Revealed: Travel Wisconsin
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Have you been to these popular Wisconsin locations? Here are some interesting facts and more on the specific locations – to help you plan your next trip!
Superior Lighthouse
- Located within a 10-mile long sand bar between the ports of Duluth and Superior
- This historic Superior Entry Lighthouse was built in 1913
- One of Superior’s most popular sites to visit and favorite of photographers
- Not open for tours, but the grounds are open to visitors and it is accessible by walkways
- Fun fact: Did you know that WI has 10 lighthouses located on Lake Superior (there are 78 lighthouses on Lake Superior!)
Amnicon Falls
- Located east of Superior City (7 miles) in Douglas County, located on the Amnicon River
- Amnicon Falls State Park features four named waterfalls on the Amnicon River: Upper, Lower, Snake Pit, Now & Then Falls
- Trails around the falls are relatively flat/easy, less than a mile self-guided trails
- The Horton Bridge is a 55 foot covered bridge that spans the river just above Lower Falls – designed by Charles Horton. His unique design used arched support beams and hook clips instead of rivets and bolts. Only six bridges of this style (“Horton” or “Bowstring”) exist today.
Cana Island (Door County)
- An island in Lake Michigan located in the town of Baileys Harbor
- Considered Door County’s most iconic lighthouse built in 1869; 89-foot tall tower; $12,792.55 was the cost to build!
- Be sure to climb 97 steps (or 102 according to some sources; you’ll have to count!) of the spiral staircase for panoramic views of Lake Michigan and the Door County peninsula
- Area is popular with divers for view of the wreck of Frank O’Connor (300-foot steamer), and waters are fun to canoe or kayak
Bayfield
- Located on the northern shores of Superior; known as Wisconsin’s Smallest City and Berry Capital of Wisconsin; gateway to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
- Apple Fest was established in 1962 celebrating fall harvest in Bayfield; occurs in October as 3-day event (one of the most popular fall festivals in the Midwest); features parade, food/craft venders, concerts, carnival
- Grand Parade occurs down Rittenhouse Avenue closing out the Apple Fest – featuring Bayfield High School Marching Band, Thunder Bay Bagpipers and more
- Old Rittenhouse Inn is shown in the background – considered Wisconsin’s first country inn and gourmet restaurant with 20 rooms in 2 Victorian homes and a cottage with great views of Lake Superior
Cave Point (Door County)
- Located 8 miles northeast of the Town of Sevastopol
- Known for Dolomite/limestone ledges, underwater caves and views of Lake Michigan
- Popular with divers, photographers, fisherman and nature lovers (check out the hiking trails in Whitefish Dunes State Park)
- Kayak tours allow you to get close to the caves
Apostle Islands (National Lakeshore)
- 21 islands and 12 miles of mainland coast located near Bayfield; no roads/vehicle access except for Madeline Island (largest of Apostle Islands) which is not part of the National Lakeshore
- More than 240 species of birds breed in and/or migrate through this area
- Best sea caves are on Devil’s Island – breath, variety and number of caves and sandstone formations are spectacular; summer and winter visits to these caves are popular
- Winter visits to ice caves – lake surface freezes, massive icicles, formations change from day to day – National Lakeshore staff checks the conditions and decides when safe to explore
Lake Superior (Sailing)
- Largest of all the Great Lakes – biggest, deepest and coldest Great Lake
- It could hold all the water of the Great Lakes PLUS two more the size of Lake Erie
- Average temperature is 40 degrees Fahrenheit (no wonder Maynard was cold if you found him in the Gateway of the North Shore puzzle!)
- Bayfield is the most popular sailing port in the Great Lakes with this being a great way to enjoy the sites of the Apostle Islands
- Largest marina – 420 slips at Barker’s Island Marina in Superior, WI
Interstate Park (St Croix Falls, WI)
- 2 adjacent state parks on MN-WI border are both named Interstate Park
- The WI park is 1,330 acres located along the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve
- This is Wisconsin’s oldest park, established in 1900 and known for a steep-sided gorge called the “Dalles of the St. Croix”
- Numerous wet lands and camping; 9 miles of summer trails and additional 12.5 miles of winter trails
Milwaukee Art Museum
- Iconic building overlooks Lake Michigan, located in downtown Milwaukee (which is in southeast part of state and the largest city in WI); founded in 1888
- Architecture of museum has a striking set of “wings” that form a movable sunscreen that can be adjusted to shade the museum designed by Santiago Calatrava
- Museum includes the War Memorial Center by Eero Saarinen, designer of the Gateway Arch
- 341,000-square-foot complex! 4 floors of over 40 galleries with over 30,000 works of art!
- Holds one of the largest Georgia O’Keeffe collections (she was a WI native)
Minocqua
- Located on peninsula on Minocqua Lake, northwest of Rhinelander in northern Wisconsin
- In the summer, 3 nights a week the world’s oldest amateur water ski show team puts on a show comprised of young, local people - called the Min-Aqua Bats Water Ski Show; the longest running amateur water ski show in the world
- This water ski club originated in 1950 and is free!
Eagle River Ice Castle
- Located on a chain of 28 lakes (largest freshwater chain in the world) in northern Wisconsin
- Eagle River volunteer firefighters and community build a 3,000 12-inch-thick ice block structure reaching 20-foot-high
- Each year is a different shape, size… constructed the weekend closest to New Year
- First ice castle was built in 1933! Not completed every year as depends on ice conditions – latest was in 2022
- Eagle River is known as the Snowmobile Capital of the World because of the World Championship Snowmobile Derby which has been held here for over 50 years. There are over 500 miles of groomed snowmobile trails in the county
Sand Island Light (Apostle Island)
- Located on the northern tip of Sand Island, one of the Apostle Islands in Bayfield County
- Structure was built from sandstone quarried locally; considered to be one of the most beautiful lighthouses on Lake Superior
- Built in 1881, 44-foot – there are tours in the summer
- Popular destination for kayakers and boaters (but there is no dock)
Eau Claire
- Located on the banks of the Eau Claire and Chippewa Rivers; 9th largest city in the state
- Puzzle image shown is a steel pedestrian bridge connecting Phoenix Park to Haymarket Plaza built in 2018
- Known for: UW-Eau Claire University, lumber industry, hosts U.S. National Kubb Championship (Swedish lawn game, throw pine batons/sticks at kubbs which are 9x9 cm and 30 cm’s height), Chippewa Valley Museum, WI Logging Museum, parks, Dells Mill and music
- Outdoor activities include fishing, biking and hiking
Land O’Lakes
- Town located near the border of the Upper Peninsula of MI surrounded by the Ottawa National Forest; very small, unincorporated community with population of 861 in 2010 census!
- Town is in the heart of wild and remote country filled with deer and black bear; (black bear are primarily found in the far northern third of the state – but becoming more common in lower two-thirds as well)
- Great fishing - more than 100 beautiful lakes, including the Cisco Chain of Lakes (15 interconnected lakes) known for good fishing; another notable lake is Lac Vieux Desert – world-record tiger musky
- Some of the best hiking and biking in the Northwoods; town has 12-mile bike/pedestrian trail
- Popular starting point for adventures on the trails that run through the Sylvania Wilderness – pristine forest for campers, birdwatchers, and mountain bikers
Hayward
- Located next to the Namekagon River in northwest part of the state
- Known for ATV trails, hosting American Birkebeiner cross-country ski race and the Chequamegon Fat Tire bicycle race.
- Contains the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame with museum promoting fresh water sport fishing (motors, rods, mounted fish, etc..); giant fiberglass musky in puzzle image is part of this attraction (it's a block long and 5 stories high)
- Hayward holds Lumberjack World Championships in July – annual competition and festival, 21 events for men and women to compete for prize money
Copper Falls Cascades (Mellen, WI)
- Cascades Falls located in Copper Falls State Park in northwest Wisconsin – park contains a section of the Bad River & its tributary the Tylers Forks
- One of the state’s most scenic parks – lava flows, deep gorges, waterfalls
- Doughboy’s Nature Trail (1.7 miles), along the Bad River is one of the best hikes in Wisconsin according to the WI DNR website; park has 17 miles of trails with several overlooks; can view Copper Falls and Brownstone Falls
- Fun activities include mountain bike trails, camping, hiking, fishing, and swimming in Loon Lake (located in the southern part of the park)
Devil’s Lake
- A lake in Devil’s Lake State Park in Baraboo – most popular state park, drawing nearly 3 million annual visitors; over 10,000 acres
- Devil’s Lake is part of over 27,000 acres of public recreational land in Sauk County – also known as “Tewakacak” or Spirit Lake
- Contains ancient effigy mounds that are part of Ho-Chunk land
- Another great destination for outdoor enthusiasts!
Madison
- Capital of WI, located southern/central portion of state; west of Milwaukee
- Known for its domed capital (sits between 2 lakes Mendota and Monona), WI Historical Museum, art & music venues/festivals, sporting events, University of Wisconsin-Madison, lakefront convention center designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and more
- State Capitol has the only granite dome in the U.S. with over 40 different types of stone from around the world on the inside
- Another top attraction in Madison is the Olbrich Botanical Gardens
Wisconsin River
- Wisconsin River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, about 430 miles long (the longest river in WI), originates in northern WI (in Lac Vieux Desert on WI-MI border) and flows south through central WI where it turns west at the Dells of the Wisconsin River (also called the Wisconsin Dells)
- Image is shown of the “dells” formations that first attracted tourists to the area of Wisconsin Dells and Lake Delton; these dramatic rock formations along the Wisconsin River were shaped by strong currents of water from melting glaciers
- There are about 25 towns along the Wisconsin River to explore!
- Wisconsin Dells is known as the “The Waterpark Capital of the World” with the Dells of Wisconsin River covering over 5 miles of gorge, cliffs, canyons and rock formations carved into Cambrian sandstone
Sources: Wisconsintrailguide.com, travelwisconsin.com, co.dor.wi.gov, bayfield.org, eagleriver.org, dnr.wisconsin.gov
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