June 2011, The Last Word
Top Wisconsin Staycations
Slashing your annual vacation travel budget is an easy way to save money, and families can choose a much less expensive “staycation” to achieve that goal. To get your staycation minds a turning, we’ve listed our editor’s staycation picks.
Bayfield.
Lake Superior adventure awaits visitors to this town of 600 on the Bayfield Peninsula, where the 22 Apostle Islands lie just offshore. On summer days, Bayfield’s harbor is full of kayaks and tour boats going to and from the beaches, lighthouses and campsites in the archipelago. Visitors can also ride ferries to Madeline Island, the only inhabited Apostle, which offers shops, a swimming beach, a museum and places to eat.
Rock Island State Park.
Rock Island is a beautiful island in northern Lake Michigan. The island is separated from the Door Peninsula mainland by more than 12 miles. Rock Island offers interpretative nature hikes, a sand swimming beach, pioneer cemeteries, Pottawatomie Lighthouse and the Thordarson Boat House. Visitors can take the ferry to come for the day or camp on the island’s primitive-style campground. If primitive camping isn’t your thing, visitors can stay on Washington Island, a year-round island community just a short ferry ride away. This town offers travelers comfortable vacation cabins, beautiful beaches, the Jackson Harbor Maritime Museum and more.
Wisconsin Dells.
This travel destination received TRIPADVISOR’s Travelers’ Choice Family Award-winning U.S. Amusement Park Destinations distinction in March. The city of water parks – both indoor and out – features Noah’s Ark, which has been ranked as one of the top water parks in the United States by Best of America. The area offers visitors a wealth of other options as well including the Tommy Bartlett Show, the International Crane Foundation, and the Circus World Museum to name a few.
New Glarus.
Dubbed America’s “Little Switzerland,” this village is located in the heart of Green County. Visitors to the town can enjoy its Swiss heritage in everything from its chalet-style architecture, restaurants serving savory Swiss food and Swiss specialty shops. Favorite spots include The Chalet of the Golden Fleece Museum and The Swiss Historical Village Museum. For biking enthusiasts, the Sugar River Bike Trail follows an abandoned railroad line in south central Wisconsin for 24 miles from New Glarus to Brodhead.
Fox Valley.
Five wineries in northeastern Wisconsin along with the Fox River Valley make up a wine trail that crosses Brown, Kewaunee and Outagamie counties near Green Bay. The wine trail includes urban Captain’s Walk, Trout Springs Winery, LedgeStone Vineyards, Parallel 44 Vineyard & Winery, and Kerrigan Brothers. The area also boasts the notable Fox River Mall as well as the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.