Travel

Cozy Cabins and Magical Shorelines Await in This Midwest State

And by Midwest we mean Mid-best.

Posnov/Moment/Getty Images
Posnov/Moment/Getty Images
Posnov/Moment/Getty Images

As a child watching my friends go to Disneyland while I stayed behind in Wisconsin, I didn’t fully appreciate the Badger State. My family vacations consisted of local trips up north, getting as close to Canada as possible, usually in a rustic way that involved a campsite or cabin. To Milwaukeeans, “going up north” is kind of like “going upstate” in New York.

I’m no longer jealous of my childhood friends who waited in line to see adult-sized cartoon characters. Through our road trips, I got to see ocean-sized Great Lakes carving caves into cliffy shorelines, rolling hills once rounded by glaciers that allow you to see miles of flowery meadows, and woods surrounding so many lakes that spark a constant debate with a certain “land of 10,000 lakes” neighbor about which state has more. Between its 15,000 lakes, as well as Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, the Mississippi River hugging the western border, and okay, a lot of snow, all that water makes for more greenery than the surrounding midwest plains.

Yes, it can get cold here. But that means phenomenal fall foliage as far as the eye can see, as well as creative winter activities that stem from the saying about necessity being the mother of invention. Not only will you find snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in this mostly flat but gently rolling terrain, as well as ice skating on frozen ponds in the wilderness, you’ll even find ice cave treks and ice fishing in these crystallized lands.

Perhaps as another cold-weather consequence, the state is the proud home of PBR, Leinenkugels, Miller, Schlitz, and decades of strong craft breweries-plus all the bratwurst, pretzels, cheese curds, and other hearty foods to keep your belly warm. Essentially, Wisconsin is a place for cozy cabins in the woods, beer by the fire, a couple artsy cities keeping things current, and fantastic charcuterie boards-because cheese is what we do.

Photo by FRONT ROOM PHOTOGRAPHY
Photo by FRONT ROOM PHOTOGRAPHY
Photo by FRONT ROOM PHOTOGRAPHY

Milwaukee

As the state’s largest city and unofficial culinary and cultural capital, you can’t visit Wisconsin and not spend a few days in Milwaukee. To the surprise of visitors who only associate the city with beer and cheese, Milwaukee has a thriving theater scene, a symphony orchestra, an opera, and the whimsical Milwaukee Art Museum (designed by famed architect, Santiago Calatrava, and deserving of attention both outside and inside). It’s also the birthplace of Harley Davidson motorcycles, as seen at the Harley Davidson Museum. Plus, the city is reviving its 20 year old America’s Black Holocaust Museum, which will re-open in early 2022.

For food, Alem Ethiopian restaurant has all the injera and spicy lentils you could want. Palomino bar has buffalo fried cauliflower, big comfy booths, and an ‘80s basement vibe in the best way possible. Crafty Cow is another solid brew pub famous for their hot fried chicken sandwich, which also has a vegan option. Or check out the Milwaukee Public Market, which has a range of choices from Mexican to Middle Eastern. The city is known for its over-the-top Bloody Marys (seriously, we put anything and everything into the brunch drink), so head to the St. Paul Fish Company for a fish fry and a boozy, bloody drink with a lobster claw poking out.

North Broadway is where you’ll find the most unique shops and galleries to peruse. Along the winding Riverwalk pedestrian path, you can snap a picture of the Bronze Fonz, a sculpture tribute to the Happy Days star that made Milwaukee famous in the 70s and 80s. Next, head south to Henry Maier Festival Park (known to locals as the Summerfest grounds), which host massive music, culture, and food festivals from spring through fall. In large part due to the Summerfest events (such as German Fest, Festa Italiana, Mexican Fiesta, Irish Fest, PrideFest, Black Arts Fest MKE, etc.), Milwaukee is also known as the City of Festivals.

Nejdet Duzen/Shutterstock
Nejdet Duzen/Shutterstock
Nejdet Duzen/Shutterstock

Madison

Madison is a city of university students, retired hippies, Frank Lloyd Wright buildings, and one of the highest restaurants per capita in the country. Madison is constantly ranked highest in the US for livable cities (first place in 2021, in fact), with its thriving arts scene, obscene amount of parks and bike routes, and local’s obsession with environmental sustainability. It’s also a city that forces us to learn the word isthmus, as it’s the only state capital to sit on a narrow stretch of land between two large lakes. In fact, there is no “north” or “south” Madison, since that sort of direction would lead you underwater-there is only East Madison, West Madison, Lake Mendota, and Lake Monona.

Take a walk down state street, with the lit up capital behind you, a shoreline ahead of you, and bars, shops, and music venues on either side. Stop for Laotian cuisine at Ahan, momos at Little Tibet, mediterranean pizza at A Pig in a Fur Coat, or bar hop the 10 block stretch of Willy Street on the hip east side. Nearby, Nook offers a tasting menu that turns familiar, childhood favorite foods like PB&J into elegant, deconstructed plates that befuddle yet comfort your palette. On the super casual end, both the Weary Traveler and the Old Fashioned provide the traditional Wisco experience of eating cheese curds with no-frills beer in a pub-like setting. Or watch the sunset dip behind the lake while eating brats (including vegan brats!) at Union Terrace, often accompanied by live bands.For tranquility, roam through the Arboretum, with its miles of trails across wetlands, woodlands, and prairies. Or stop by the Olbrich Botanical Gardens, which has one of only four pavilions gifted by Thailand outside of Asia (and the only one in North America). Catch a performance at the Overture Center for Arts, see an exhibit at the brutalist Chazen Museum of Art, or hike along the ice age trail, lakeshore path, or Picnic Point, which has six sacred Native American effigy mounds. Take advantage of all those farms across the state at the biggest farmers market in the country, going strong since 1972 and sitting scenically in the shadow of the capitol building. Lastly, admire Madison’s official bird, which is a plastic pink flamingo, just to give you an idea of how seriously this city takes itself.

Posnov/Moment/Getty Images
Posnov/Moment/Getty Images
Posnov/Moment/Getty Images

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

National Parks get all the attention, but National Lakeshores are also federally-designated scenic areas, and northern Wisconsin happens to be home to one: the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. One of the most stunning treks is the Meyers Beach Sea Cave Trail along the southern shore of Gitchigami, the name the Red Cliff band of the Lake Superior Chippewa gave the Great Lake. As the tribe’s name implies, this area (and this shoreline, in particular) is lined with red cliffs, which contrast against the bright green, densely-wooded forest surrounding the trail.

Hiking along the lake and above the sea caves is available year-round but, given the strong lake winds, kayaking is typically only available in summer. Come winter, those sea caves turn into ice caves, and if the lake’s water freezes to sufficient thickness, you can walk across it to get to the caves. Inside, you’ll find a fairytale-like backdrop of icicles in all shapes and sizes.

YinYang/E+/Getty Images
YinYang/E+/Getty Images
YinYang/E+/Getty Images

Wisconsin Rapids

All aboard the Cranberry Highway in the cranberry capital of the world: Central Wisconsin. This part of the state produces 60% of the cranberries in the country. At the South Wood County Historical Museum in Wisconsin Rapids, you can see how the fruit was initially harvested by Native Americans, who also used its bright red pigment to dye fabrics. Then head to Historic Marker 86, where cranberry fields (that turn into bogs, come harvest time) stretch as far as the eye can see.

Do yourself a favor and stay at the Le Chateau The Manor (a bit repetitive, but whatever), a Victorian-style mansion turned B&B that serves the best breakfast you’ll find in town. Just ten minutes north is Rooted in Red, a multi-generational cranberry farm that’s been producing the tantalizingly tart berries for over 100 years. The farm just started offering bog tours in 2021 and, while no crop’s harvest season can be perfectly predicted, September and October offer the best chance of wading around in a sea of red berries.

If you have more time to spend in the area (and I hope you do!) head 25 minutes northeast to Stevens Point to check out the Stevens Point Sculpture Park and to have the best maple latte of your life at Ruby Coffee (their daily quiches are also pretty fantastic). Forty-five minutes west is Jurustic Park, an outdoor museum of prehistoric-inspired sculptures made from scrap metal, old cans, bicycle parts, and whatever the 84-year-old artist and amateur paleontologist, Clyve Wynia, found at the scrap yard recently.

Matt Anderson Photography/Moment Open/Getty Images
Matt Anderson Photography/Moment Open/Getty Images
Matt Anderson Photography/Moment Open/Getty Images

Door County

If Wisconsin were a hand, the Door County peninsula would be the thumb. Known as the Cape Cod of the Midwest, Door County is one of the most popular weekend vacation destinations for Wisconsinites, Chicagoans, and all visitors to the mid-best (not a typo). Summer fields of lavender make way for fire-red foliage in fall, followed by blankets of snow. This 70-mile long peninsula has 300 miles of shoreline that attracts swimmers, kayakers, and even scuba divers.

Nowhere else in Wisconsin will you find four phenomenal state parks so close to each other, all offering distinctly divine experiences. The caves in Whitefish Dunes State Park are best accessed by kayak, while Peninsula State Park (which can get quite crowded) is best for hiking. Newport State Park should be explored at night, as its International Dark Sky status means fantastic stargazing. For a much more remote experience, catch one of two ferries from Washington Island to camp in Rock Island State Park. Don’t like camping? Be sure not to miss the last ferry, since you won’t find any hotels on the island.

Unsplash/Jonathan J. Castellon
Unsplash/Jonathan J. Castellon
Unsplash/Jonathan J. Castellon

Wisconsin Dells

Known as “the waterpark capital of the world,” the Wisconsin Dells draws in huge numbers of families and can get quite touristy, especially downtown. However, as an adult I’ve come to see the beauty of the surrounding nature here, which first attracted the crowds (many of them joining an Upper Dells river boat tour, which is actually quite beautiful). There’s still plenty of nature that’s quieter and less-crowded than the main drag. And you can find decent (and decently-priced) food at the indoor food truck park, Grateful Shed. Locals and tourists munch on jalapeño popper grilled cheeses and Fruity Pebble marshmallow ice cream sandwiches, while enjoying a concert or a game of bingo.

The Dells is also a great place to base yourself to visit state parks in the area. Mirror Lake State Park is a ten-minute drive away that has short, mostly-flat hiking year-round and calm kayaking on the lake in the summer. About 25-minutes south of The Dells is Devil’s Lake State Park, arguably one of the most beautiful parks in the state. Hiking, biking, camping, and rock climbing are all popular here, but the park’s claim to fame is the Devil’s Doorway rock formation. A half-mile trail requires some scrambling up rocks and stone-carved steps, leading to a tower of giant boulders balanced in an impossible, mother-nature-is-epic kind of way.

Taliesin Preservation
Taliesin Preservation
Taliesin Preservation

Spring Green

Two hours west of Milwaukee is the village of Spring Green, known for the American Players Theatre, an outdoor theater that puts on the best Shakespearean performances in the state. About a mile from the theater is Taliesin, the 800-acre former home and studio of Frank Lloyd Wright that is now a National Historic Landmark and UNESCO World Heritage Site (offering guided tours of the estate).

Ten minutes southwest of the manicured lawns and conservative (in comparison) architecture of Taliesin is what began as a lofty retreat, now turned into one of the most unique attractions in the state. The House on the Rock was the dream (or, possibly, acid trip?) of Wisconsin architect, Alex Jordan, who, quite literally, built the house on top of a rock. The enormous home hangs off a cliff, seemingly supported by nothing at all. The most shocking part of the home, however, isn’t the architecture or beautiful outdoor aesthetics, but rather, the wacky labyrinth of seemingly endless rooms with eclectic collections inside. You’ll see displays of everything from a 200-foot-long whale to enormous, coin-operated, self-playing music machines to 6,000 santas come Christmas to the world’s biggest carousel. Exploring the home while experiencing an altered state of mind isn’t required, but it also doesn’t hurt.Want more Thrillist? Follow us on InstagramTwitterPinterestYouTubeTikTok, and Snapchat.

Cassandra Brooklyn is a freelance writer, guidebook author, and the founder of the boutique travel company, EscapingNY. She specializes in all things outdoors and her work can be found inNational Geographic,The Daily Beast, andLonely Planet. Follow her on IG at @escapingny.

Travel

Ditch your Phone for ‘Dome Life’ in this Pastoral Paradise Outside Port Macquarie 

A responsible, sustainable travel choice for escaping big city life for a few days.

nature domes port macquarie
Photo: Nature Domes

The urge to get as far away as possible from the incessant noise and pressures of ‘big city life’ has witnessed increasingly more of us turn to off-grid adventures for our holidays: Booking.com polled travellers at the start of 2023 and 55% of us wanted to spend our holidays ‘off-grid’.  Achieving total disconnection from the unyielding demands of our digitised lives via some kind of off-grid nature time—soft or adventurous—is positioned not only as a holiday but, indeed, a necessity for our mental health. 

Tom’s Creek Nature Domes, an accommodation collection of geodesic domes dotted across a lush rural property in Greater Port Macquarie (a few hours’ drive from Sydney, NSW), offers a travel experience that is truly ‘off-grid’. In the figurative ‘wellness travel’ sense of the word, and literally, they run on their own independent power supply—bolstered by solar—and rely not on the town grid. 

Ten minutes before you arrive at the gates for a stay at Tom’s Creek Nature Domes, your phone goes into ‘SOS ONLY’. Apple Maps gives up, and you’re pushed out of your comfort zone, driving down unsealed roads in the dark, dodging dozens of dozing cows. Then, you must ditch your car altogether and hoist yourself into an open-air, all-terrain 4WD with gargantuan wheels. It’s great fun being driven through muddy gullies in this buggy; you feel like Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park.  As your buggy pulls in front of your personal Nature Dome, it’s not far off that “Welcome…to Jurassic Park” jaw-dropping moment—your futuristic-looking home is completely engulfed by thriving native bushland; beyond the outdoor campfire lie expansive hills and valleys of green farmland, dotted with sheep and trees. You’re almost waiting to see a roaming brachiosaurus glide past, munching on a towering gum tree…instead, a few inquisitive llamas trot past your Dome to check out their new visitor. 

To fully capture the awe of inhabiting a geodesic dome for a few days, a little history of these futuristic-looking spherical structures helps. Consisting of interlocking triangular skeletal struts supported by (often transparent) light walls, geodesic domes were developed in the 20th century by American engineer and architect R. Buckminster Fuller, and were used for arenas. Smaller incarnations have evolved into a ‘future-proof’ form of modern housing: domes are able to withstand harsh elements due to the stability provided by the durable materials of their construction and their large surface area to volume ratio (which helps minimize wind impact and prevents the structure from collapsing). As housing, they’re also hugely energy efficient – their curved shape helps to conserve heat and reduce energy costs, making them less susceptible to temperature changes outside. The ample light let in by their panels further reduces the need for artificial power. 

Due to their low environmental impact, they’re an ideal sustainable travel choice. Of course, Tom’s Creek Nature Domes’ owner-operators, Cardia and Lee Forsyth, know all this, which is why they have set up their one-of-a-kind Nature Domes experience for the modern traveller. It’s also no surprise to learn that owner Lee is an electrical engineer—experienced in renewable energy—and that he designed the whole set-up. As well as the off-grid power supply, rainwater tanks are used, and the outdoor hot tub is heated by a wood fire—your campfire heats up your tub water via a large metal coil. Like most places in regional Australia, the nights get cold – but rather than blast a heater, the Domes provide you with hot water bottles, warm blankets, lush robes and heavy curtains to ward off the chill.

nature domes port macquarie
Photo: Nature Domes

You’ll need to be self-sufficient during your stay at the Domes, bringing your own food. Support local businesses and stock up in the town of Wauchope on your drive-in (and grab some pastries and coffee at Baked Culture while you’re at it). There’s a stovetop, fridge (stocked as per a mini bar), BBQs, lanterns and mozzie coils, and you can even order DIY S’More packs for fireside fun. The interiors of the Domes have a cosy, stylish fit-out, with a modern bathroom (and a proper flushing toilet—none of that drop bush toilet stuff). As there’s no mobile reception, pack a good book or make the most of treasures that lie waiting to be discovered at every turn: a bed chest full of board games, a cupboard crammed with retro DVDs, a stargazing telescope (the skies are ablaze come night time). Many of these activities are ideal for couples, but there’s plenty on offer for solo travellers, such as yoga mats, locally-made face masks and bath bombs for hot tub soaks. 

It’s these thoughtful human touches that reinforce the benefit of making a responsible travel choice by booking local and giving your money to a tourism operator in the Greater Port Macquarie Region, such as Tom’s Creek Nature Domes. The owners are still working on the property following the setbacks of COVID-19, and flooding in the region —a new series of Domes designed with families and groups in mind is under construction, along with an open-air, barn-style dining hall and garden stage. Once ready, the venue will be ideal for wedding celebrations, with wedding parties able to book out the property. They’ve already got one couple—who honeymooned at the Domes—ready and waiting. Just need to train up the llamas for ring-bearer duties! 

An abundance of favourite moments come to mind from my two-night stay at Tom’s Creek: sipping champagne and gourmet picnicking at the top of a hill on a giant swing under a tree, with a bird’s eye view of the entire property (the ‘Mountain Top picnic’ is a must-do activity add on during your stay), lying on a deckchair at night wrapped in a blanket gazing up at starry constellations and eating hot melted marshmallows, to revelling in the joys of travellers before me, scrawled on notes in a jar of wishes left by the telescope (you’re encouraged to write your own to add to the jar). But I’ll leave you with a gratitude journal entry I made while staying there. I will preface this by saying that I don’t actually keep a gratitude journal, but Tom’s Creek Nature Domes is just the kind of place that makes you want to start one. And so, waking up on my second morning at Tom’s —lacking any 4G bars to facilitate my bad habit of a morning Instagram scroll—I finally opened up a notebook and made my first journal entry:

‘I am grateful to wake up after a deep sleep and breathe in the biggest breaths of this clean air, purified by nature and scented with eucalyptus and rain. I am grateful for this steaming hot coffee brewed on a fire. I feel accomplished at having made myself. I am grateful for the skittish sheep that made me laugh as I enjoyed a long nature walk at dawn and the animated billy goats and friendly llamas overlooking my shoulder as I write this: agreeable company for any solo traveller. I’m grateful for total peace, absolute stillness.” 

Off-grid holiday status: unlocked.

Where: Tom’s Creek Nature Domes, Port Macquarie, 2001 Toms Creek Rd
Price: $450 per night, book at the Natura Domes website.

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