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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.

18 comments on “The Ultimate Wisconsin Bucket List”

  1. What a list! What does it say about a person who has lived here for 55 years and hasn't done ONE of those items? Re-think the list.

    1. I'd say you need to get into a car &start traveling. Been to at least 1/2 these places, etc. If you have to choose less than 1/2 go to diwn the Great River Road Period, from Hudson south. There were many on that list that were there or started there. First tour the Hollows & Coolees of the driftless area...you don't need a bike to go thru the "Cut", cars fit too...plus a covered bridge right there lots of places.... Norsekedalan Amish farms, Gays Mills apple orchards. We go almost yearly over there, Fall is best! We're over 75 and love the exploring, tho I'm not to mobile any more. Go it's great,

  2. Something that would be interesting,I believe,is the logging contest at Hayward, WI. I believe it is held in July every year. I saw it when I was a young girl, many years ago but I never forgot it.

  3. Kayak down the Kinni in February and experience the ice caves formed by the natural springs cascading down 300 foot cliffs! Sweet...

  4. What about Grand dad's Bluff in La Crosse? Authentic Kringle in Racine? (Not the Johnny-come-latelies from who knows where.)

  5. You're forgot one place ... the worlds fastest road racing circuits is situated in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin - that of ROAD AMERICA. People visit from all over the world. You don't realize what a treasure you have in this state.

  6. Love Cheese Fest in Shullsburg. And for some great history lessons of Wisconsin tour the actual mine there, Shakerag St. in Mineral Point, Bloody Lake Rundevue in Whitford, battle reinactments at Boscobel. I'm sure you can Google dates for these events.

  7. View the fall colors from the Rib Mountain ski hill lift. It's a beautiful site, but arrive early and prepare to stand in the long lines.

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