A Family-Friendly Guide to Wisconsin

To fully appreciate Wisconsin, you need to experience a bit of country life and a bit of city life. A visit to the state might include gallery hopping one day and hiking to a waterfall the next. That variety also means there’s something — or more likely, many things — for visitors of every age and type.

Wisconsin is home to more than 50 state parks — many of which rival national parks in their uniqueness and amenities, such as Kohler-Andrae State Park, with its epic sand dunes, and Devil’s Lake State Park, with its towering bluffs. The state is bordered by two Great Lakes: Lake Michigan to the east and Lake Superior to the north, and the Wisconsin Dells is the waterpark capital of the world, with a slew of indoor and outdoor funfests. If you’ve ever wanted to shoot down a twisty slide or test-drive a wave simulator, say no more.

This itinerary will take you from the museums of Madison to the farms of the Driftless area, and it touches on everything in between: wacky outsider art installations, kid-friendly slot-canyon hikes, splashy urban murals, world-class architecture, and incredible restaurants celebrating the bounty and history of Wisconsin. So buckle up and get ready for the best road trip of your life.

Who I am: I'm Kristine, a freelance writer based in Milwaukee. I've lived in Wisconsin for three decades, including four different counties. I love to engage with both small-town life and big-city culture, both of which Wisconsin does well. When not on a hike, strolling through antiques stores, or checking out a new restaurant, I'm probably meeting with friends at a Colectivo Coffee Roasters cafe or walking along the Lake Michigan shoreline.

Go stargazing. Just a 15-minute drive west of the resort town of Lake Geneva lies Yerkes Observatory, a Beaux Arts beauty dating back to 1897 that reopened in 2022 after a two-year restoration. In addition to guided daytime tours (great for anyone with an early bed time), the observatory hosts after-dark viewings through the largest refracting telescope in the world. Another spot is Newport State Park in Door County — Wisconsin’s first park to earn a Dark Sky Park designation.

Walk on kettles, drumlins, and moraines. Everybody knows that the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail are epic through-hikes. Lesser known is the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, curling through Wisconsin for 1,200 miles, its footprint a reminder of the glacier once covering North America. It stretches from Door County (at Potawatomi State Park in Sturgeon Bay) all the way to the Minneapolis border (at Interstate State Park, along the St. Croix River). If that trek sounds ambitious for you or your fam, it’s easy to take on sections near Madison and Milwaukee.

Visit a flower or fruit farm. Nearly every month between April and November, Wisconsin farmers and botanical gardens — including Boerner Botanical Gardens near Milwaukee and Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison — open their doors so everyone can experience their bounty. Early summer means lavender at Fragrant Isle on Washington Island or New Life Lavender & Cherry Farm in Baraboo, and by August sunflower farms are a colorful riot. You also can’t forget about pick-your-own berries throughout the summer, an ideal way to fill little ones’ afternoons (and stomachs).

Listen to the waves. Two of the five Great Lakes border Wisconsin — Lake Superior to the north (Bayfield is the gateway to Apostle Islands National Lakeshore’s 21 islands) and Lake Michigan to the east. Their beaches are ideal spots to sink your toes in the sand during warmer months, or maybe even take a dip (just know that the water can be chilly). History buffs will want to read about shipwrecks or visit museums such as the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc or the Door County Maritime Museum, with two locations (in Sturgeon Bay and Gills Rock).

Milwaukee may be Wisconsin’s biggest city, but thanks to its location on Lake Michigan and its 150 parks, you’ll always feel close to nature. Milwaukee is often referred to as “the city of festivals” and this holds especially true during the summer months when Henry Maier Festival Park on the lakefront hosts a different one each weekend, including Summerfest, Irish Fest, Pride Fest, and German Fest.

Lovers of historic architecture will be at home here, as buildings have been thoughtfully preserved not just downtown but throughout the city, and you can even take a walking tour with Historic Milwaukee.

Start your day on the lake. Stroll along Lincoln Memorial Drive, between downtown and the city’s East Side, or rent bicycles from Bublr Bikes kiosks. Another option: Slip into a swan-shaped paddleboat and pedal around the 14-acre lagoon in Veterans Park. Grab a latte and breakfast sandwich at Colectivo Coffee Roasters’ Lakefront Cafe across from McKinley Marina, tucked into the former Milwaukee River flushing station, built in 1888 and adorned with local Cream City brick.

Milwaukee has tons of great museums. Located on the waterfront, the Milwaukee Art Museum is hard to miss, with its Santiago Calatrava-designed soaring wings. (The art inside is pretty great too.) Kids love to hunker down in the Kohl’s Art Studio or grab a portable Art Pack station, filled with costumes, activities, and sketch supplies, to tote around the museum as they interact with various artworks. Just down the road is Discovery World, an interactive science museum with an aquarium and permanent exhibit, “Les Paul’s House of Sound,” about the late local guitar legend. Among the smallest — and newest — museum options is America’s Black Holocaust Museum in the historic Bronzeville neighborhood; founded by the late James Cameron, who survived a 1930 lynching, in 1988, the museum closed in 2008 due to lack of funds but reopened in 2022.

Sherman Phoenix is home to 25 Black-owned small businesses, including Just4U (cupcakes, chicken, and vegan/vegetarian items) and Baked Dreams (healthy soups, sandwiches, and salads). At 3rd St Market Hall, kids can work out the wiggles with shuffleboard and giant Jenga while their parents dig into pho, arepas, and pizza. If you’re brave enough to elbow your way through, the Milwaukee Public Market has something for everyone, from lobster rolls at St. Paul Fish Company to St. Louis-style ribs at David Alan Alan’s Smokehouse & Saloon. Save room for “fairy food” (sponge candy) from Freese’s Candy Shoppe, which dates back to 1928.

Home to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison has a strong quirky side and is packed with both active and artsy experiences. It’s continually ranked among the country’s best for cycling and boasts one of the highest number of parks and playgrounds per capita among major U.S. cities.

The Isthmus, a section of Madison between Lakes Mendota and Monona, connects downtown with the far East Side, and it’s a fun place to explore shops and restaurants on foot. The West Side is more residential but still features cool neighborhoods like Monroe Street and growing communities such as Middleton, with an historic downtown and trendy restaurants.

Start your day with a breakfast burrito or lemon-ricotta buckwheat pancakes at Marigold Kitchen, a long-time locals’ favorite. A free guided tour of the State Capitol Building is a good way to ground yourself in Wisconsin’s capital city. Between April and November, Capitol Square is buzzing with the Dane County Farmers’ Market, the largest producer-only market in the U.S. (Pro tip: Get there early to grab a loaf of Stella’s Bakery’s trademarked Hot and Spicy Cheese Bread.) During the winter, the market moves to Garver Feed Mill, on Madison’s East Side. Just two blocks away is the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, a free art museum with rotating exhibits, drop-in artmaking for kids, permanent works by Frida Kahlo and Ellsworth Kelly, and one of the country’s best collections of art by the Chicago Imagists.

America’s most famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, grew up in Wisconsin’s Driftless Area and spent most of his career trying to get the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center built (it finally was in 1997, 38 years after his death). Take a guided tour to learn more and feel what it’s like to be suspended above Lake Monona (the next best thing to being out on the water).

Take in the beauty of Lake Mendota from the UW-Madison Terrace at Memorial Union and enjoy an ice cream cone from Babcock Dairy, run by the UW-Madison Agriculture Department. Next, hit the trails at Aldo Leopold Nature Center or the UW Arboretum. For a more low-key nature offering, visit the Olbrich Botanical Gardens, home to the only Thai pavilion in the continental U.S.; on Tuesday and Friday mornings, the garden’s Little Sprouts nature programs host kids two- to five-years of age for hands-on nature- and literature-focused learning, while occasional family classes are excuses to get crafty making ornaments or doing some watercolors.

Opt for dinner on “Willy Street” (short for Williamson Street), known for its diverse mix of casual restaurants. Grab some Nepalese food at Ama Kitchen, which also makes a mean mango lassis that the kids will love, or head over to Sultan for Pakistani cuisine. Monty’s Blue Plate Diner serves plant-based grub and fried chicken, as well as a kids menu featuring turkey dogs and Mickey Mouse-shaped pancakes.

Spanning 66 miles from north to south, Door County’s slender peninsula is wedged between two bodies of water: Green Bay and Lake Michigan. Five state parks are in the county, from the very remote (you can only get to the completely car-free Rock Island State Park by ferry) to the nearly 4,000-acre Peninsula State Park, stocked with amenities like a summer theater (Northern Sky Theater), golf course, and historic lighthouse. Outside of Sturgeon Bay, the county’s largest city, there are zero chain businesses or hotels, only indie-owned gems; fittingly, this resort region is referred to as “the Cape Cod of the Midwest.”

Be sure to pack comfy walking shoes (and a good stroller, if necessary) as you’ll be popping in and out of cute shops or testing your endurance on hiking trails.

There’s no shortage of gorgeous parks here, but one of the best is Cave Point County Park, boasting limestone ledges shaped by the waves of Lake Michigan. Take a guided trip with Door County Kayak Tours for a deeper immersion. Before you head out, though, drop by Town Hall Bakery and Daily Special Café for pastries (including savory galettes) and coffee.

For an Old World immersion, check out Door County’s many farm stands for foodie souvenirs — and a slice of cherry pie to eat right away. Koepsel’s Farm Market is the oldest, in the same family since 1958, and its cherries are locally famous. If you want to pick your own, head to Seaquist Orchards; the orchard’s selection of canned and preserved cherry products is unrivaled, and it also has a fall apple festival.

A trip to Door County would not be complete without taking the 30-minute ferry ride — with your car — to explore one of Wisconsin’s few islands. Fragrant Isle Lavender Farm & Shop proves that anything’s better with lavender, from lotions to lattes. After picking up some souvenirs, walk the lavender fields, breathing as deeply as you can. Dip your toes into the water at Schoolhouse Beach, known for its smooth, flat stones. Before heading back to the ferry, stop into one of the country’s few examples of a Stavkirke (Scandinavian) church.

Fish boils were brought to Door County by settlers from Scandinavia, and they continue today. Locally caught whitefish are boiled with onions and potatoes in a huge kettle over a fire. For a true show, complete with theatrical flourishes so you can see the preparation, dine at either the Old Post Office Restaurant (which also serves chicken tenders and hot dogs for kids) or Pelletier’s Restaurant & Fish Boil (which offers a children’s fish boil with smaller portions). For a sweet finish to the evening, swing by the 119-year-old Wilson’s Restaurant & Ice Cream in tiny and adorable Ephraim, where you can enjoy a cone while the sun sets over Green Bay.

The “waterpark capital of the world” is a popular destination for families (although in recent years, it’s also drawing couples and groups of girlfriends for its spas and fine dining). Those tepid toward waterparks should know there are many different variations here, both indoors and outdoors, and it’s the best way to cool off on a hot day or stay active during winter.

The city sits on the Wisconsin River and is famous for its sandstone cliffs and rock formations, carved by the river over time. One of the best ways to view them is on a jaunt with the Wisconsin Ducks, whose covered boats can travel on water and on land.

Kick off the morning with lattes and chocolate-covered strawberry waffles at Bella Goose Coffee’s Cafe on the River, a local coffee roaster overlooking the Kilbourn Dam on the Wisconsin River. Witches Gulch, only accessible through Dells Boat Tours’ Upper Dells Tour, is an easy hike through a slot canyon, among sandstone cliffs and along a boardwalk.

Most water parks in the area open in the late morning, and it’s best to get there early, before the sun is at its peak. For the true experience, head to Noak’s Ark Water Park, among the city’s first, open since the 1970s, and now its largest; areas like Tadpole Bay and the Elephants Pond are ideal for any visitors who still need floaties. In 2026, Kalahari will roll out a new 75,000-square-foot expansion of its already massive indoor water park.

Introduced in 2023, Land of Natura is the world’s largest naturally filtered, man-made lake. Is it kind of like a water park, what with its slides and inflatables? Yes, but it feels more like an extension of the Wisconsin River where you can swim, snorkel, or relax on a sun lounger.

There are supper clubs all over the state, sure, but the Dells is home to two of the best: There’s the Del Bar, now celebrating 82 years and three generations of ownership (reservations are a must), and Ishnala Supper Club, perched above Mirror Lake (walk-ins only, so get there early for larger tables, and be sure to tempt your kids with some fried shrimp). For an authentic experience, start at the bar with a drink or Shirley Temple, and then enjoy old-school surf-and-turf at your table, perhaps ending the evening with some sort of ice cream treat.

Powering many of the state’s farm-to-table restaurants and regional farmers markets, the Driftless Area is Wisconsin’s idyllic, tranquil countryside. In fact, it flaunts the largest concentration of organic and community-supported agriculture farms in the U.S., with a mix of Amish-owned farms, family-owned farms, and boutique-y farms run by young professionals. The area covers the southwestern corner of the state, full of gentle sloping hills and valleys that were never covered by a “glacial drift” during the Ice Age, hence the name Driftless.

Inns and hotels are few and far between, but you can find a farmhouse to rent via Airbnb for that back-to-the-land vibe. The largest town is Viroqua (population: 4,500), which has a downtown filled with clothing boutiques, vintage shops, local restaurants, and art galleries. Dodgeville and Mineral Point are also worth a visit.

Wonderstate Coffee’s flagship cafe in Viroqua is tucked into a 1940s former Mobil gas station, providing a new source of fuel for locals. Try one of the peach blossom lattes and then dig into avocado toast topped with a jammy egg or a cheddar-bacon scone. On the last Saturday of the month, roastery tours and a coffee tasting are offered.

Taliesin, the late architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s 800-acre homestead in Spring Green, is open to the public via guided tours; the Driftless Landscape Tour is completely outdoors, perfect for kids who prefer the fresh air. Afterward, grab lunch in the cafe overlooking the Wisconsin River and browse the gift shop’s games, puzzles, books, and home decor to bring a piece of Wright’s organic architecture into your own home.

Driftless Books & Music in Viroqua is Wisconsin’s largest used bookstore and it includes a variety of rare books. Its owners also operate a sister bookstore, Metaphysical Graffiti Books, where titles span topics like metaphysics, obviously, but also Wisconsin history and homesteading.

Driftless Café’s chef-owner Luke Zahm is the personality behind Wisconsin Foodie, a show airing on local PBS stations, and he’s a Vernon County native. He changes the menu of his Viroqua restaurant daily to reflect what’s in season and available through local farms. Even the kid’s menu features burgers and pizza made with locally sourced ingredients.

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