If this is your first time here – WELCOME! If not, welcome back!! As full-time RV’ers, we travel and see a lot. This is part of our Off The Beaten Path series where we explore the hidden treasures in every state. We love the big popular attractions like everyone else, however, there is just something incredible about discovering something unique and different. Our goals are to find the most unexplored places and take those roads less traveled. We certainly can’t explore them all, so we’d love you to share your own off-the-beaten-path stories with us. Each series will include at least one epic boondocking/free camping area, with GPS coordinates.
By all means, check out the popular Milwaukee Art Museum. If you’re traveling with kids, they’ll love it! There is also the Madison Zoo. It’s a beautiful facility and there are just no bad days at the zoo! Here are a few of our favorite things to do in Wisconsin when taking those roads less traveled.
Witches Gulch
This is borderline popular depending on the season, but you just can not go to Wisconsin and not see this!! Only accessible via the Upper Dells Boat Tour you’ll find a stunning narrow canyon full of nature and located in the Dells of the Wisconsin River State Natural Area.
Definitely take the time to explore here. It’s a breathtaking natural wonder. If you time it right, you might just almost be alone! Middle of the week and as early as they depart is perfect.
Jurustic Park (and yes, that’s how it’s spelled)
Yep, that’s spelled right! Ha! This unique art park and hobbit house are the creation of one man who’s really into dinosaurs and creatures from the past. Wander freely around the grounds discovering all this one-of-a-kind park has to offer! Jurustic Park is located at M222 Sugar Bush Lane, MarshfieldCall ahead to make sure they’re open. Their phone number is 715-387-1653. I promise, even if you don’t have kids, you’ll enjoy this place!
Interstate State Park
Interstate State Park is located along the breathtaking St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. Boating, camping, fishing, hiking, and swimming are what’s on tap at this popular state park. Get in this amazing water if you have a kayak. We didn’t kayak this, but it’s definitely on our list!!
The Candy Shoppe
Are you passing through Bayfield? Do you have a sweet tooth? From tasty ice cream to freshly made pastries that are out of this world and old-fashioned candies. The Candy Shoppe offers a little something for everyone. The Candy Shoppe is located at 217 Rittenhouse Ave in Bayfield. A perfect town for an afternoon walk and enjoying the warm weather.
Grandad Bluff
For amazing views of La Crosse and the Mississippi River head over to Grandad Bluff. This mesa stands nearly 600 feet above the surrounding area and has a parking lot at the top, making access even easier.
Pewit’s Nest Gorge
Located in Baraboo. Pewit’s Nest is a 30-40-foot gorge with cascading waterfalls and gorgeous rock formations. In the summer, the area is a favorite for cooling off, but in the fall it’s perfect for a scenic hike. It can get a little busy on summer weekends, but still pretty quiet most of the time.
Apostle Island Sea Caves
These caves may have become more popular over the years, but I had to share! When we were in the UP of Michigan, we got to see a lot of these same formations! These Great Lakes sea caves accessible by boat in the summer turn into temples of ice reachable by foot in the winter.
Known as the most stunning sea caves across all of the Great Lakes, (called sea caves despite technically being Lake caves) the pitted expanses and eroded caverns beneath the Apostle Islands are one of America’s most stunning natural wonders. If you haven’t read our Michigan blog, click here!
Wequiock Falls
Talk about hidden in plain sight! A perfectly hidden waterfall right off the highway is well worth a stop. This amazing hidden waterfall just off the I-43 highway is a great pit stop to stop and explore. An old bridge stretches above the falls with stone stairs leading down into the gorge. Definitely try to stop in the Spring.
Copper Falls State Park
We say in many of our blogs that the state parks in the U.S. are so overlooked. Some of our top favorite places to visit have been state parks! This is another hidden gem for sure. This park is open year-round, but I highly recommend it in Spring or early Summer. The loop trail is 1.7 miles long with lots of steps, but worth the hike. You will see Copper Falls, Brownstone Falls, Tyler Fork, and Tyler Cascades
Boondocking
- Marion Park – Glidden – GPS: 46.134030, -90.589892. Awesome city park, great for any size RV!
- Casino Parking with FREE Electric! Don’t rule out casino lot docking. Believe it or not, if you read our Michigan blog, you’ll see we met life long friends in the casino parking lot last year! And when they also offer free hookups, go in and play $5 and see if you can win something, but if not, it was nice of them to let us stay! Majestic Pines Casino – Black River Falls – GPS 44.329056, -90.767754
Wisconsin is one of those states people really don’t think to check out. There is so much here. So much natural beauty! I would love to hear your ideas! Please share your own hidden gems below.
Here are a few blogs we think you’ll love!
- RV Camping in Texas
- Boondocking ~ How We Spent $48 in Camping Fees For The Whole Year of 2018
- Off the Beaten Path in West Virginia. Unique and Hidden Gems in West Virginia
- Off the Beaten Path in California. Our Top Hidden Gems You Just Have to See!
Thank you for checking out our little corner of the web! Feel free to share our blogs with friends or family! We truly appreciate each and every one of you, and we’d love to hear your favorite places to visit in Wisconsin!
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Perfect timing of this piece! We are in Wisconsin for the summer! I can’t wait to check out some of these places!!! Thank you. This is such a great series!
Awesome! Thank you so much for your comment! Safe travels and have fun!
You mentioned Marion Park in Glidden, Wisconsin. This is a gem in a tiny town. The coolest part of this park is the Marion Park Pavilion, built in the 1930s and on the National Register of Historic places. It is an amazing octagonal building with a doomed roof used for community gatherings. I roller skated there as a kid. I believe open skate was on Tuesday nights. Great times!
That’s incredible! Great memories for sure! 🙂 We love all the little tiny towns, plus we try to visit and support them by shopping and eating in these amazing tiny towns. 🙂 Thanks for the information.
anything near or in milwaukee that you recommend??
As far as off-the-beaten-path things to do, I’m assuming? We haven’t been there yet, but we have Swing Park on our list. I’m also not sure how popular it is as I’ve not done a ton of research on it yet. Hope that helps. Travel safe and stay healthy.