Katiebug1976 Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 We are getting ready to head out and hit the road fulltime with our family next month. We don't have a structured plan and will be taking it day by day. However, we do know we will be in Wisconsin in July. We've never been to Wisconsin before so we don't really know what to do or where to stay. Please share any great things to do/explore (preferably cheap or free). Also, if you know of a great RV park that allows big RV's (40ft RV pulling a 22ft trailer) for a reasonable amount we would love to hear about that as well. Thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Door County WI has LOTS to do and plenty of RV parks. Beautiful area to visit and explore - lots of the outdoor stuff is lower cost or free. Fabulous biking and hiking places. You may want reservations sooner rather than later. http://www.doorcounty.com/ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8circles Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 I've never actually been camping or RVing so I can't be that much help. But I do live in WI. :D It is a beautiful state. Door County has lots to do. Also, http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/parks/name/kohlerandrae/Kohler Andrae State Park is very nice & right on Lake Michigan. The Apostle Islands up north. I know there's surfing near Sheboygan :D Rock climbing in Devil's Lake. Hiking on the Ice Age trail. There is really a lot here. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnE-girl Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 (edited) Door County WI has LOTS to do and plenty of RV parks. Beautiful area to visit and explore - lots of the outdoor stuff is lower cost or free. Fabulous biking and hiking places. You may want reservations sooner rather than later. http://www.doorcounty.com/ Door County is my most favorite place in the world. We haven't camped there, but Peninsula State Park is beautiful. Edited March 31, 2016 by AnnE-girl 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3 ladybugs Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Do you have a blog or something? I love seeing peoples setup! My grandparents did the full time RV'ing several times in their life. In the 40's all the way up into the 90's. Surprisingly grandma doesn't really have anything bad to say about it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 I don't know where to suggest you stay, but one great place to visit is Old World Wisconsin. http://oldworldwisconsin.wisconsinhistory.org/ Also, did you know that there was a Lead Rush in Wisconsin? I find that killingly funny, because I'm from California where we rush for gold or maybe silver, but lead? However, the lead rush was a thing, and actually it's pretty interesting. The Dells is a great area for water slides and such. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 http://www.travelwisconsin.com/ There are SO many parks and things to do in Wisconsin! Door County is hard to beat, but it may be a little more costly in places. We've gone there for day trips to pick cherries and visit the parks. One park that instantly came to mind when you asked what to do is located near Wausau- which is pretty centrally located in the state. It's called the Dells of the Eau Claire. Beautiful rock formations along the river! http://www.visitwausau.com/accountdetails.php?id=195637 If you get a state park sticker upon your arrival into the state you will be able to check out as many state parks as you want for free. Up north, you can take your camper to most of the national forest campgrounds- though most don't have electric available. One of our favorite places to camp is the Eagle River area. Eagle River itself is a little touristy, but it's still fun and worth a visit. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Jealous. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth S Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 The top half of Wisconsin is heavily wooded, and less populated. July is the perfect time to visit, and it will not be stiflingly hot. Swimming in lakes, fishing, hiking, biking. The Wisconsin Dells outside of Madison is overly touristy, with ski shows. My favorite nearby spot is Mackinac Island, between the UP & lower part of Michigan. No vehicles permitted on the island, though, by design! You take a ferry & can bike, or take carriage rides instead. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barnwife Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 You've gotten some good ideas. There are so many things to do. The Dells is fine, but touristy. Heading there in July would be one of the circles of hell for me. Door County is beautiful. Wyalusing State Park is great.There is obviously plenty to do in Milwaukee or Madison. You could visit Pepin and do Laura Ingalls Wilder stuff. You could go to Eagle River. You could visit the Driftless Region (La Crosse area-ish). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Madison on a Saturday is a lot of fun. The capitol building is a great place to tour- the walk to the roof is worth it- the view is awesome. Around the capitol is a HUGE farmer's market. It's not like any you have ever seen before- it's all produced by the folks who are selling the stuff. Fruits, veggies, herbs, flowers, honey, baked goods, meats,fresh squeaky cheese curds, jams...they have it all. On the outside of the market are artists and musicians. It's such a great way to spend a few hours. Bring a blanket or two and have a picnic on the capitol lawn. Also in Madison - there are plenty of places to walk along the lakes and it's beautiful. The zoo in Madison is small but free. And you are allowed to bring in food! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 One. Visit every kringle bakery in the state to find the best one. Two. Upgrade RVs suspension before the trip home :D Bill 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 You've gotten some good ideas. There are so many things to do. The Dells is fine, but touristy. Heading there in July would be one of the circles of hell for me. Door County is beautiful. Wyalusing State Park is great. There is obviously plenty to do in Milwaukee or Madison. You could visit Pepin and do Laura Ingalls Wilder stuff. You could go to Eagle River. You could visit the Driftless Region (La Crosse area-ish). I am reminded that Caddie Woodlawn's home is also in Wisconsin! http://www.dunnhistory.org/sitecw.html It's way over near the Minnesota border- just 45 minutes from the Twin Cities, which isn't Wisconsin, but sure is fun to visit as well. There are several state parks nearby with lots of fishing. We'll be camping over there in July at Coon Fork Lake, which is smack dab in the middle of Amish country. It's very peaceful- and does have electricity at some sites. We like the swimming beach there, and the lake is non-motorized, so only canoes/kayaks and the like. I agree with Barnwife's assessment of Wisconsin Dells in July. But not too far from there is The House On The Rock. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_on_the_Rock It's bizarre and cool all at the same time. There's truly nothing else like it. There are lots of Frank Lloyd Wright homes in the state (including Taliesin) if that is of interest to you. I have no idea how many of them are available to tour or how pricey they might be. If you're still in the state at the beginning of August, the Tall Ship festival will be in the Green Bay and Sturgeon Bay areas. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 The Bristol Renaissance Festival is really cool. It's also the entirety of my experience with anything in Wisconsin. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 You can visit the Rod & Staff store in Withee :). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 ~driving along the Mississippi River (Laura Ingalls Wilder, LaCrosse, river boat cruise, Wyalusing, Indian mounds) ~driftless area along the WI river (Spring Green, Frank Lloyd Wright, House on the Rock, Cave of the Mounds, Old Wisconsin) ~Madison (farmer's market, State st book stores, picnic pt., free zoo) ~central (Baraboo, Devil's Lake climbing and hiking, the WI Dells (waterparkpalooza), many lakes/fishing/boating/ATVs) ~Door County (Swedish restaurant with the goats on the roof, lighthouses, maritime museum, ferry, Peninsula St. Park) I love northern Wisconsin too, but you need a destination. Lots of woods and lakes and the things that go with them. I would search state parks and regional websites. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in IL Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 Don't forget the Dells! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebug1976 Posted April 1, 2016 Author Share Posted April 1, 2016 Do you have a blog or something? I love seeing peoples setup! My grandparents did the full time RV'ing several times in their life. In the 40's all the way up into the 90's. Surprisingly grandma doesn't really have anything bad to say about it! Our plan is to start a blog as soon as we can. However, our home sold after being on the market only 11 days, so we are in panic mode right now trying to sort/purge/pack/load the RV etc. so we can be out and on the road by the end of April. Its crazy how much stuff 9 people can accumulate in just a couple years!! I will post back on the forums when we do get a blog up and going. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebug1976 Posted April 1, 2016 Author Share Posted April 1, 2016 http://www.travelwisconsin.com/ There are SO many parks and things to do in Wisconsin! Door County is hard to beat, but it may be a little more costly in places. We've gone there for day trips to pick cherries and visit the parks. One park that instantly came to mind when you asked what to do is located near Wausau- which is pretty centrally located in the state. It's called the Dells of the Eau Claire. Beautiful rock formations along the river! http://www.visitwausau.com/accountdetails.php?id=195637 If you get a state park sticker upon your arrival into the state you will be able to check out as many state parks as you want for free. Up north, you can take your camper to most of the national forest campgrounds- though most don't have electric available. One of our favorite places to camp is the Eagle River area. Eagle River itself is a little touristy, but it's still fun and worth a visit. Awesome! Thank you for the ideas!! Where do we get a state park sticker? Are they very expensive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebug1976 Posted April 1, 2016 Author Share Posted April 1, 2016 Thank you all for the many wonderful ideas! I am off to check them all out and see what we can fit in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8circles Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 (edited) Awesome! Thank you for the ideas!! Where do we get a state park sticker? Are they very expensive? http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/parks/admission.html We just buy ours the first visit of the year, right at the entrance. You may want to buy ahead to have it ready. The reservation website is pretty easy to use to find campsites. http://wisconsinstateparks.reserveamerica.com/ Edited April 1, 2016 by 8circles 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyGF Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 If you like historical villages, we really enjoyed going to Old World Wisconsin on July 4. We closed the place out! Emily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 Awesome! Thank you for the ideas!! Where do we get a state park sticker? Are they very expensive? For out of state it will cost you $38, but then you're good to go with any of the state amenities. Otherwise it's $5 a pop- and at most parks, they won't even let you just do a drive-thru to check it out without paying up front. You can get the sticker online at the site 8circles shared, or just buy at your first "sticker required stop". If you get to my neck of the woods (Appleton, Fox Valley area), we have High Cliff State Park nearby. Beautiful hiking trails and camping areas. I think there are a few Indian mounds over there, but it's been a while so I can't really say for sure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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