Exploring The Great State of Wisconsinby Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 14 Sep 2007 06:38 PM I'll be honest; it took me a while to embrace the state of Wisconsin. Can you blame me? I moved to the Dairy State from sun-kissed shores of Hawaii to attend school. I eventually settled in the northeast portion of the state when I accepted a job there and later made it my "home" when I married a Wisconsin native. Whereas, I have blogged about Wisconsin's many natural attributes I realize I've only scratched the surface. My current home state has a ton to offer visitors (many of whom come in droves during the fall and winter to watch their respective home teams take on the legendary Green Bay Packers at historic Lambeau Field). As such I've decided to make a more concerted effort to spotlight some of the outstanding attractions that make Wisconsin a viable vacation destination. MADISON, WISCONSIN Madison is home to the State Capitol and about 223,000 residents. In 1996 Money magazine named Madison the "best place to live in the United States." I lived in there for four years while I attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison. (Go Badgers!) It is an experience I will never forget and if I could sum up my take of the capital city in one word it would be: green. The city straddles an isthmus between two gorgeous lakes and, yes, it happens to be hosting the North American conference of the International Ecotourism Society this year, but there's much more to Madison's high green quotient than most visitors will ever know from just spending a weekend there. For example, did you know that Madison was the first city in the nation to implement a curbside recycling program? And, here's something else most out-of-towners are unaware of... you can even go green when you hail a cab. Badger Cab Co. offers shared rides in a fleet taxis powered by natural gas. And if you choose to dine in at your hotel, consider ordering take-out from Glass Nickel Pizza. Your meal will arrive in a car that runs on fryer grease-the same stuff the restaurant uses to cook its french fries-how's that for recycling? Cyclists swarm Madison and take their two-wheelers on the city's nearly 200 miles of bike paths. One of them takes you to one of Madtown's most popular seasonal attractions-- the Dane County Farmers' Market, hailed as the country's best by Eating Well magazine. Every Saturday from mid-April through early November, tourists and locals gather at Madison's Capitol Square for one of the country's oldest and largest farmers' markets. It's one of the only farmers' markets in the nation where you can get fresh grass-fed, dry-aged steaks and burgers. The $5 wildflower bouquets also go fast, as does the fresh goat cheese and a Wisconsin specialty: fresh cheese curds (squeaky, thumb-size blobs of cheddar cheese). The farmers' market prides itself on the requirement that all products must be grown or made in Wisconsin. For more information on places worth visiting in Wisconsin click on the following: State Natural Areas--An Adventure in Nature Washington Island--A Floating Gem Wisconsin: Family Friendly Parks Visiting the Madison Children's Museum Camping: A "Devil" Of A Good Time Don't Hold The Mustard At This Summer Festival Visiting the Home of the Hamburger Summerfest--"The World's Largest Music Festival" The Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival (Not Just For Cheeseheads) Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevanttravel tags User Comments PaddlingDad (6) 09 Jan 2008 04:22 PMHi Michele Not bad for someone used to sand and surf :) I've been knocking around in the state with my wife and three daughters for a few years now as well. One of our favorite spots is Lake Wazeecha near Wisconsin Rapids in the central part of the state. It has a great campground. Some of the sites have their own little beach. Lots of white pines. I do a triathlon there every summer and then we hang out and canoe and kayak and eat s'mores. I have also come to enjoy several sections of the Wisconsin River. Great paddling. Kid friendly. Surprisingly scenic too! The longer I live here the more I'm starting to appreciate just how many neat places there are in this state that are off the beaten path and away from the freeways. It's almost become a game now to go to or from a place using just non-freeways just to see what there is. thx Jeff  Michele Cheplic (37339) 10 Jan 2008 03:18 PMThanks Jeff--sounds like you've had your share of adventures around the Dairy State. I used to work and live in Central Wisconsin, but have never camped there. I've been on the Wisconsin River a couple of times... perhaps I should write about those experiences some time. Thanks for the great comment. Happy trails! lisaschaos (5) 06 Feb 2008 12:58 PMhi! I registered just so I could say that. Ok, I was going to say more but the computer ate it. I too live in Wisconsin, all over the state really and love it here. We've been here about 4 years. Nice to "meet" you! I hate to leave you with no way to contact me back so here's my url, http://lisaschaos.blog-city.com Community Tags Farmers' Market, Green Bay, Madison, Travel, Wisconsin Discuss this article
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