Rivers in June. Instead I decided to bring it along on any bucket list adventure this summer. I have quite an extensive bucket list. It started with 1000 and morphed into a bucket list, travel guide, to do list. I am just trying to get as many done as possible.

This is where it ended up going this summer. The numbers relate to the number on my bucket list. Click on the link to learn more about each place.

5856. Go to Sisson's Peony Gardens in Rosendale 

5551. Go to the University of Wisconsin Geology Museum in Madison

5544. Go to Dotty Dumpling's Dowry in Madison 

5975. See where Sputnik landed in Manitowoc

5977. Go to Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum in Two Rivers

5976. Go to Rogers Street Fishing Village in Two Rivers

5981. Explore the Washington House in Two Rivers

286. Bike the Old Plank Road Trial near Plymouth

3265. Go to the Minnesota Transportation Museum in St. Paul

305. Go to the EAA Fly In in Oshkosh

Tall Ships in Port Washington -- Okay so this really wasn't a bucket list item per se but I really wanted to see them. 

7608. Have a margarita flight

5979. Go to the Rahr-West Art Museum in Manitowoc

2475. Go to the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend

4233. Go to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton

7156. Ride in a caboose

7249. See a drone light show

5244. Follow the Marigold Mile in Menasha

7470. Drink in a cornfield

5334. Go to Vande Walle’s Candy in Appleton

2286. Go to the Leaning Tower of Niles

2292. Go to the Ernest Hemingway Birthplace Museum in Oak Park

2281. Visit Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park

189. Go to the Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, IL

2284. See Al Capone's Grave in Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside

7458. Go to Rainbow Cone

2301. Go to the Graue Mill & Museum in Oak Brook

2291. Go to the Schaumburg Sculpture Park in Schaumburg

116. Go to Long Grove

2295. Go to the Sock Monkey Museum in Long Grove

If you like my adventures, subscribe so you can read all my adventures and find new places to travel to. 

5246. Follow the Marigold Mile in Menasha

 For years, Appleton has had Marigold Mile along Oneida Street. This year, Menasha is now part of Marigold Mile. I've always wanted to walk Marigold Mile in Appleton so I figured I could also do Menasha.

Marigold Mile started 35 years ago as a charitable organization to beautifying the Fox Cities. They believe everyone should stop and smell the flowers. With the help of the chairman of Marigold Mile, it has expanded from Appleton and now into Menasha. 

Downtown Menasha is blooming with orange and yellow Marigold. They are primarily located on Racine and Main streets. It definitely gives the city a pop of color. 

While downtown Menasha for the Twisted Piston car show, I took time to appreciate a portion of the Marigold Mile. We drive by them all the time but tonight I took time to stop and smell the flowers. I did not get to walk the entire Marigold Mile this time but I at least got to enjoy some of the beauty. 

I love that this organization exists solely for the purpose of providing color to the streets of Appleton and Menasha. It was so relaxing to drive or walk through downtown Menasha and see the beautiful Marigolds. Hopefully it expands to more areas. We can all use a little color in our lives. If you are ever in either city in summer, definitely go check out the Marigolds. 

7252. See a drone light show

More and more communities and other identities want to find an alternative to firework shows probably due to cost and noise. They have been turning to drone shows instead. This intrigues me as I like the bright colors of a firework show but I'm not a huge fan of the noise. My parents tell me on our first trip to Disney World, dad had to hold a screaming me on top of the train station during the fireworks because I didn't like the noise.

When Darboy announced they were doing a drone show instead of a firework show, I figured I could see it from the complex. We could usually see the fireworks from the complex.

Well we could see the part of the drone show. They were not very high and the warehouses blocked our view of some of them. Maybe next year, I may have to try to get closer without actually going to the park. 

The show of what I could see of it was nice. It all tied together with an Americana theme. 

Drone shows in theory are great. This particular one was not very good. It barely lasted 10-15 minutes. Maybe that's the norm but firework shows last much longer. They were not very high up so I could only see them if I looked from one particular spot in the complex.

I do want to see another drone show or two (preferably closer than a mile away) before I truly make a firm opinion about them. I really like the concept and what I saw of the Darboy one but the short duration and low height leaves me with mixed feelings.