The Ultimate Wisconsin Bucket List

From our islands to our bluffs, our rolling farmland to our 15,000 lakes, Wisconsin is brimming with tourism treasures. Although not meant to be exhaustive, consider the following bucket list your kick-start to exploring the very best of America’s Dreamland:

1. Take a drive down Highway 42 in Door County
2. Catch a muskie on the world’s largest chain of freshwater lakes in Vilas County
3. Hop on a bike and ride along the Elroy-Sparta Trail
4. Sample deep-fried treats (and a creampuff or two!) at the Wisconsin State Fair
5. Kayak the Apostle Island Sea Caves in Ashland and Bayfield counties (and return in the winter for a view of the ice caves)
6. Take a hot air balloon ride over Lake Geneva during the fall
7. Cheer on the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field
8. Hike your way through Devil’s Lake State Park
9. Explore Big Manitou Falls – Wisconsin’s tallest waterfall – in Superior
10. Visit all 12 Wisconsin Historic Sites
11. Spend a day exploring southwest Wisconsin via the Great River Road
12. Take in a show at Summerfest in Milwaukee
13. Enjoy a beer and a Lake Mendota sunset at the Memorial Union Terrace
14. Watch the airplanes overhead at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh
15. Spend a weekend exploring Wisconsin’s northwoods via ATV
16. Sample Limburger cheese at Green County Cheese Days
17. Attend a Native American pow-wow
18. Take a motorcycle ride through the Mindoro Cut in La Crosse County
19. Climb to the top of Wisconsin’s highest natural point at Timm’s Hill in Price County
20. Embark on a road-trip and discover Wisconsin’s strangest roadside attractions
21. Traverse the Driftless Area via the Great River Road
22. Check out the unique galleries and exhibits at the Milwaukee Art Museum
23. Go on a shipwreck tour off the Lake Michigan coastline near Manitowoc
24. Head to downtown Madison for a tour of the Wisconsin State Capitol
25. Delve into the world of Frank Lloyd Wright at the Taliesin in Spring Green
26. Zoom down some extreme waterslides at Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells
27. Set sail on Lake Superior
28. Trek the Ice Age National Scenic Trail
29. Go spelunking at Cave of the Mounds in Blue Mounds
30. Take a Cranberry Marsh Tour in central Wisconsin
31. Explore Door County’s spooky side on a haunted trolley tour of the area

You really can’t go wrong when it comes to exploring our beautiful state—and that’s something I think some folks (especially those of us who work and live here) may take for granted. Now make your own bucket list for the summer…and share your ideas with me below!

Mariah Haberman is one of the hosts of the nation’s longest-running tourism TV show, Discover Wisconsin. She hails from Evansville, where she was brought up in a family of seven in a small farmhouse outside of town. Some of her favorite memories include Lake Michigan fishing trips with her Dad, showing sheep at the Rock County Fair and buzzing around the farm on an ATV with her little brother. Watch Discover Wisconsin Saturdays at 10 a.m. on FSN Wisconsin’s outdoor block.